Software beyond the level of a single device is the way of the future. This falls under the category of Ubiquitous Computing. According to Weiss and Craiger (2002) the concept of Ubiquitous Computing involves surrounding ourselves with "computers and software that are carefully tuned to offer us unobtrusive assistance as we navigate through our work and personal lives". They define Ubiquitous Computing as a "new genre of computing in which the computer permeates the life of the user".
As discussed by Sirius Panahi (2012) "The PC is no longer the only access device for Internet applications: and it is necessary to develop software or applications that are cross device compatible. One such application would be Dropbox the popular file sharing application. This software enables users to access any files stored on their account through online, computer and smartphones. The software is compatible with Apple's Mobile Software the IOS, Google's Android and even the latest Windows Phone 7. Updates are released to support more devices to ensure cross platform compatibility. File sharing and access through Dropbox is easy and is free for personal use. Users may create an account online at www.dropbox.com and more usage is allocated if others are referred to use Dropbox. Dropbox software has a unified look and feel across all platforms. Once files are uploaded they are synchronised across all registered devices and requires no advanced technical knowledge to operate.
The ease of usability, access, cross device compatibility makes Dropbox an excellent example along with other softwares like Skydrive from Microsoft, Google Drive from Google, and iCloud from Apple. All these softwares are cross device compatible except iCloud which only works on Apple devices. The following cycle shows the current use of applications that are cross device compatible and how ubiquitous computing will affect the common user in the future.
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