Dropbox giving extra 4.5GB free for beta testers

File-synchronization service Dropbox says it is offering 4.5 megabytes of additional free storage to users willing to test a new photo-video upload feature. The new feature will enable photos and videos to be automatically uploaded from cameras, smartphones and SD cards, the company said in a forum post Thursday.

File-synchronization service Dropbox says it is offering 4.5 megabytes of additional free storage to users willing to test a new photo-video upload feature.

The new feature will enable photos and videos to be automatically uploaded from cameras, smartphones and SD cards, the company said in a forum post Thursday.

Whenever a user connects one of the devices with a computer, the software will automatically begin uploading photos and videos to Dropbox, it said.

'For every 500MB of photos and videos automatically uploaded, you'll receive another 500MB space bonus, up to 4.5 [gigabytes] total,' Dropbox wrote to those willing to be beta testers of the software's experimental build.

Dropbox gives users access to their files on any computer or device, storing the data with strong encryption on multiple servers and allowing users access to files from almost any Internet-enabled device.

The latest version of Dropbox 1.3.12 is available for Windows and Mac OS X users, although Windows users will need to have Autoplay enabled for the feature to work, PC Magazine reported.

Dropbox warned users to make a backup of Dropbox files before upgrading to the experimental feature.

'We'll need a few weeks to be certain of its stability,' the company said. 'We will rapidly release new builds as necessary to snipe the most common issues as they arise.'