MakeUseOf.com: “Cool Websites and Tools [May 19th]” plus 8 more |  |
- Cool Websites and Tools [May 19th]
- How To Add Facebook Widgets & Buttons To Your Website
- How To Access Everything Quicker With Alfred [Mac]
- Hot Tech Deals [May 19th]
- BCArchive: Quickly Create Compressed Files With Iron Clad Password Encryption
- Getting Writing Done With SimpleNote On The iPad
- 3 Google Tricks When You Don’t Know What to Search For
- Top 10 Backup Software Apps For Your PC
- How To Automate Multiple Rapidshare Downloads
| Cool Websites and Tools [May 19th] Posted: 19 May 2010 08:31 PM PDT
These are just half of the websites that we discovered in the last couple of days. If you want us to send you daily round-ups of all cool websites we come across, leave your email here. Or follow us via RSS feed. Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on MakeUseOf Answers! Similar MakeUseOf Articles
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| How To Add Facebook Widgets & Buttons To Your Website Posted: 19 May 2010 06:31 PM PDT
Recently, I wanted to add Facebook to my website in a variety of ways – including allowing my visitors to “like” my articles and of course displaying my Facebook update on my blog. There are actually several ways that you can integrate Facebook into your website, either to display your own profile information or to let your visitors access their own Facebook information in different ways.
Display Your Profile Information on Your WebsiteThe most common way people add Facebook to their website is by displaying their profile “badge”, usually in the left menu of their blog. This is also the easiest choice, because it’s just a matter of obtaining the code from the Profile Badges area and pasting it into your site.
On your Facebook “Profile Badges” page, you’ll notice that on the left you have several choices for the type of widget that you want to use – like badges, profile badges and photo badges. I’ll cover each of these options. The profile badge is simple, just select where you want to insert your badge. For websites or on your blog, select “Other.”
Highlight and copy the HTML code in the field below, and then paste it into your blog or on your website where you’d like to insert your Facebook profile badge. For a Wordpress blog, which is what I usually use, you can insert the code into a Text/HTML widget on the sidebar.
Just click save, and your profile is on the sidebar of your blog. Every time you update your Facebook profile, the change is reflected on your profile badge. There are two other profile badge types you can place on your site – the Photo Badge or the Like Badge. The photo badge is much like your profile display, except that it displays your most recently added photos instead of your profile update. The “Like” badge is pretty cool because it’s an easy way to share sites that you like with your visitors straight from Facebook.
You can select any of the items from your list of “Likes and Dislikes” in your profile. It shows up as a link to the Facebook page for that entity. For example, in this case it links to the Facebook page for Band of Brothers.
These are profile badges that folks have been using for a long time, but there are also cool ways that you can help your website visitors access their own Facebook account straight from your site, and hopefully share your URL with all of their friends in the process. Help Visitors Share Your ContentThe more useful Facebook widgets are the “Like” widgets that you can place on your blog to more easily allow your visitors to share articles or content on your site that they especially like. You may have already noticed the Facebook “Like” widget on your favorite websites, as it’s a very popular one. Just head over to the Facebook Widgets page and choose one of the two Like widgets that are available there – one is just a standard Like link with the count of people who like the page, and the other is a Like box, where visitors can like your Facebook page (if you have one). To set up the Like button for your site, you just have to provide the URL and customize the widget for the area on your site where you want to place it. When you’re done, just click “Get Code.”
Once you have the code, just paste it into your page where you’d like it to show up, and this is how it will appear on your page:
Keep in mind that if you want an individual Like button for each page of your site, you’ll need to go into Facebook, assign the URL and obtain the code. A better approach (available on the same page where you get the code) is to use the XML code, which Facebook calls XFBML.
If you are a developer, you can create some dynamic scripting that embeds the correct URL for your visitors to like for the particular page that’s loaded. Creating that code is beyond the scope of this article, but be aware that the capability is there if you need it. Check out the Like Button help page for further information. Let Visitors View Their Facebook AccountMy favorite Facebook widget of all of them is the Activity Feed widget. If you have a site that is getting at least some social love in the form of Facebook shares from your visitors, you can show that off in a cool widget. This widget displays the latest articles that were shared by visitors. And when visitors to your site are logged into their Facebook profiles, the widget actually displays the latest updates/shares about your site from their Facebook friends – so they can actually see which of their Facebook friends like your website.
In my opinion, this widget is one of the best ways to create a perfect dialog between your own website and the Facebook community. As you grow traffic to your website from the Facebook community, you’ll see this widget display your popularity and draw in even more Facebook visitors. There are the buttons and widgets that I chose to add Facebook to my websites, but there are other widgets to try – so experiment and see which ones work best for your site. Have you tried any of these with your own blog? Do you know of any other cool widgets that integrate Facebook into your blog even better than these? Share your insights in the comments section below. We NEED Your Comments!!! Please do share your thoughts in article comments. Similar MakeUseOf Articles
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| How To Access Everything Quicker With Alfred [Mac] Posted: 19 May 2010 02:31 PM PDT
And as promised, in today’s discussion, we’ll dig deeper into Alfred’s usage and see how it can optimize your daily Mac experience.
Basic UsageAs an application launcher, using Alfred is similar to using other launchers: you hit the keystroke combination, and then type in the command/search string. As you can see from the picture, Alfred has a bigger display than QSB.
The default keystroke for Alfred is “Option + Spacebar”, but you can change it into your own chosen combination if you want to by going to “Preferences – General – Essential“.
However, Alfred has its own tricks which makes the app different from the rest. After doing a search, you can go directly to one of the results by hitting another keystroke combination: “Return” for the first result and “Command + Specified Number” for other results.
For old time Quicksilver and QSB users, you can still use the arrow keys to navigate through results. Quick Access To DictionaryIf your work requires you to always have access to word definitions, then Alfred might be able to give you a quick solution. Summon Alfred and type in “Define” followed by the word that you want to look up. Alfred will come up with several suggestions and you can quickly open any of them in the Dictionary using the keystroke.
I myself like QSB’s way of accessing Dictionary better than Alfred’s, but that’s just my personal preference.
Quick CalculatorAlfred can also serve as a quick calculator. Using it as such is as simple as hitting the “=” key in Alfred’s search field followed by the calculation that you want to do.
But before you can do the quick calculation, you’ll have to first activate the “Calculator” function under the Experimental tab in the Preferences window.
Quick Access To The WebThe one thing that I like most about Alfred is its ability to quickly access/search the many sides of the web, starting from Google to Twitter to your own chosen sites. The list of accessible sites and the commands used to activate them are there on the “Preferences – Web” and as discussed in the previous part, you can customize the command simply by clicking and retyping.
To make the picture clearer, let’s see an example. Suppose you want to go with the default command and not change anything, here are the steps to shorten an URL using the “Bit.ly” service: press “Option + Spacebar” to activate Alfred, then type “bitly” followed by the URL that you want to shorten. Hit “Return” to complete the process.
You can add a search function to your favorite sites by customizing them in the “Preferences – Web – Custom Sites“. Click the plus (+) and start filling in the necessary fields.
However, there’s one thing that you should pay attention to: the “Search URL” field. You should use this pattern for the URL: http://your_fav_ URL.com/search?q={query} where {query} will be the blank that you will fill with search strings later. A trick that I use is to add a Google search specific to a site, and the Search URL will therefore look something like this:
Where “the_URL” (sans quote) will be the address of the site that you want to search on and %20 is the substitute of blank space. So, the URL for a Google search of the MakeUseOf site will look like:
Don’t forget to click the “Add” button after everything is done.
And here’s the result:
The Growing ButlerAbove are the things that I could share regarding using Alfred based on my early experiments with it. So far I think Alfred is a good app, but it still can’t replace my current launcher. Alfred still hasn’t played the leading role. For now, it’s just the supporting actor. But being a beta app, Alfred will surely become better and better as time goes by. Hey Facebookers, make sure to check out MakeUseOf fan page on Facebook. Over 17,000 fans already!
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| Posted: 19 May 2010 01:30 PM PDT
For more fresh hot deals, visit our Hot Tech Deals page, which is constantly updated.
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| BCArchive: Quickly Create Compressed Files With Iron Clad Password Encryption Posted: 19 May 2010 12:31 PM PDT
We have started off with speed. But it also has very powerful encryption algorithms which make it iron clad. BCArchive is an unheralded and relatively lesser known file security tool. When it comes to file archiver tools, there are plenty to pick from. WinRAR is top of the pile among sharewares while 7-Zip might be the freeware choice. Every program does its own bit.
To start off, BCArchive (v.2.02.7) is a free 2.93MB download. It is supported on Windows 7, Vista, XP, 2008 Server, 2003 Server, 2000, NT, ME, 98. It installs in a jiffy and you can access it from the desktop or take one of its three functions via the right click menu. Let's Archive & Encrypt A Bunch Of FilesThe quickest way to archive and password protect a single file or bunch of files is from the right click menu. You can also do it from the main program window. Drag and drop is also supported. Select the files you want to compress and right click to see three options –
Create A BCArchiveCreate and store your files in a secure encrypted BCArchive file. While creating a new archive file, you need to put in your password twice. Advanced users can set other encryption parameters and also choose public key encryption.
BCArchive prompts you to make random movements by mouse to generate a unique encryption key (random seed buffer) to complete the archiving.
Once your archive is created, you can keep on adding files to it. BCArchive encrypts them on the fly. BCArchive dynamically compacts the files. In case, you are adding or modifying the files in a large archive, you can turn it off and choose manual compact when you are done.
You can send the archive to your email program as an attachment. Create A Self Extracting Archive
Create a self-extracted program containing the encrypted archive. You can take this with you or mail it to someone. You don't need the program to extract all the files, just the password to unlock the executable file. Create An Archive Using Public/Secret KeysA key is a piece of code that locks or unlocks using a specific rule i.e. the encryption algorithm. BCArchive allows the use of key pairs (a public key and a secret key) to securely transfer files between two or more people. A Public key is used to encrypt data so that only an owner of the corresponding private key can decrypt the data. With your own public/secret key pair, others can send you data encrypted by your public key which only you can open with your secret key.
To better explain it, here's an example – You want to send a file to Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith has a public key which he sends to you or you can also access it from an internet location where public keys are stored. Once you have the public key, you can encrypt the data with it and send it to Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith then proceeds to open it with his unique secret key. Public/secret key pairs are an extremely secure way of transmitting files. In case this is the first time, BCArchive helps you to create your own public/private key pairs.
Among other key algorithms, BCArchive supports PGP (Pretty Good Privacy). It's not a pun, but probably the best military grade privacy and data encryption method you can depend on. You don't need to go to public key servers to get the encryption keys everytime. BCArchive has a local database (BC Key Manager) which stores the public keys of your contacts.
The highlights of the freeware make this an appealing option for compressing and transferring files. BCArchive has a detailed Help file which you can fall back upon. BCArchive mentions that it is limited to compressing up to 2 terabytes of data. But I think it would be a rare need for everyday use. BCArchive is not only for the paranoid but also for us, as data hacking is almost a side industry. Let us in on your opinion on this freeware. Image Credit: Grant MacDonald Do you like MakeUseOf articles? Do share our articles with others! It’s really important to us. Similar MakeUseOf Articles
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| Getting Writing Done With SimpleNote On The iPad Posted: 19 May 2010 11:31 AM PDT
The default writing tool of the iPad is its Notebook. It’s a basic text tool useful for what it is named for. But one of the features most of us writers need is a way to export our documents from the iPad to another computer and word processor. With the iPad’s Notebook you can only export documents via email. A better and faster way is to wirelessly sync your writing between your iPad and an online account, which can then be accessed from any computer.
For extended writing, Apple offers an iPad version of its desktop application, Pages, which is similar to Microsoft Word. However, Pages comes with a $10 price tag. Although it includes lots of advance features not found in SimpleNote, I believe Page's wireless syncing feature also comes at a price, for you have to upgrade to the Pages ‘09 in order to wirelessly sync documents between the iPad Pages app and Apple’s iWork.com site. Your SimpleNote account, on the other hand, is totally free.
SimpleNote works as a word processor on and offline, and it saves your writing automatically. Once connected, SimpleNote immediately syncs to your online account. You can also type in both portrait and landscape positions. Another big plus for using SimpleNote is that it actually works with the mobile version of Textexpander (iTunes Store link), the commercial automatic text expansion application. When downloaded on the iPad (or iPhone/iPod touch), Textexpander actually seems to work in the background when you're typing in SimpleNote – just as you would when using the desktop version of the app. The ability to use Textexpander with SimpleNote is yet another reason, from a productivity perspective, that SimpleNote is in many ways a better option than Apple's Pages. Also, the online syncing feature of SimpleNote means that your documents will sync to your iPhone or iPod touch. While you might not want to do heavy duty typing on the iPhone, you will be able to read your documents and perform simple edits which will get synced back to your online account.
You can get a premium SimpleNote account for $8.50 per year that includes disabling ads, frequent automatic backup and the ability to set up an RSS feed for your documents. However, the free basic features are sufficient for your regular writing needs. If you’re an iPad user, let us know which word processing tools you use, and the features you would like to see added to the iPad for getting writing done on the device. Got Questions? Ask Them Now FREE on MakeUseOf Answers! Similar MakeUseOf Articles
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| 3 Google Tricks When You Don’t Know What to Search For Posted: 19 May 2010 10:31 AM PDT
However more often than not, you have to try dozens of various search phrases to accidentally come across a good result. Today’s short search tutorial will show some Google search tricks you can use to search when you actually don’t know what you are going to find. The tips will turn useful in a number of cases:
Now, let me share the Google search operators that will help you in any of the above cases: 1. Wildcard Search OperatorSearch engines may treat a wildcard (*) differently. Google substitutes it for one or more words that would normally occur in the phrase. Thus, if you, for example, search ["reliable * provider"], search results will include: “reliable television provider”, “reliable webhosting provider”, “reliable VoiP provider”, etc. Possible UsageThus two of the most obvious ways to take advantage of the search operator are:
Practical ExampleNow, a more creative way to use it is to get some (content) inspiration. I described the method in my earlier post on finding linkbait inspiration: use a wildcard in between classic Digg headings to find which articles are being created to target social media sites. Examples include:
2. ~ Synonym Search OperatorThe Google ~ operator allows you to broaden the scope of your search to related terms and synonyms. Possible UsageThe operator may turn particularly handy when:
Practical ExampleWhen searching for guest post opportunities, the synonym ~ operator lets you include all possible blog topics in one search:
3. Related: URL Search OperatorThe Related: search operator allows to find more similar pages to the provided one. It used to be strictly based on co-citation: it looked for pages with the same set of backlinks to the above one. But since then it has been noticed that it also applied some thematic relevance. Possible UsageIt is thus clear that the search operator should be used when you need to find more similar pages (especially when you can’t formulate the contents or define the concept of the current page). Practical ExampleThe operator may turn very useful for bloggers who often create tool lists and overviews (for a website like MUO). As an example, here are the related results for a popular broken link checker: Xenu’s Link Sleuth.
Also, be sure to check out Tina’s overview of all Google search operators to get more creative search ideas. Which advanced Google search tricks do you use on a daily basis? Image credit: 21cif.com Hey Facebookers, make sure to check out MakeUseOf fan page on Facebook. Over 17,000 fans already!
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| Top 10 Backup Software Apps For Your PC Posted: 19 May 2010 09:31 AM PDT
PC owners have a wide variety of options when it comes to backup software. We’ve documented most of them in the past, but they’ve never been compiled in a single list. It’s always easier to figure out what you’re interested if everything’s in one place, so without further adieu I give you the top ten free PC backup solutions.
Comodo/Time Machine
Comodo’s got a pretty sweet collection of free software out there, from antivirus to firewalls to backup software. In the backup space they have two main offerings: Comodo Backup, a sync based solution to the problem, and Comodo Time Machine, which offers an all-encompassing solution similar to Time Machine on a Mac. Which of these solutions you want depends largely on whether you want a single backup of your files – in which case you should go with Comodo Backup, or an all-encompassing backup of your system including software, in which case Time Machine would be the better fit for you. Read more about Comodo Time Machine in Varun’s article Create Snapshot Backups of Data and Files with Comodo Time Machine or read about Comodo Backup in Aibek’s piece The Best Free Backup Software for Your PC. Dropbox
So while Dropbox may not be a complete backup solution, it can make a great supplement to an old-fashioned hard-drive backup. Check it out at Dropbox or read more about Dropbox right here at MakeUseOf. Clonezilla
If you want to back up everything – and I mean everything – on your hard drive, consider Clonezilla your go-to tool. This exceptional live CD can make a complete clone of your hard drive, operating system and all. This is perfect for preserving not only your documents but everything about your computer in terms of software. True, it’s obviously not an automated thing – you’ll need to boot the CD every time you want to use it. But if you’ve spent hours setting up your computer exactly the way you like it, having a fail-safe to fall back on is always a good thing. Read more about Clonezilla in Benjamin’s article Clonezilla — Free Advanced Hard Drive Cloneing Software. FreeFileSync
If you’re looking for a dead-easy way to synchronize two folders, I highly suggest you check out FreeFileSync. This free program will scan two folders and make up the difference for you; a great way to update your external hard drive backup without re-copying everything. It will even inform you of the amount of data it needs to transfer before doing so. This solution may not be automated but it’s pretty solid. Find out more in Jim’s article How to Keep your Backups Current with FreeFileSync. FBackup
If you’re looking to backup not only your documents but also the settings and plugins you use for a few specific programs (ie Firefox) you should checkout FBackup. This solution allows you to utilize plugins capable of locating the settings of a variety of different programs in addition to backing up your documents, and is worth considering for this reason. Check it out in Varun’s article “Backup Program Data & Personal Settings with FBackup” Crashplan
Most of the solutions listed here assume you have an external hard drive to backup your files to. This solution can save you from hard drive failure but it isn’t perfect. If your house burns down, for example, it’s likely your computer’s hard drive as well as your external hard drive will be destroyed. For this reason many people prefer their backups be offsite. Dropbox can do a little of this for free, but for the most part there’s no free cloud-based backup solution. With Crashplan, however, you can make use of your friend’s computer for your backup. This gives you an off-site backup for free (assuming you can find a trustworthy friend). Best of all, this software works on Mac, Linux and Windows. Check out Crashplan in Tim’s article How To Auto Backup Computer Files with CrashPlan. PureSync
This is another synchronization option, and it’s always good to have options. PureSync can, as the name suggests, sync any two folders. These folders can be local, external or networked – even cloud-based folders can be utilized. It’s fairly easy to use and free, so you might as well check it out. Read more about PureSync in Stefan’s article “Pure Sync: Free Backup and File Synchronization Tool.” Hinx
Hinx is a another great backup service. Like most of the programs here you can automate your backup, unlike most of the options listed here, however, Hinx is a Java program. This means you can run it on just about any computer on planet earth, but it also means it won’t necessarily be the fastest piece of software you’ve ever used. Still, it’s worth checking out if you want the same backup program on Windows as you use in OSX and Linux. Check it out in Aibek’s piece The Best free Backup Software for your PC. Syncback
Yep, it’s another tool for local synchronization, though this one also supports backing up to an FTP server. Another feature that sets Syncback apart is the ability to leave out certain filetypes (ie MP3) or folders (ie C:/Documents/pron). It can be automated to backup in the background or you can use it manually. Interested? Find out more in Mark’s article Backup your Hard Drive with SyncBack. Mozy
This cloud-based backup service typically costs money, although there is a free trial version with 2 gigabytes of storage space (plus an additional gig for every friend you refer). You choose what files are backed up, and the program is good about telling you how much quota you have left. Like Dropbox, the free version of Mozy probably isn’t good if it’s your only backup; it is however, a great instant supplement to a regularly scheduled full backup. Read more about Mozy in our directory. Jessica also reviewed Mozy for a previous giveaway. Bonus: Windows Built In Backup (Vista and Windows 7)Of course, if you have Vista or Windows 7, you’ve already got fairly decent backup software – both of these operating systems come with a built-in solution. If you’d rather not download a piece of software this is always something to keep in mind, although realize you can only use it to sync to an external or local network drive. We’ve not written it up here at MakeUseOf, but you can always read Microsoft’s propaganda about the feature over at Microsoft.com. Note that while XP has a built-in backup utility as well, it’s best to avoid using it. The program is based on an old proprietary standard originally used to backup data to tapes (yes, tapes). Such backups are difficult, although not impossible, to recover on Vista and Windows 7 systems and practically impossible to recover on Linux and OSX machines. ConclusionThere you have it: ten different backup solutions for you to choose from for your PC. Sure, many of these programs have overlapping features, but what works best for you will differ from person to person. As such I’m certain many of you are making use of something not listed here. If that’s the case go ahead and share it in the comments below. Also feel free to share your thoughts on the software mentioned here, because I know you guys have a lot to say. NEW: Download MakeUseOf iPhone App. FREE! Similar MakeUseOf Articles
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| How To Automate Multiple Rapidshare Downloads Posted: 19 May 2010 08:31 AM PDT
Rapidshare was probably one of the first such file hosts on the Internet, and to date it remains the biggest player in an ever increasing market. However, if you've ever had to handle multiple Rapidshare downloads in a hurry, you’ll know how frustrating it tends to be to have to wait for 15 minutes before continuing on to your next download.
The MethodRapidshare keeps a tab on your present IP and doesn't let the same IP download multiple files in the space of 15 minutes. Therefore, it is only logical to conclude that if somehow one could keep changing one's IP address at the end of each download, one can reduce the waiting time between subsequent downloads to a large extent. If you are connected directly to the Internet (via Ethernet), you can just renew your IP by using some cool command line Kung-fu. However, if you are behind a router, you will need to follow a few more (slightly complex) steps to restart your router and assign it a new IP. We will cover both these methods below. The ToolsPreviously featured Rapidshare download client, RapidDownload: We will be using this minuscule piece of software to automate the whole process of downloading a file from Rapidshare. This means no Captcha and no clicking through a thousand screens before you can reach your download. However, this won't eliminate the 15 minute wait before your next download. For that you will need the tools mentioned below. Telnet Scripting Tool: The Telnet Scripting Tool will load a script and pass it to telnet. For those who want to know about Telnet, click here. This script will then act as a mechanism to restart your router so as to assign a new IP address to your router. Notepad: Notepad will be used to actually create the script, which will be passed to the telnet client. This comes with Windows. Putting It All Together
When You Are Directly Connected To The Internet (via Ethernet):
When You Are Behind A Router:
NOTE: The command to restart a router may vary from router to router. Check yours by following the steps at the bottom of this tutorial.
And that's the end of the hard part. From here on in, just open the downloads.txt file in your RapidDownload folder and paste all the Rapidshare links that you want to download. Then launch rapiddownload.exe and keep it running. It will automatically download all the files you want. You can fine-tune the process further by opening the rapiddownload.ini file and editing the line "SecondsOfWaitAfterIPChanger=120" and setting it to some other value which is more convenient for you (this should normally include the time it takes for your router to be assigned a new IP).
Once all that is configured, say goodbye to all the endless waiting times for Rapidshare downloads and have fun getting all the files you ever wanted. Do note that this isn't a perfect process and one or two files may get skipped from time to time (although in my experience, that's pretty rare). As mentioned above, the command to reboot your router might differ. So use the following to find out your router’s keyword.
If you have other methods to easily handle multiple Rapidshare downloads, do share them with us in the comments. Image Credit : stock:xchng. Do you like MakeUseOf articles? Do share our articles with others! It’s really important to us. Similar MakeUseOf Articles
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Check out some of the latest MakeUseOf discoveries. All listed websites are FREE (or come with a decent free account option). No trials or buy-to-use craplets. For more cool websites and web app reviews subscribe to 
If you’re an avid Facebook user, then you may already know that you can add your Facebook badge to your own website, blog or even email, as 
In the 
If you’re in the market for a new computer, laptop, mobile phone, games and other accessories; don’t waste your time searching online. We’ve taken the liberty of locating the best deals tech deals and unifying them into a single post for your convenience.
Archive software that compresses and password protects a bunch of files with just a right click can be called uncomplicated. BCArchive deserves that virtue. Its speedy no hassle way to password protect a compressed file is appealing.
Most users of the iPad would agree that although the device is stylish and portable, it lacks hardware features and functions (namely a Finder) that keep it from being a total laptop replacement. For example, if you want to do heavy duty writing on the iPad, similar to the article I’m writing now, the iPad lacks essential features and software needed for productive writing.
Sometimes you are totally sure which terms to use to search Google to find the information you need.
Not backing up your files regularly? You really should. There’s nothing worse in the computer world than losing all of your hard work – like your documents and projects – or your collection of fun – like your music and movies. You can do a lot to protect these files of course, but sometimes hard drives do fail. In those moments having a backup is crucial.
While not strictly intended to be a piece of backup software, Dropbox does a pretty good job at making sure all your current projects are safe. Here’s how: keep all the projects you are currently working on in your Dropbox. These files will not only be synced to every computer you’ve installed Dropbox on, it will also be synced to the Dropbox servers. This means your current work is instantly backed up to all your machines as well as to the cloud the second you save it.
Free file hosts are a dime a dozen these days. Everywhere you look, people are downloading lots of files from free file hosts. Whether you are a designer working with impossibly huge files, or just an average Joe who wants to send over a lot of photos to someone, you cannot ignore the ease of use and convenience provided by a free file host.
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