For a few days now, I'm using Dropbox. It's a service that lets you store your files online, but with a really great integration into your operating system (they support Windows, Linux, and MacOS!), so that you can access them nearly everywhere very comfortably.

I'm using it so that I can now easily access some shared files on my netbook, my laptop, my office laptop, and even my iPhone without having multiple copies floating around! Before that, I always had to copy a document on my thumbdrive and carry it with me (and no, I did not always have the latest version with me, and yes, I sometimes had a few copies of a document....)

The 2GB version is free (which can be slightly expanded, please see the end of this posting for more info), if you need more space they offer a 50GB and a 100GB version for a monthly fee.

Their Features page gives a good overview of their service:

File Sync
Dropbox allows you to sync your files online and across your computers automatically.

File Sharing
Sharing files is simple and can be done with only a few clicks.

Online Backup
Dropbox backs up your files online without you having to think about it. 

Web Access
A copy of your files are stored on Dropbox's secure servers. This lets you access them from any computer or mobile device.

Security & Privacy
Dropbox takes the security and privacy of your files very seriously.

Mobile Device Access
Free Dropbox iPhone app

 

Also, if you edit or delete a file, a history of the change is kept and you can go back to a previous state within 30 days:

 

You can also see what was changed when in a nice overview tab (web version):

 

Files can be stored within folders (web version):

 

Here's the menu for a file as seen on the web version:

 

As I said, Dropbox can also be tightly integrated into your operating system. As I'm using Windows, I'll show some examples of the Dropbox Window 'client' here.

During installation, you can specify where Dropbox should store the documents. Yes, that means a local version of the documents inside your Dropbox will be available!
After the installation, you can find the Dropbox symbol in the taskbar:

A single click opens the settings for it:

 

Double-clicking opens the location that you specified during the installation (of course you can also simply navigate there through Explorer):

 

Additionally, for the folders within your Dropbox, you get the following menu for viewing deleted files and sharing the folder when you right-click:

 

This is how the contents of the folder look like. Not much difference to a regular folder in Windows, but the difference is that any changes made here (e.g. copy&pasting a document into here, or editing a doc) will be synchronised to the Dropbox server, and from there then to all other locations that you set up. For example, if I upload a document via the web interface from my office laptop, I can later on access that document on my laptop, netbook, AND iPhone.

 

 

The difference between the Windows version and the iPhone version is that the documents in the iPhone version do not get synchronised immediately, but only when you access them. But you have the option to set favourites, which are documents that get downloaded immediately and are available for 'offline access'

Startscreen for the iPhone application

 

Overview of all folders inside my Dropbox:

 

Inside the 'SharePoint' folder:

 

Viewing the document list:

 

My favourites (documents that are stored directly on the iPhone):

 

Here's how an Excel spreadsheet looks like on the iPhone (in landscape mode):

 

And this is the internal PDF viewer (portrait mode)

 

 

As I said before, the service is free for the 2GB version. Additionally, if you refer a friend or sign up through a referral, you get an additional 250MB:

 

So if you're interested in testing or even using it, here's my referral link: https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTI4MzQ1ODQ5

PS: If you complete the first 5 steps on the Getting Started page, you'll get an additional 250MB:

Comments (1)

I updated my iPhone yesterday to OS 3.0, no problems so far, the whole process went very smooth. First I had to update iTunes to 8.2, afterwards it asked me immediately if I want to update the iPhone. The download took a short while (my internet connection at home has been a bit slow sometimes in the past few weeks), the updating itself was done within a few minutes.

 All settings were kept, all programs that I started so far are running without any problem, and even my open tabs in Safari were still open

I haven't tested most of the new features yet, saw no need to send a MMS yet, e.g.

Comments (0)

Since last night 1AM Singapore time, Apple's 3.0 update for the iPhone OS is available. While I haven't updated it yet (I was asleep, and after waking up went to work ), others already tried it successfully.

An overview of the newest features and a guide on how to install the update can be found on Apple's website.

Also, there's an interesting article that explains "How To Use The Best 40 Features of iPhone 3.0".

Comments (0)

HungryGoWhere.com is one of Singapore's most famous food guides. It's community-driven, meaning that users can rate and review restaurants etc., and comment on other people's reviews. The restaurants are categorised according to their offers, and further information like e.g. phone number, address, etc. is provided.
The corresponding iPhone application offers several neat features, that integrate directly with the website.

Start Screen 1




Start Screen 2

 

 Finding a place to eat can be done through two ways: either searching directly with a keyword, and if wanted, a location, or searching places nearby (the applications makes use of the iPhone's GPS to determine the current location)

Keyword Search



Places nearby

Results are listed with the name of the restaurant, the approximate distance to it, the location, the price range, and the average rating of other people.

Results

Selecting a place gives a more detailed overview with all the necessary information (opening times, location, detailed information about ratings). Very neat is also the integration with the maps, which allows one to see one's current location and the location of the selected food outlet.

Details 1




Details 2



Map

Lastly, it is possible to bookmark one's favourites. However, one has to register at the HungryGoWhere.com website first.

Bookmarks

Comments (0)

Every morning on my way to work, I read the morning news while on the MRT/bus. My preferred sources for local news are the Straits Times and Channel NewsAsia, both for which an application for the iPhone exists (Note: there's also an application for Today called iToday, however I never read Today, and thus haven't tested this application; also, I have two other applications (Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal) installed which I use for other news).

Straits Times
The Straits Times application downloads the latest news during startup. These news are grouped into different categories (Singapore, SE Asia, Asia, etc.) and an aggregated view with the top stories of each category. The news preview displays the time when it was posted, the headline, and (if available) a small image. Within an article, that image and the article's text are displayed. However, it has to be noted that, like with the online version, for some articles not the whole text is available (only in the printed version).

Startup screen



 
Top Stories
 



Article view

Channel NewsAsia
The CNA application downloads the news online on-demand and not all during startup. Similar to the Straits Times app, it groups the news into different categories, and for each article it displays the time, the headline, and a picture.

Startup screen




Category view




Select more categories




Article view

Comments (0)

Mobile Blogging from here.

Comments (0)

Taken from inside the MRT on my way back home
Mobile Blogging from here.

Comments (0)

Currently still in preparation. Going to buy more plants today

Comments (0)

My favourite game on my iPhone at the moment is geoDefense, a tower defense game. Simple gameplay, nice graphics, addictive game overall.

Welcome Screen and Level Selection:

Level Start & Game View:

Game View and End of a Game:

End of a Game and About Screen:

 

While the game isn't free, it's only $0.99. Best of all, there's also a free light version available in the App Store for testing!

Comments (0)

Found on slashdot

Comments (0)

Well, as I plan to stay for another few years in Singapore, and as I am no longer on a student pass, I decided to get a postpaid mobile contract.
After a long evaluation, I chose to get the iPhone, and so far I am more than happy with it :)

PS: this post was written on the iPhone with iBlogger ;)

Comments (0)