What Is Droplr?

Droplr for Mac is one of my favorite menu bar utilities (and it’s completely free!). This simple app makes sharing images, text, code, links and more a two-step process that couldn’t be easier: just select something and drag it to your menu bar. The item is then uploaded and the URL is copied to your clipboard. Simply paste the URL into Twitter, Facebook, iChat or anywhere else.

One of the greatest things about Droplr is that there is also a web-based element to the service. All of your past drops are kept in a beautiful online gallery for you to access, share or delete at a later time.

Droplr for iPhone

Droplr has now made the jump from Mac to iOS and the implementation is excellent. Since Droplr is a cloud-based service, the iPhone and desktop versions are seamlessly and effortlessly integrated.

When you startup the iPhone client for the first time, you’ll be asked to login. This isn’t a custom Droplr account but instead uses your Twitter credentials. If you don’t have a Twitter account, it’s time to give in and join the 21st century because Droplr alone is worth the sign up.

The Main Interface

I was very pleased when I first saw the Droplr iPhone interface. It’s very attractive and extremely easy to use. I love that it feels familiar and yet has a look that is all it’s own.

After you sign into your account, all of your previous drops from the desktop version are loaded into the app. As you can see in the shots below, each type of drop has its own custom icon so you can instantly tell what it is. Images simply show a preview of the file but links, .zips, text files and code snippets all have icons that instantly convey their contents.

Each item in the list also contains either the file name or a preview of the text inside the drop along with a number that shows you how many times the drop has been viewed.

At the top of the list is a simple search bar that allows you to quickly find the drop you’re looking for without scrolling through an endless list.

Sharing a Drop

Much of the interface ideas are noticeably a nod to Tweetie (now Twitter) for iPhone. To refresh the page, you pull the list down and the sharing bar is positioned similarly to the tweet options in Tweetie.

To bring up the sharing bar, simply tap on any item in the list. Here you’ll be presented with five different options represented by icons: view drop, copy drop URL to clipboard, email drop URL, tweet drop URL and delete drop.

To view a drop, tap on the eye icon. Droplr does a great job of integrating different types of drops into the application. Fro example, for an image, you’ll see a scaled down preview and the option to view the image in its original size. Notes show up as simple text right in the app and links will bring up a preview of the web page that they point to.

Adding a Drop

Droplr for iPhone doesn’t just allow you to share drops that you’ve made on your Mac, it’s also great for creating new drops. From the main list, tap the “+” button at the top right to create a new drop.

This will bring up a window that will allow you to grab a photo or video from your library, shoot a new photo or video, shorten a link or compose a note.

The link shortener and note creator brings up a notebook-themed screen. If you’re shortening a link, the contents of your iPhone’s clipboard will automatically be pasted onto the screen and all you have to do to shorten it is hit the little checkmark button.

Twitter Integration

Twitter is the service that you’ll most likely be creating drops to share on. Fortunately, the good folks behind Droplr realize this and built some very flexible Twitter integration right into the app.

In Droplr’s preferences, you can choose from a number of popular Twitter iPhone apps to push content to. Then when you hit the Twitter button on the share bar, your selected app will open with the drop URL in the compose window.

Pro and Cons

I’m a huge fan of Droplr for Mac so my expectations were pretty high for the iPhone app. Fortunately, it lived up to my standards. Droplr for iPhone is a breeze to use and does just about everything that the desktop/web version does. The interface is perfect and the workflow is nice a brief with most actions only a tap or two away.

My favorite feature by far is that the app integrates right into the web service so I can easily and quickly share content between my Mac and iPhone and have access to my complete drop history from anywhere.

My biggest complaint with the iPhone app is that there doesn’t seem to be a way to filter the list of drops by type like you can with the web app. This would make finding your desired drop much easier and allow you to just search through image drops, browse through link drops, etc. I also noticed that the previews for code snippets seem to have some formatting issues and can show up really tiny with no zoom option.

Other than that, the app is quite stellar and I highly recommend giving it a shot.

Conclusion

Whether or not you’re a fan of Droplr for Mac, if you like to share links, notes, code snippets or images, you should absolutely check out Droplr for iPhone. Unlike simply attaching these items directly using your favorite Twitter app, Droplr keeps a history of everything you’ve shared, allowing you to go back and reuse old items.

Stop by the iTunes store and give Droplr a shot. Leave a comment below and let us know that you think. Also, stay tuned because we liked Droplr so much that we’ve got a few licenses we want to give away! Look for a giveaway post soon.

Source: appstorm