Quick View (free) for Android is the mobile
companion to DigitalQuick, a service that allows you to easily encrypt
files on your computer and on the file-syncing service Dropbox.
DigitalQuick also allows you to control what other people can do with
your secure documents, such as edit, copy, and print.
Though still in beta, DigitalQuick and Quick
View offer a solution for individuals and businesses who want to take
advantage of Dropbox's low cost and utility without compromising
security. However, Digital Quick is quirky and the mobile app is no
different. In my testing, Quick View lived up to its name: With it, you
can quickly view secure files on the go—and little else.
Finding Files
Getting
files into Digital Quick is a bit of a Byzantine process, requiring you
to encrypt files on your computer and then move them on to your Android
device via USB. Then, you fire up a file manager on your Android device
(I use the Astro File Manager) and move the files into the My Documents
directory inside the Quick View folder.
Did you have Quick View running while you did this? Well, you'll have
to wait a full ten minutes before the app will sync with the
DigitalQuick servers and update the permissions for the files you've
moved. Until then, you'll see confusing error messages. There's no way
to force the app to refresh, so you'll have restart the app, or move
files into the Quick View directory before launching the app.
The Fassoo.com team has told me that future versions will include real-time permissions updating.
The best way to get documents into Quick View is to create a new
folder in the Dropbox folder on your computer, and enabling
DigitalQuick.
If your Dropbox account is linked to digital quick, the folder and
everything secure inside it should be automatically updated and
accessible in Quick View. Just tap the large Dropbox icon on the app's
homescreen, tap allow on the next screen, and your DigitalQuick files
(along with everything else in your Dropbox account) is available. Note
that you'll have to restart Quick View in order for the permissions to
be refreshed.
Once the secure folder is visible in Dropbox, you can tap the orange
arrow next to the folder to view your options, including changing
permissions. You cannot make changes to invidvidual files, only the
folder which holds them.
Using Dropbox with DigitalQuick and Quick View is, in general, a much
better experience. However, I'd like to see the process, as well as the
app, redesigned to make that clearer and easier.
Working With Quick View
Once you have access to
your files, Quick View lets you view the contents without decrypting the
files. Unfortunately, the built-in document viewer will not let you
copy, edit, save, or really do anything with your documents.
You can decrypt files, removing all permissions and encryption, to
share with users who aren't DigitalQuick users. Doing so, of course,
defeats the purpose of using a document security system. You can also
view the permissions assigned to a document, such as limitations on
editing and printing. Unfortunately, you can only change the folder
permissions for files in Dropbox from within the app—otherwise, you'll
have to login to the DigitalQuick website.
Quick View lets you share DigitalQuick documents via email, which is
useful if your files are stored locally. Dropbox has more robust sharing
options, though, which don't appear to affect the encryption or
permissions of DigitalQuick documents. So you may be better off just
sharing your documents through Dropbox directly.
Not for the Faint of Heart
If you're an avid
DigitalQuick user already familiar with its quirks, using Quick View is a
no-brainer—despite all its drawbacks. If you're not a Digital Quick
user, the app serves no purpose.
Because the service is still in beta, I don't
want to be overly harsh, but users should be aware that Quick View is
far from a finished product. The utility of being able to view and
decrypt files is overshadowed by the difficulty in opening them, and the
app lacks critical features like a built-in file manager and document
editor. Though the app looks well-made it badly needs an improved user
interface as the current version is difficult to use and completely
un-intuitive. The included documentation did little to relieve my
confusion.
The time has come for a service like DigitalQuick, but it and Quick
View need to mature before they'll be ready to fill that niche.
From PCMag
Quick View (for Android)
