dropbox

Dropbox confirms it was hacked, offers users help

When a few hundred Dropbox users began receiving spam emails about online casinos and gambling sites two weeks ago, it seemed like something was up. And indeed there was.

The online file storage service confirmed today that hackers accessed usernames and passwords from third party sites and then used them to get into Dropbox users' accounts.

"Our investigation found that usernames and passwords recently stolen from other websites were used to sign in to a small number of Dropbox accounts. We've contacted these users and have helped them protect their accounts," the company wrote in a blog … Read more

Take better notes on your iPad with these 5 apps

The iPad, along with competing tablets and even the growing list of highly portable ultrabooks, is quickly becoming a staple in the classroom for teachers and students alike. It seems more and more likely that taking notes with a pen and paper will one day be an antiquated practice we'll all reminisce about to our grandkids.

The iPad can be a great tool for taking notes, but the native iOS Notes app doesn't cut it for everyone. To take truly useful notes that can replace that spiral notebook, you're going to need the help of an app … Read more

Three Web services worth paying for

People who know me know I don't like paying for anything. If there's a free (or at least cheaper) alternative, you can bet I'll take it. I am, after all, a cheapskate.

That said, there are a handful of Web services I consider to be great values -- so great, in fact, that I actually don't mind paying for them. Well, OK, I'd rather get them for free, but they don't make me cringe the way I do when paying for, say, phone service and cable TV.

My three worth-the-money picks:

1. Followupthen

I'… Read more

Dropbox users get spammed via personal e-mail accounts

David P. was the first Dropbox user to post on the company's Web site forum titled "Email-Address leaked from Dropbox" yesterday. He wrote that he received spam from an email address he uses only for Dropbox.

"So I guess you have a security problem with your user account data," he wrote. "And this sucks a lot."

As of this writing, there are now 106 posts in the forum of people complaining of receiving e-mail spam from online casinos and gambling sites via the online file storage service. The majority of the users are … Read more

Get a beta invitation to Cubby file-syncing service

Happy Friday the 13th. Let's celebrate this no-different-than-any-other-day-on-the-calendar day with a great freebie!

Cubby, the new file-syncing and -sharing service from LogMeIn, has been running a closed, invitation-only beta for the past few months. It's still closed, still invitation-only -- but I've got invites just for you, Cheapskate readers.

In other words, you can now get a free 5GB Cubby account. Just type in your e-mail address and presto, you've got access. (Watch your inbox for an activation e-mail. Mine arrived almost instantly.)

Quick caveat: This is capped at 5,000 users. If the limit is … Read more

Sync photos from your Android device to iCloud's Photo Stream

Over the last two weeks I have been thinking about switching to Android for a few months in order to gain a better perspective of the differences between Android 4.1 and iOS 6. I can tinker and mess around with Android all I want, but unless I force myself to use it all the time, I won't truly learn the operating system. At least, that's my theory.

So, I made a list of all the things I use on iOS/OS X and started looking for a way to replicate it on Android. One of the items … Read more

Dropbox doubles plan sizes; intros 500GB option

Dropbox is getting bigger -- at least for Pro subscribers.

Thanks to user demand, Dropbox is doubling the space of its Pro 50 and 100GB plans. That means Dropbox Pro offers 100GB and 200GB for the same prices as the original 50GB and 100GB plans, starting at $9.99 per month or $99 per year.

In case that's still not enough for individual Pro account users, Dropbox is adding a 500GB plan -- also at the behest of user feedback. It runs $49.99 per month or $499 per year.

Dropbox Product Marketing Manager Anna-Christina Douglas said on the … Read more

Dolphin gets a Garage to stash add-ons

SAN FRANCISCO--Tugging on Chrome's coat tails, the popular Dolphin browser has announced alongside the Google I/O developer conference a new framework for developers called Dolphin Garage.

Garage is an open API program for extending the functionality of Dolphin. Powered in part by Adobe Phonegap and Dolphin's own HTML5 framework called Engine, it will include the release of more than 150 APIs, which will allow developers to create their own add-ons for the browser.

Engine has proven to be a big boon for Dolphin, explained David Dehghan, technical architect at Dolphin. While at a W3C Web standards meeting … Read more

Best apps for streaming video on Android

When the smartphone craze first started, the thought of being able to stream a movie or TV show while commuting into work or waiting at the airport was simply a dream. Screens were small, coverage was spotty, and it was hard to find shows you actually wanted to see. Fast forward to today, and streaming content on the go is genuinely good.

We rounded up seven apps that provide a great streaming experience on your Android device, whether you're sitting on the couch with solid Wi-Fi or out and about with a 3G or 4G connection. Here they are. … Read more

How to check if your cloud storage service is down

If you can't access your cloud storage service, the problem could be any number of things, from your own computer, to the servers in the cloud. To check if the problem is on the service provider's end, check out the system status pages for your provider. Here are the status pages for Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive, Box, and SkyDrive:

Dropbox The Dropbox status page provides the status for Dropbox web access, as well as desktop client access. Details of updates are also provided below the status box. To check Dropbox status, go to http://status.dropbox.com.

iCloud … Read more