Box updated its Android app on Tuesday to make document collaboration and photo sharing less of a headache—thanks to a slick new image gallery for swiping through photos and a document viewer that supports 100 different file types.
Box also hopes to make sharing and collaborating on documents easier with Box Notes, a collaboration center based on its file storage capability. Instead of emailing documents back and forth, Box Notes takes a Google Docs-like approach to collaborating on documents in the cloud. Box Notes isn’t quite ready for mobile devices, but the company is working on rolling its functionality into Box iOS and Android apps.
In the meantime, the new image gallery offered in version 3.0 of Box for Android performs similarly to Dropbox’s recently launched photo tool, Carousel. Box’s new document previewer also promises the ability to present PowerPoint presentations, search within documents and comment on files.
Box integrates with a slew of apps that build on its ability to store documents, and its improved connectivity to OneCloud apps makes it an ideal solution for document sharing as opposed to simple document creation.
Documents can be created with Box for Android, but only by using a connected OneCloud app to do so. Once Box Notes gets rolled into mobile apps, native document creation should be enabled. But not to worry Box fans: Former Google Docs engineer Sam Schillace, currently Box’s VP of engineering, is on the case.
A Bonus For LG G Series Owners
Box for Android’s document and photo sharing capacity is limited to one’s Box account. A free version of Box includes 10 gigabytes of storage, and small teams of up to 10 people can receive up to 100 gigabytes of storage for $5 per user per month.
New owners of any LG G series smartphone get a nice bonus: 50 gigabytes of storage, which is provided under a licensing agreement with Box. Box for Android also comes preloaded on these devices, but those who already have one can download the app and also qualify for the free 50 gigabytes if they are new Box customers.
Box for Android is a free app on Google Play, and its iOS equivalent is also available in the App Store.
Lead image of Aaron Levie, Box CEO, by Flickr user TechCrunch under Creative Commons license
