Online data storage comes of age with Dropbox

I carry a 2GB USB stick on my keyring to keep files on that I might need at any time. I rarely use it, but I am about to use it much less, thanks to Dropbox, a free service (up to 2GB) that keeps all your files synced up to "the cloud". Whichever platform you are on, it is just a matter of downloading the program, which automatically creates a Dropbox folder on your computer and syncs this up to Dropbox's servers. Any files you save in this folder can be accessed via the dropbox website, your other computers or shared with friends and colleagues. You can even generate links to share photo albums. It's so simple.

As far as I know, Dropbox is no relation to Box.net, a similar product with a few more collaborative tools aimed at businesses.