A presentation I gave on Dropbox, Evernote, and Google as part of a 'cloud services' bit at ETC.

2. The presentation formerly known as Useful Freeware
Living and learning in the cloud
Harness free online services and software for your benefit as a
student, a faculty member, or just a human being

3. I have no idea what you’re talking about.

6. Why should I care?

7. 1) Location
2) Location
3) Location
Your data is stored or backed up elsewhere. In the cloud.

8. Computer catches on fire?
Not a problem. Get a new computer, install software if necessary,
log in with it. All your data is right there.

9. Sitting at another computer?
That’s fine, too. Pull up a browser, log into the appropriate website.
Your data is right there, too.

10. Want to access your data anywhere?
If you’ve got an Internet-enabled smartphone (Blackberry, iPhone,
Android-based, Palm, etc.) or other device, most cloud services
have clients for those devices, too. Meaning you could technically
study for your History test in line at a rock concert. Or something.

11. Share. Collaborate. Live in harmony.
Most cloud services allow you to make your choice of content
publicly available. Others can work on the same document. Friends
can share notes. Or, enemies can antagonize each other by sharing
articles between CNN and FOX News.

12. Meet your new best friends.

13. Evernote.
It’s your 3-ring binder. On steroids.

14. Evernote (http://evernote.com/)
Information capture tool
Save webpages, PDFs,
images, photos, audio
recordings, videos, class
notes, and more
Tag, sort, organize your notes
Share notebooks with the
public

15. Evernote (http://evernote.com/)
Web clipper (any browser)
Mac OS X
Windows
iPhone/iPod touch
Blackberry
Palm Pre
Sony Ericsson X1
Windows Mobile
Android beta client in the works
(http://bit.ly/3oG0WW)

16. How you can use Evernote.
Take notes in class using a
desktop client; new note for
each lecture
Tag notes with subject matter
discussed
When time to write a paper,
pull up notes tagged with
your subject

17. How you can use Evernote.
Print PDF webpages into
Evernote
Scan receipts into an
Evernote notebook
Tweet a reminder to Evernote
Snap pics of all those fancy
wines you like to try (21 and
over, please!)

18. Evernote on the forefront.
Fujitsu ScanSnap: scan
documents right into Evernote
EyeFi card: wireless-enabled
SD cards that can upload your
digital photos to Evernote
Smartphones: snap a photo or
record voice using the
Evernote app, upload right to
Evernote

19. Dropbox.
Never worry about losing your files again.

20. Dropbox (http://dropbox.com/)
Online file storage service
Install the client, and all the
files in your ‘Dropbox’ ƒ are
synced as they’re changed
Share files/folders with other
Dropbox users
Get extra 250MB on signup:
http://bit.ly/dropbox-etc

21. Dropbox (http://dropbox.com/)
Web site
Mac OS X
Windows
Linux
iPhone/iPod touch

22. How Dropbox can help you.
Never have to email files to
yourself; save them wherever
you’re at to your Dropbox
Install it on your home
computer and your work
computer; keeps files in sync
Need to roll back a version of
a file? Dropbox can do that.

23. How Dropbox can help you.
Eliminates need for USB drive
Integrates seamlessly with
your desktop
Share files with friends with
insanely little effort
Access your files on the go
with iPhone/iPod touch app

24. Google.
The undisputed king of search.
Also the undisputed king of cloud services.

25. Google (c’mon, it’s Google.)
(http://google.com)
Tons of ‘cloud-based’
services
Super-secret facility with
thousands, maybe millions of
servers
Revenue comes from
advertising; everything else is
pretty much free

26. Gmail (http://gmail.com/)
Email is cloud-based anyway
Access from website, any mail
client on any platform
POP, IMAP, now ‘exchange’-
based too
Integrates with other Google
cloud services: calendar,
contacts, etc.

27. Google Docs (http://docs.google.com/)
Keep your documents online,
access and edit them anywhere
Share them with other Google
users
Online competitor to Microsoft
Office: word processing,
spreadsheets, presentations, etc.
Great for collaborating on
documents

28. Google Calendar (http://calendar.google.com/)
Keep track of your
appointments, get reminders via
email or SMS
Categorize your events in
multiple calendars
Invite other attendees with
Google accounts; share
calendars, too
Link to iCal, Outlook, others

29. Picasa (http://picasa.google.com/)
Edit photos in Picasa desktop
app (Mac/Win/Lin)
Tag people in photos, like
Facebook
Upload to Picasa Web
Albums from desktop app
Store, share photos with
others online

30. Google Reader (http://reader.google.com/)
Aggregate RSS feeds into one list
Like an email inbox for the sites
you visit
Discover new feeds recommended
to you, share articles to friends
using Google Reader
Link to desktop applications like
NetNewsWire (Mac) or
FeedDemon (Win)

31. In summary
Evernote (http://evernote.com/)
note taking on steroids
Dropbox (http://dropbox.com/)
file storage and backup
Google (http://google.com/)
mail/calendar/docs/RSS online, anywhere

32. Questions? Comments?
Pleas of impassioned outrage?