Last week, we wrote a review of Office for iPad, and highlighted the lack of integration with Dropbox as one of the issues with the new app. Well, I am happy to announce that I have found a work around for this limitation. Although it is not possible to link the office apps directly to Dropbox (cloud integration is limited to Onedrive), it is possible to automatically sync Dropbox and Onedrive using a tool called CloudHQ. CloudHQ is a neat system that allows you to set up synchronisation between a wide range of cloud based storage systems including Dropbox and OneDrive (Both personal and Business). You will find a full list of the cloud storage platforms supported here, along with details of their price plans. The system will continuously monitor Dropbox and Onedrive, and whenever it detects a change it will synchronise the file with other service. The interface is simple & intuitive, and I had key folders synchronising in a matter of minutes. The only real down side is that the free service is VERY limited. allowing only 1 synchronisation relationship and a limit of only 50 files. Also, the free service does not support Onedrive Pro (the Microsoft cloud offering bundled with Office 365). In order to get more complete functionality including support for Onedrive Pro, you will need to sign up for a paid premium plan at $19.90 per month (though they are currently (17 July) offering a discounted rate of $16.90 if you sign up by 30th July!). First impressions suggest it may well plug a gap making it a worthwhile addition to the cloud toolbag, and with a free 15 day trial available it has got to be worth checking out.
