Microsoft Windows Hello to be integrated in next update of Dropbox Universal app
Yesterday, January 21, Microsoft has announced an impending rollout of the next version of the Dropbox universal app for Windows 10.
Up until now, Dropbox has been slow in releasing updates of its Windows 10 universal app with any noteworthy feature, however, according to an official post on the Windows Blog, the company is now fully committed to release its app with a much deeper level of integration within Windows 10.
By that token, the new app, will be one of the first to feature Windows Hello integration. PCs that are not outfitted with fingerprint scanners, iris scanners, face recognition cameras or other biometric authentication methods, will still be able to use a PIN, to access their files.
Features
As previously mentioned, the new features in the upcoming version of Dropbox for Windows 10 will highlight a deeper integration within the operating system, resulting faster loading times, and improved performance.
When right-clicking on the Dropbox quick-launch icon on the taskbar, the Jump list will include recently opened Dropbox files. At a first glance, this feature might be redundant, considering that File Explorer will do that by default, when clicking on the File Explorer icon on the Taskbar, however, being able to see only Dropbox files, instead of having a generic list of mixed files, makes it easier to work with, for those who use Dropbox on a daily basis.
Another nice feature is the ability to drag and drop files and folders, from File Explorer, the desktop or anywhere, directly into the app for fast synchronization.
Comments feature and interactive notifications
the new version of Dropbox will also include the ability to leave comments on files, and, just like on Twitter, use the @ (“at” sign), attached to a name, to mention users with whom the files or folders are shared. This feature makes it easier for people to communicate while working on the same project.
When sharing a file or folder on Dropbox, notifications will appear directly on the desktop, with no need to launch the Dropbox app.
The updated Dropbox universal app will see its official rollout worldwide, this week.
Desktop client
The existing desktop client allows access to Dropbox while keeping files and folders synchronized from a designated folder on the hard drive. For those particularly concerned about security, installing the universal app does not require to have any local Dropbox folder on the host device, much less the need to install the desktop client. Those who wish to keep everything on the cloud, can do so by simply installing the universal Dropbox app, and log in using Windows Hello, which leaves no trace of any Dropbox files on the local drive.