Reviews

CloudHQ Updated: Faster Syncing, Edit Dropbox Files from Google Docs

By Jack Busch

Last Updated on July 23, 2021

Here is a look at the update recently released to CloudHQ and how it works. Read on to find more.

Earlier, we reviewed CloudHQ, a one-stop cloud-based storage management service that lets you wire together your SugarSync, Dropbox, Google Docs, Basecamp, and other files. As I mentioned during my first look, CloudHQ is exactly what I’ve been looking for. It’s still in beta, though, and there are a few kinks to work out here and there. The dealbreaker for me was that it takes several hours to sync changes across your cloud spaces. Also, I had trouble getting the Chrome extension working.

CloudHQ

I’m happy to report that CloudHQ has since addressed both issues. Recently, the makers of CloudHQ shot me an email letting me know that they had vastly improved the sync time for Dropbox files. Now, it only takes a few minutes. They found a nifty solution that involves punching in your Dropbox Events RSS feed into CloudHQ. It’s still not quite instant—in my tests, it still takes about 10 to 15 minutes—but it’s a giant leap in the right direction.

CloudHQ Extension

I also gave the CloudHQ Chrome extension another shot. Perhaps I didn’t try hard enough last time because this time, it worked instantly for me. It’s quite groovy. The CloudHQ extension integrates directly into Google Docs, adding your Dropbox folder into your folder tree on the left. From there, you can browse, view and copy all of the files in your Dropbox right in Google Docs.

Supported file types—e.g., docs and spreadsheets that Google Docs can normally edit—can also be edited in Google Docs and then saved to your Dropbox. This feature works really, really well. Whereas the file sync is sluggish, when you edit a Dropbox file in Google Docs and save it, it is instantly reflected across your Dropbox account. This is precisely what I was hoping for from CloudHQ: a quick and easy way to edit Word docs in my Dropbox account from Google Docs. As far as I know, no other service does this, and I’m very pleased that one now exists.

For now, CloudHQ is free because it’s in beta. No word on how it will be priced later.

Read my first look review of CloudHQ here.