Dropbox's Project Infinite means no more full hard drives

A new technology from Dropbox lets you access all of your in-cloud files without taking any space on your hard drive. You'll see the files, but they don't take any space until you access them – the content is downloaded in real-time so it's like they're already there.

Infinite works across Windows and Mac, bringing the true potential of cloud storage to life. What's even more impressive is Dropbox has implemented Infinite at a very low level, meaning you can even use the command line to interact with files and it works seamlessly.

The technology's only in a preview form right now, but it's expected to eventually roll out widely. I stopped using Dropbox a year ago because the price was too expensive, given that other cloud platforms included a lot more data for free – but Infinite would mean no more tussling with getting the right files onto my machine when I need them.

Other services like Onedrive have implemented similar features, but didn't do so as seamlessly as Infinite appears to be. Infinite may set a new standard for how we deal with cloud filesystems and I can't wait for it to launch.

dropbox.com

Despite doom and gloom, Apple Watch has sold well

I adore my Apple Watch and it's essentially changed my life – since getting one in September I'm fitter and healthier and it's mostly down to the fact that the cues it provides are a good reminder to get moving. If you read the news lately, however, it's been very doom-and-gloom about the Watch, basically declaring it an epic failure.

Anecdotally, however, I'm seeing them everywhere and people's curiosity is piqued whenever they notice I've got one. I might not recommend people to buy one right now – it needs more features and refinement – but the next version is going to be fantastic.

Anyway, it turns out Apple Watch sales are doing great – it's sold more than the first iPhone did in its first year, with an estimated 12-13M units in the hands of people. First generation is never a home run, but I'm confident we'll be seeing these things everywhere eventually.

wsj.com

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Everything you need to know:

• HTC is likely making the next Nexus phones
• These futuristic electric busses are coming to my hometown
• Someone got Windows 95 running on an Apple Watch
• Intel killed off its mobile phone chips
• Amazon made a big profit thanks to its cloud platform

Uncanny Valley

A fantastic very-long-read about life in Silicon Valley and how uncanny it really is. The author recounts many experiences that you simply wouldn't hear anywhere else, and the bizarre things that happen in such a tech-dense environment.

nplusonemag.com

Don't miss:

• What happened to Google Maps?
• Things I wish someone had told me when I was learning to code
• The science of making friends
• Good morning, user! Welcome to the new intimacy economy
• The best is the last

Somehow Microsoft is making the best iPhone keyboard

Third party keyboards came to iOS in 2014 with much fanfare, yet they haven't really been all that innovative. Sure, we saw SwiftKey and others appear, but nothing truly innovative. Microsoft's new Wordflow keyboard is amazing though and it's made the jump from Windows Phone to iPhone for the first time.

It's super themeable, has fantastic word suggestions and a lovely one-handed mode for those, like me, with an iPad-sized iPhone. Highly recommended – if only iOS' keyboard integrations was a little less trash.

google.com

Happy Weekend! I'm sending this to you from a train in the lovely Denmark – the Wi-Fi is faster than most internet connections in New Zealand, which is a fun oddity of Europe.

By the way, I've just started looking for sponsors for this newsletter to help cover my costs. If you know a company that would love to support our cause and reach some great people, like yourself, please spread the word! I'd love to find some really solid sponsors that are onboard with what I do: cutting down the noise :). If you're interested, reply to this email or grab this link!

Anyway, I hope you had a great week!

Until next week,
Owen

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