Dropbox is one of those essential apps that goes on any new Android device I buy or test almost immediately. Today it's getting an update adding a couple of features that will make it considerably more useful for reading and searching documents. First of all, the Dropbox app for Android can now view Adobe PDF files natively. Since it seems like we're doomed to use this proprietary format until the heat death of the universe (or at least until Adobe starts charging by the page), it's a handy extra.

PDF files can be shared directly from the viewer, so there's no need to download a file or go back to the main Dropbox interface to send it on. The latest update also allows for text searching within PDFs, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft PowerPoint files, so users can quickly find a word or phrase in a large document. Unfortunately it won't search within the document from the main Dropbox screen (as some desktop searches and Google Drive can do), but it's a good addition if you're just looking for something specific and don't want to download it or run to the nearest PC.

Dropbox doesn't mention the version number of this update, just that it will be available on the Play Store soon - it looks like it's rolling out in a staged manner. The last full release on the Play Store was 2.4.8.10, but someone has already uploaded Dropbox 2.4.9 to APK Mirror, which seems to have both features.

Source: Dropbox