DropBox submits Paper as alternative to Google Docs

It was only six months ago that Dropbox hinted at developing a collaborative note-taking tool called Notes. Just now, they've released news that the tool will officially be called Dropbox Paper and that the beta test is seeing some significant progress.

According to The Verge, the notes-based collaboration tool is another one of Dropbox's attempt to tackle the other basic needs of people who rely on the Internet. Aside from just cloud-synced storage, among Dropbox's other services include the Carousel photo storage app and Mailbox email apps.

With Paper being the latest service, beta tests are quietly being conducted. The company states that the goal is to build "a new way for teams to write together."

Engadget was given a special preview of the tool, which they think is "the biggest addition to Dropbox in years."

Paper will be web-based for now, but that the company seeks to release a mobile version as soon as the beta comes out.

It has a couple of features that make it similar to Google Docs, and it's assumed that people who enjoy the collaborative freedom of Google Docs will also appreciate this same feature on Paper.

According to TechCrunch, Paper is a little lacking in rich-text editing features, but users who want to migrate files from their Dropbox and include them in the document will find Paper very efficient and time-saving as the tool automatically changes file links into images and videos.

As to the text-editing features, Dropbox mentioned to Engadget that the limited editing was an intended design so Paper would be used mainly for idea-sharing rather than just formatting.

For the most part, Paper is still a tool that has the most basic and fundamental tools a project manager could need, including the ability to add to-do lists, add @mentions to call attention to members, and an interface that allows for coding to format text and files appropriately.