Skip to main content

Dropbox’s collaboration tool Paper now out of beta, rolling out in 21 languages

Dropbox is moving from a file storage service to a collaboration service, focusing on small businesses and creatives with its new all-in-one collaboration service, Paper. The premise of Paper is simple; it’s a place where you can create, edit, tag, and chat, all in one document. It essentially combines the aesthetic of Medium with the collaboration features of Google Docs.

Paper was originally named Notes, however it was soon re-minted and launched in beta. Now, the app is finally coming to the public — and it’s rolling out in a hefty 21 languages. Not only that, but the app is gaining new features every month — including things like mobile versions of the service.

Recommended Videos

Documents will begin with a blank page and minimal formatting options. Users can choose regular typeface with headers and bold or Markdown. Lines of code will automatically be formatted, similar to Dreamweaver’s code-recognition system.

Users will be able to import photos, videos, and sound bytes to the document. Other collaborators can be tagged in the document through an @ mention. And other Dropbox documents can be easily shared by importing them, with these being made instantly available to everyone inside the document.

Once multiple users have collaborated on a document, text will be highlighted, identifying who wrote what through a feature called Attribution. Collaborators can comment on the right side, similar to Google Docs, and can even send emojis like a wizard’s sleeve.

A search bar is available at the top to instantly find something inside the document or in another collaborated document. Dropbox has cut down on the number of toolbars, settings, and other clutter. The goal is to make Paper as simple as possible to use, while making it a powerful tool for collaboration.

Dropbox Paper is currently only available around the world. For now, it looks like Dropbox is targeting the individual, but might work with small businesses to bring them up to speed with the new collaboration service.

The only worry is that Dropbox may have come too late. The established players, Slack, Evernote, Google Docs, and OneDrive, each have a strong user base that is committed to that platform. It will be hard for Dropbox to change opinions, unless Paper can truly offer collaboration tools that far surpass the aforementioned competitors.

Updated on 01-30-2017 by Christian de Looper: Added news that the app had exited beta and is launching worldwide.

David Curry
David has been writing about technology for several years, following the latest trends and covering the largest events. He is…
Cost-cutting strips Pixel 9a of the best Gemini AI features in Pixel 9
Person holds Pixel 9a in hand while sitting in a car.

The Pixel 9a has been officially revealed, and while it's an eye candy, there are some visible cutbacks over the more premium Pixel 9 and 9 Pro series phones. The other cutbacks we don't see include lower RAM than the Pixel 9 phones, which can limit the new mid-ranger's ability to run AI applications, despite running the same Tensor G4 chipset.

Google's decision to limit the RAM to 8GB, compared to the 12GB on the more premium Pixel 9 phones, sacrifices its ability to run certain AI tasks locally. ArsTechnica has reported that as a result of the cost-cutting, Pixel 9a runs an "extra extra small" or XXS variant -- instead of the "extra small" variant on Pixel 9 -- of the Gemini Nano 1.0 model that drives on-device AI functions.

Read more
Does the Google Pixel 9a come with a charger? Here’s what’s in the box
A woman holding a purple Google Pixel 9a.

After much speculation in recent months, the Google Pixel 9a has finally been announced. Google's Pixel A series is an excellent choice for those seeking a reliable Android smartphone at a lower price point, and the latest model follows this trend. While it is undeniably part of the Google Pixel 9 series, it has fewer features than its higher-end counterparts.

One question you might have when considering the Pixel 9a is whether it comes with a charger. We’ve got the answer
The Pixel 9a does not come with a charger.
The short answer is that the Pixel 9a does not have a charger. This has become common practice for most smartphones today, including other models in the Pixel 9 series, like the Pixel 9 Pro. While this may be disappointing, it's not surprising.

Read more
Google Pixel 9a vs. Pixel 8a: should you upgrade?
Google Pixel 9a vs Pixel 8a.

Google has released a new budget phone, the Pixel 9a. How does it compare to its predecessor, the Pixel 8a? We've got the answers, and the changes are significant in some ways. In others, not so much. If you have a Pixel 8a and are considering upgrading, read this first.
Google Pixel 9a: vs. Google Pixel 8a: specs

Google Pixel 9a
Google Pixel 8a

Read more