Latest Dropbox desktop beta features automatic photo importing

It would seem that the preservation of our photos has become a top priority for many industry players as of late. Apple introduced Photo Stream with iOS 5, while Google provides Android users the option of automatically backing up their mobile shots to Google+. Now Dropbox appears primed to enter the fray, having brought automatic camera import to the latest experimental forum build (read: back up your existing Dropbox folder prior to installing) of the app. Users can now choose to have images instantly synced upon connecting a digital camera or smartphone to the desktop / laptop associated with their account. We gave it a go with an iPhone 4S, and things worked fairly seamlessly. Note however that at the moment it’s an all-or-nothing affair; you can’t select individual photos within your camera roll to import. A mini-preview of the content being added to your Dropbox is displayed as the progress meter moves along, with both images and videos supported.

Adding such functionality seems like a logical step for Dropbox, which itself has become nearly synonymous with the very concept of data sync and most importantly — particularly when it comes to irreplaceable photos — has established a longstanding reputation for reliability. What the company has done here is make the process of backing up those memories easier. As for what’s next, Dropbox continues to gather community feedback on the most oft-requested features at its Votebox page. There’s no word just yet on when the next stable release of the app is due.