Review: CloudSix for Dropbox
Score:
86%
Rafe took a brief look at CloudSix when prolific developer Rudy Huyn released the app at the start of the month, but I wanted to take a bit more time over the new Dropbox client and the app's utility in the real world. Let's just say it's more than worth the quirks in the UI, and is a recommended download if you are a Dropbox user.
Version Reviewed: 1.1.1.0
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CloudSix is all about working with files in 'the cloud' and keeping these files in sync. In the current version, of course, this means talking to Dropbox, but there are plans to extend the functionality to other cloud based storage apps - presumably Google Drive, OneDrive, and Amazon S3, are going to be considered. Just as the many podcast client developers have discovered, triggering a Windows Phone app to sync is not as straightforward as it is on other platforms. While you can force a manual sync from the menu, for a sync to happen automatically your smartphone needs to be 'charging' and connected to the internet over Wi-Fi.
This is a technical limitation of Windows Phone, and there's no easy way around it, which limits the obvious use case model of any cloud client, not just CloudSix.
The other limitation is in the security model. CloudSix does not have full access to the Windows Phone file system, so data that might be nice to have in the cloud (office documents, game saves, videos, music playlists, etc) are not always accessible. This may change in the future, and it remains to be seen what coding options are available in the next major Windows Phone update for Huyn (and others) to get to grips with.
This does not mean that CloudSix does not have a useful upload mode - images, either from the camera, screenshots, or other sources, can be uploaded either manually or by the aforementioned auto-sync. Given the value of preserving images and their unique nature, this has a lot of value to me. Couple the Windows Phone sync with the automatic syncing of selected folders on my desktops and laptops running a Dropbox client and a single picture snapped is available in a very short time-frame on my other devices.
This of course is how cloud computing should work, and it should work in both directions, with documents placed into a Dropbox available over any device. There are considerations on a mobile platform though, with issues such as battery life, data bandwidth, and application support. CloudSix maintains best practice in these areas for Windows Phone, and while it's not seamless, it's as close as Microsoft's current OS can support. The use of Wi-fi only for sync is one such area, CloudSix is not going to run away with your mobile data allowance. You have the filenames listed as you navigate your Dropbox storage, and to get a file on your device you need to explicitly select it.
Not every file can be opened on your device. Text files are handled inside the CloudSix application, and supported media files (such as images and music) are passed over to the relevant Windows Phone application. If a file is supported, it will be opened. A good example here is a PDF, which is passed over to Adobe's PDF reader application. When an app is not available, you are offered the opportunity to navigate the Windows Phone Store to find a suitable application.
I get the feeling that CloudSix is not for the novice user who just needs 'a phone', so the power users and those pushing documents and files around - the target audience for CloudSix - will be aware of what their Windows Phone can and cannot do, and should be able to accommodate this issue.
Files that are downloaded are cached, so you can check on them later without eating up more of your bandwidth, and if you need a bit of extra space on your handset then you can flush the cache manually to reclaim the space.
You can also mark files as 'favourites' that are quickly available from an on-screen menu, saving you the time and logistics of navigating through any deep directory structures to get a PDF timetable or a map of the conference centre.
Which leads me to the user interface. CloudSix does not follow the Windows Phone Design Language. Instead, it goes for a central directory list of your cloud files, with two menus that slide in from the left and right hand side of the screen. There are a number of applications on iOS and Android that use a similar metaphor, and I'm sure readers of AAWP are going to think about the edge-swipe move from the Nokia N9 and the Jolla/Sailfish OS handsets.
I'm still not sold on such a radical step away from the Windows Phone look, but if I accept that CloudSix is aimed at power users, then the change in the UI which sticks out like a sore thumb when you jump into the app, is not a deal-breaker even if it does feel awkward. To be fair Huyn has always gone for a more 'app focused' UI in previous web service clients for Windows Phone rather than fit in with the UI look formerly known as Metro, so this is to be expected, but get ready to start hunting for menu options.
Curiously, once you reach the settings screen it does return to the Panorama style side scrolling screens.
CloudSix is still in the early stages of development, and a number of areas the app will expand into have already been noted. The addition of other cloud services is one area, and I can see where the app design is waiting for this. You can add multiple Dropbox users to the app, switching between them as required, so it should be simple to drop another service into here (and then the favourites bar, stretching across accounts and services, will become even more useful). Huyn also has an API available for other developers so CloudSix can be used as a gateway to the online services - a nice touch and I'll be interested to see who joins in and uses the service.
And all of this is available as a free download. While it is ad-supported, the ads are subtle and not invasive, and I would have no issue paying the small fee to remove the ads to support Huyn in yet another highly polished client for a 'must have' modern web service. Yes, there is work to do, but I found the access offered to me to my online travel itineraries, tickets, map images, and references (which I put in Dropbox as a matter of course) made CloudSix an instant win for me. Clean, easy (but different) to use, well thought out, and usable... quite simply, if you're a Dropbox'er, there's no reason not to install this right now.
Remind me again why Microsoft haven't hired him to working on these services as part of the core OS?
Reviewed by Ewan Spence at