After two years, Dropbox, one of our favorite file sharing tools, has reached a level of maturity with version 1.0, an update that includes brings a host of fixes and improvements allowing Dropbox to lose its beta status. Dropbox said the update represents a big milestone for the software as it strives to become an everyday syncing tool for people.
Here’s a look at the upgrades:
- The best new feature arguably is selective sync, which allows users to choose which folders can downloaded to which computers. This should save time and also storage space on different devices, particularly with mobile devices that may need some, not all, of a user’s Dropbox files.
- Dropbox 1.0 is much leaner, faster and has been rewritten to optimize response time, scale and resource consumption. The latest version reduces memory usage by up to 50 percent, according to the company.
- The set-up process has been redesigned on all platforms to make it easier to get started. Dropbox re-wrote preference menus and built the Mac OS X version in Cocoa so it’s a 20 percent smaller download and looks more like a native Mac app.
- There are hundreds of bug fixes and changes to extended attribute sync, which should help syncing on Macs.
Altogether, it’s a nice set of upgrades that should help Dropbox continue its momentum and encourage more people to share files online. Check it out here.
Related content from GigaOM Pro (sub. req.):
- Are You Empowering Your Mobile Workforce?
- Report: The Real-Time Enterprise
- How to Manage Consumer-Grade Collaborative Tools in the Workplace
