14 DAY TRIAL // Officially introduced yesterday, Dropbox Anywhere features support for new mobile devices and platforms, as well as new developer capabilities, the app's creators have announced. Dropbox Anywhere makes documents and media available across the entire set of devices a given user accesses in the course of a day.
Weighing in on Dropbox for the iPad, Android and Blackberry, the developers claim that each client is optimized for the device it runs on. For example, the ability to capture, upload and share photos and videos is emphasized on Android devices. On Apple’s iPad, Dropbox works harder to provide a unique, full-screen reading experience. No such examples are offered on the BlackBerry front, but Dropbox Inc. predicts it will be able to ship a native version this summer.
As for developers, starting now, they can include Dropbox's file-access and -syncing capabilities directly in their mobile apps, the company has revealed. Thanks to an API (Application Programming Interface) it’s making available for other developers, other apps will be able to provide immediate access to a user’s documents and files. These will be called Dropbox-enabled apps. The first batch to provide support for this feature includes apps like QuickOffice, FuzeMeeting, Avatron, and more.
Those interested in gaining access to the Dropbox API will need to fill out a form (located here) and they'll be added to the program as availability allows it. Accepted devs will be notified via email when their account is enabled.
"With the innovation and growth in mobile computing, the industry is shifting from a PC and desktop centric model to one where our daily computing experience spans multiple devices and locations," Drew Houston, CEO and founder of Dropbox, said. "By providing seamless and ubiquitous access to users' files and media in the most popular phones and tablets, Dropbox Anywhere helps deliver on the promise of the new mobile model, and makes using these devices more productive and fun."
"We continue to see consumers wanting the ability to easily and quickly access, view, edit and share Office documents anywhere, anytime, as it's an essential component to increasing productivity on the go," Gregg Fiddes, VP of sales and strategic partnerships at Quickoffice, stated. "By integrating the new Dropbox mobile API into our mobile applications, initially on iPhone with additional platforms soon to follow, we're creating a seamless mobile office experience that allows users to remotely access and edit their digital files stored in the cloud."