Watch out Dropbox, Amazon Cloud and Microsoft SkyDrive! Google introduced today its free, 5GB cloud storage service, Google Drive. Available to anyone with the Google account, Google Drive enables users to upload, share, collaborate on files stored in their Google Drive account.
If you’re familiar with Dropbox, you’ll be right at home with Google Drive. In addition to accessing the service from within your Google Docs account, you can also download the PC and Mac Google Drive client that launches as a folder on your computer. All files, including videos, photos, PDFs, and Google Docs, dropped into the Drive folder get synchronized to your account. You can also opt to not sync selected folders to one or more of your computers.
Google Drive is also available for Android devices, with iPhone and iPad support to follow soon. If you’re Google Chrome user, you will also able to access your Google Drive account when you’re not connected to the Internet.
Google Drive can essentially replace the Documents folder on your computer, because whatever changes you make to a file stored in the Drive gets automatically updated, and it can be accessed from any other computer logged into your account.
Google starts you off with 5GB of free storage, but according to the Official Gmail Blog, “everyone’s free storage will be increased from 7.5 GB to 10 GB (and counting) to celebrate today’s launch of Google Drive. The increase will take effect over the next 24 hours“. For more storage, you can upgrade to 25GB for $2.49/month, 100GB for $4.99/per month, or event 1TB for $49.99/month.
Source: Google Blog
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Overall, more impressed with SkyDrive. I received 25GB and existing Word, Excel, etc. files work much better on SkyDrive then on Google Drive.
Given the fact that Google Drive has not been available for most of the users out there as it is being slowly rolled out, how exactly did you manage to test it and come to that “conclusion” that “existing Word, Excel, etc. files work much better on SkyDrive then on Google Drive”?
Do you realize that your statement does not make any sense?
I’d say that you are full of it.
Has anyone tried Ubuntu One? For me the problem with Dropbox, Skydrive and Google Drive is that you have to put everything into their special folder. Ubuntu One seems to allow you to synchronise any folder you want, eg your desktop or MyDocuments. I like this a lot more. There is also a music store but I haven’t worked out how to access it.
Good question. Hope someone can verify.
Maybe I misunderstand you, but google drive has preferences for anyone to select any folders for sync. Click right button on Google Drive to give you access preference, You would see sync options. Hope it helps.
I could not see how to do that in the preferences, but I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer, so it is very possible that I am staring at the relevant option and not recognising it.
There’s an image going around with a brief comparison of GDrive, DropBox and SkyDrive’s Terms of Agreement.
Only GDrive claims they own everything you put in there.
It’s not that I put personal things in my drive; but it makes you think how using this service is somehow letting go of the files you put in it…
Yep, I’m staring to hear stories about this well. That would be a very poor decision on Google’s part. Not sure how they can justify claiming rights to people’s content.
Not working for me. When you get to the page it says we will notify you. Was that your experience?
Yeah that was mine. Then they notified me yesterday.
Great idea of storing photos online
Its cool, but dropbox is way better in my opinion.
Yup
good step by google.
Google drive ,a great app:)