Dropbox Touts New Collaborative Cloud Storage Management App

Dropbox on Tuesday announced a new client for Mac and Windows that seeks to make the cloud storage service a "meta-platform" for collaborative tools in the productivity workspace.


Called "the new Dropbox," the client aims to let teams create and collaborate without ever leaving the app, by enabling them to create and edit Google and Microsoft-based documents, spreadsheets and slides, start Slack conversations and initiate Zoom conference meetings.

The broad idea is to let users engage in light project management outside of the dedicated tools it supports, with the ability to create to-do lists, add comments, delegate tasks, and keep track of progress through a team activity feed.

Other highlights include the ability to create and store shortcuts to any website alongside your content in Dropbox, the ability to manage Jira and Trello projects, and a unified search bar to find traditional files, cloud content, shortcuts, and files you’ve chosen not to download through the company's selective sync feature.

Interested users can opt into an "early access" program to test out the new app before its official launch. Happily though, the company also promised that the standard Dropbox way of doing things – keeping a synced folder on your Mac and using a simple menu bar applet to manage it – won't be going away when the new app officially rolls out.