Friday, September 11, 2009

Dropbox Adds Search and Bulk Operations to Web Site [Syncing]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/lfG_Evn64Gw/dropbox-adds-search-and-bulk-operations-to-web-site

Grabbing Dropbox files from a web browser got a bit easier overnight, as the file synchronizing service added search, bulk operations for separate items, Gmail-style keyboard shortcuts, and a mobile interface for non-iPhone browsers to its web site.

The site as a whole got a visual overhaul, actually, but what established Dropbox users are going to most appreciate is the ability to create new ZIP-ed packages of different files—a few files, one or two folders, and maybe that picture, all at once—and grab them. The Dropbox team also added a search bar and "Gmail-style keyboard shortcuts," although we haven't seen a guide to those shortcuts as of yet.

Update: Reader Samuel points out that keyboard shortcuts are something you have to enable from the "Other Preferences" section of your Account settings on Dropbox's web site. Once you do, hitting "?" brings up the shortcut list you see here. Very Gmail-like indeed.

The non-iPhone mobile version, assuming I'm seeing it on my Android model, works fairly well, providing quick access to files and recent changes. We're still waiting on a dedicated iPhone app—submitted for Apple's approval about four weeks ago—but these changes, mobile and otherwise, are a nice step forward for grabbing files when you're at a non-synced computer or on your mobile device.