28 comments

  • Milosz FalinskiMilosz Falinski, 5 years ago (edited 5 years ago )

    Not going to use this purely because this requires full permissions to your Dropbox account. That means my whole dropbox folder is now open to read and write.

    As far as I understand it, you could easily just create a folder within the Apps/ folder and you could request access only to that.

    So not only is this unnecessary, but also a huge risk, if, say, you get hacked. The app looks good, but is there any option you change it to a safer method?

    EDIT: If you're reading this after approving the app and want to remove it from your account, you need to log in to the Dropbox site, go to Settings > Security and scroll to the bottom. There's a list of all apps there.

    8 points
    • Teemu PaananenTeemu Paananen, 5 years ago

      I'm super pumped about this service. I'd use it in a heartbeat if it wasn't for this. I'm not to sure about the security her like you. I store all of my work files on Dropbox and if anything happened to it I'd freak out.

      2 points
    • Yasser A, 5 years ago

      Milosz, thanks for voicing a real concern. We are using best practices to ensure that your main Dropbox account stays safe. We have encrypted tokens that expire if you don't use the tool regularly. We are also built on AWS and leverage the strength and safety of their offering. During testing, we found that once the AMB 1 folder was created within the Apps folder, people forgot it existed and stopped using it. We do also encourage people to keep track of the apps they've provided access to and remove any that are no longer used (as you shared in your comment edit.) Ultimately, this is a new tool and we are listening to people who are using it and we are always looking at ways to make it better. We're getting tons of great and helpful feedback from folks on Designer News and Product Hunt and once the dust settles a bit, we are going to review everything and see what steps we can take to keep going in the right direction. I hope this helps and please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly if you have other questions or feedback. You can also email me at yasser at specialist.design.

      1 point
      • Corin EdwardsCorin Edwards, 5 years ago

        People forgetting a folder exists isn't a great justification for demanding such sweeping access to as person's private data.

        Perhaps some on-boarding hints that remind people how to make desktop shortcuts, or drag folders in to their dock, or add finder shortcuts would be less obtrusive.

        2 points
  • Erik ShawErik Shaw, 5 years ago

    This looks great! Can you provide an example of a moodboard page with a dedicated URL? Also, I'm wondering about security considering it will have my dropbox details. Thanks.

    3 points
    • Yasser A, 5 years ago

      Hey Erik, thanks for the questions. Here's an example of one of my mood boards: https://amb-1.com/19795478. That URL will stay the same even as I add and remove image. In terms of security, this is something we take very seriously. We're using OAuth (just like Slack does if you connect Dropbox, for example) so we can't actually see or store your account details. And, as always, you should keep track of the apps you grant access to and remove any apps you no longer use. You can do that here: https://www.dropbox.com/account#security. Hope this helps!

      1 point
      • Erik ShawErik Shaw, 5 years ago

        Thanks Yasser. One more question: Have you considered allowing custom/pointed urls so this can be accessed via a sub domain?

        0 points
        • Yasser A, 5 years ago

          We definitely considered it, but wanted to see what people thought of the tool before going too far down that path. We're listening and if enough people want this option, we could make it happen.

          2 points
    • Pirijan KethPirijan Keth, 5 years ago (edited 5 years ago )

      Here's one I quickly made: https://amb-1.com/92300453 . I'd be all over this if my team/company was on dropbox.

      re: security, the whole needing full access is mildly worrying, but I would guess that it's the only (centrally-hosted) way to do this this. You can always revoke access later.

      1 point
      • Yanis MarkinYanis Markin, 5 years ago (edited 5 years ago )

        Here's another example — https://amb-1.com/69513873

        There are two main reasons why the app needs full access:

        1. So we can create the AMB 1 folder in your Dropbox
        2. So we can support more formats in the future (videos, .pdf, etc.)

        Let us know if you have any other questions.

        2 points
  • Brendon Rell, 5 years ago (edited 5 years ago )

    This is awesome - it seems like it could work so well as a no-nonsense portfolio site/service of some of your latest stuff. I'm thinking that's how I'll use this initially. Just upvoted on PH!

    2 points
    • Yasser A, 5 years ago

      Thanks for the upvote and the kind words! We've had a few people say the same thing now and one person even mentioned he'd be using it in presentations of his work (click on an image to go full-size and then use the arrow keys) instead of a google presentation. We're just excited that people are finding their own ways to make the most of it. Feel free to send us your questions and feedback as you get going.

      3 points
      • Brendon Rell, 5 years ago

        Cool, thanks - two quick pieces of feedback are 1) PNG image previews would be great, the current ones are a bit lossy; 2) there might be room for some sort of indicator on the full-screen version of an image letting people know how to zoom in to 100%.

        1 point
        • Yasser A, 5 years ago

          Thanks Brendon! We're gathering everyone's ideas and feedback and once the dust settles a bit, we're going to review everything and see what we can tackle! Stay tuned.

          1 point
  • Ricky SalsberryRicky Salsberry, 5 years ago (edited 5 years ago )

    This is a cool service. I signed up, and will try it out.

    • The email/password forms need work upon signup. There's no indication that they're forms. I'm tuned into poor forms, and I still couldn't figure it out. Easy fix here.

    • The site in general lacks these clear indications of what's what. Upon creating my account, I land on a page that says Example in a bluish text. Is this where my boards are listed? Did the page not load? Is it broken? Simplicity is great… but this is too simple. Easy fix also, but the simplicity for simplicity-sake aesthetic was troubling.

    • Access to all my Dropbox did spook me in the beginning.

    • The name is also rough. I assume that's not as easy of a fix. Curious to hear its origins.

    I'm excited to follow this product.

    Do you have any ideas for monetization? Will this cost you money as it grows? I don't want to depend on a company that has no revenue model or has aspirations for acquisition. I want you to make money so that this never goes away if I like the service.

    Cheers!

    1 point
    • Corin EdwardsCorin Edwards, 5 years ago

      want you to make money so that this never goes away if I like the service.

      One nice thing to remember is that if this service does go away all your content is still sitting there in Dropbox.

      1 point
  • Charlie SneathCharlie Sneath, 5 years ago

    I think this is the kind of thing that could replace Inboard, Ember, etc.

    (even though I love those services and teams!)

    1 point
  • Mike AndersonMike Anderson, 5 years ago

    Smart—I dig it.

    1 point
  • Marco CanteiroMarco Canteiro, 5 years ago

    Hey Yasser,

    Great idea! That could also be used amongst teams to share work. Have you considered adding a commenting section?

    1 point
  • Az aahAz aah, 5 years ago

    Really awesome and simple idea. Well done! Can you add a white background colour for transparent png's? Check 'The Music' logo here: https://amb-1.com/80702917 - click to see what it should look like

    1 point
  • Eliot SlevinEliot Slevin, 5 years ago

    I had never thought of using dropbox as user input like that. Such a neat idea, great job!

    1 point
  • Yasser A, 5 years ago

    Hey, thanks for posting! I'm one of the creators of the tool. Feel free to send me any questions or feedback.

    1 point
  • Tom Martin, over 2 years ago

    I think that in this application there is no sense. I can use the dropbox by myself with the same functions. Why should I transfer my data to a third resource?

    0 points