Dropbox takes on Flickr and others with new photo features in iOS app

Cloud service Dropbox has updated its iPhone and iPad app and thereby shown its true colours in wanting to become the key place for you to store and view your pictures.

In a move that sees the app take on photo storage services like Flickr, Apple's PhotoStream and others, the latest update adds a photo tab and an easier way to view images you've uploaded to the service.

"With just a tap, you'll be able to scroll through a timeline of all the photos you've automatically uploaded (including the pocket-dialed ones too)," explains Dropbox. "Our new speedy scroller will help you navigate all the way back to time immemorial (or your earliest photos) in seconds. Even if you have 'Billions and Billions' of them.

READ: New look Flickr for iPhone hands-on

Dropbox has also said that it is now easier to upload to its cloud. Users can now navigate to any folder and tap the "+" icon to upload something or create a new folder. Oh, and the app seems to have got a new lick of paint too.

In practice, the app works as expected. The new Photo Tab reveals all the photos you've been uploading, either intentionally or because some months ago you pressed the automatic upload button on a pop-up that appeared when you plugged in your digital camera or accessed an SD card.

For ease of use, pictures are filed by month, and Dropbox can even be set to automatically scan the photos on your device and add them.

Based on our initial play over the weekend, the uploads are a lot easier than other systems, and will appeal to those looking to switch away from their phone to another handset or operating system more easily.

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