
Dropbox Paper is now in open beta for iOS, Android, Mac and Windows.
Almost a year has passed since Dropbox Paper was first released in closed beta, the company’s vision for a cloud-based collaborative workplace. This Wednesday, Dropbox has finally decided to start the open beta phase of the app for all users on iOS and Android, as well as for Mac and Windows.
Dropbox’s response to Google Docs, Paper, allows a number of users or an entire team to work on documents together through the cloud. Users can add images, text and even videos from various sites like YouTube or Dropbox itself. Paper also allows users to add automatically formatted code coupled with the ability to create lists and assign various tasks using the respective lists.
Since its closed beta days, Paper has been relatively popular, helping to create more than a million documents for tasks like taking meeting notes and brainstorming ideas. During that period, Dropbox has also paid attention to the feedback from users and has actually implemented the top suggestions. The desktop version of the app includes improved table features and photo galleries, new notifications and a more powerful search.
The mobile version of Dropbox Paper for Android and iOS, allows users to make edits and get new updates on projects, as well as the ability to respond to feedback.
According to T.J. Keitt, a senior analyst with Forrester Research:
“Paper gives users a collaborative content engine that lets teams work collectively on lists and notes—a useful tool given information workers have scooped up note-taking tools like Evernote and OneNote for similar purposes.”
Google Docs is not Dropbox Paper’s only competitor, though it’s his biggest, many other similar software solutions for collaborative space exist, like Microsoft and Box. In spite of this, Dropbox sees Paper withing a unique position in the marketplace. Kavitha Radhakrishnan, group product manager for Dropbox, stated that:
“We’re not just about creating documents, communicating and getting feedback. We’re a holistic team solution in terms of being used as a hub. This is what we’re seeing our early users do. A huge differentiator is that we provide solutions regardless of what tools the users are using today.”
Recently, Dropbox is trying to appeal to more enterprise clients rather than individuals. New apps like Paper coupled with the recent admin tools revamp are essential Dropbox’s efforts to both retain its client base in the face of competition and attract new clients.
Are you going to use Dropbox Paper? What other similar do you use?
Image source: Wikimedia