I have been using DropBox pretty religiously for the last several years, and other than the security imbroglio which just occurred, I am quite happy with this service. Droplet is an app which could extend the reach of DropBox in that you can effectively download online content directly into your DropBox cloud account…instead of having to download some file to your local computer, and then upload it (through DropBox). This is an amazingly handy tool…that is, when you need it!
Transfer Web Files Directly to Your Dropbox Folder with URL Droplet
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/transfer-web-files-dropbox-folder-url-droplet
One of the leading names in consumer cloud storage services is Dropbox. Since the service started a couple of years back, people have come up with some creative uses of Dropbox to enhance its functionality. URL Droplet is one of them.
All the cloud services more or less work the same way – you upload your files to the cloud, and you can then access them from anywhere with an Internet connection. But things become impractical when the files you want to put in the cloud are also coming from the web. In this case, the steps would be to download the files from the web to your computer hard drive, then upload the files to the cloud. Due to the downloading-uploading steps, this process could take a long time depending on the size of the files and the speed of your Internet connection.
URL Droplet is the service that will cut out the middle man – your computer’s hard drive. This web tool will allow you to upload files from the web directly to your Dropbox storage. Since the transfer goes from one web server to another, the process happens very fast – regardless of the speed of your Internet connection. Size does matter, but only a little. In my experiment, transferring a 50MB file from the web to my Dropbox folder was done in less than one second, while doing it the traditional way (web->hard drive->Dropbox) consumed more than half an hour.
You can use URL Droplet to download files that you find when you are away from your home computer, either using another computer, or by using a mobile gadget. If you keep Dropbox always open in your home computer, the downloaded files will be ready for you when you arrive home later.
4 killer Dropbox tricks
http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-20073094-285/4-killer-dropbox-tricks
1. A different way to upload files
to upload files to your Dropbox, you’d normally drag ‘n’ drop on your desktop, or upload via the Web client. Instead, there might be times when uploading with e-mail is more appropriate. Go to sendtodropbox.com, where you’ll get a custom e-mail address. Any e-mails with attachments sent to that address will be uploaded to your Dropbox in an "Attachments" folder. Alternatively, URLdroplet.com allows you to upload target links directly to your ‘box. Just grab a link, such as a nutritional menu PDF, paste it into URL Droplet and the Interwebs will take it from there.2. Start downloading (legal) torrents remotely
you can use Dropbox to start downloading torrents remotely, so that they’re ready upon your arrival home. Just make sure you have legal permission to transfer these files. Here’s how to set it up in uTorrent (although the process is similar for other BitTorrent clients):Windows: Open uTorrent and go to Preferences > Directories. Check the box next to "Automatically load torrents from" and browse to select your Dropbox folder.
Mac OS X: Open uTorrent and go to Preferences > Downloads. Check the box next to "Automatically open torrent files found in" and browse to select your Dropbox folder. Also check "Start transfer after opening each torrent file."
3. Make Dropbox your default documents folder
Lifehacker points out that since Dropbox isn’t your default documents folder, it’s easy to forget to save your important files there. So, why not make it your default doc’s folder?Windows 7 or Vista: Right-click My Documents > Properties > Location. Select "Move" and locate your Dropbox.
Mac OS X: Open Terminal (search for it in Spotlight) and type cd Dropbox. Hit return, then type ln -s ~/Documents /Documents. Hit Enter and watch the magic happen.
Also note that Dropbox saves all versions of each document for 30 days. Head to the Dropbox Web interface, hover over the file, and click the arrow to view previous versions.
4. Create your own photo stream
Why wait till Apple releases its photo stream product to sync all your photos? With the Android and iPhone apps, upload photos directly to your Dropbox or take snapshots within the app itself (Android only). Make a folder within the Photos folder in your Dropbox. Doing so will allow you to share it with others, too.Bonus tip: Get free storage
although most users are aware, here’s a reminder that Dropbox gives you 250MB of free storage for every friend you refer. So leave your referral link in comments, your Facebook profile, and your Twitter feed because you can earn up to 8GB of free storage.
