“Google is formally jumping into the cloud-based file storage and syncing business, offering a service called Google Drive, which will compete with products like Dropbox and others by offering lower prices and different features,” Walter S. Mossberg reports for The Wall Street Journal. “It works on multiple operating systems, browsers and mobile devices, including those of Google’s competitors Apple and Microsoft. There are apps for Windows, Mac and mobile devices that automatically sync files with Google Drive.”
“I’ve been testing Google Drive, which launches today, and I like it,” Mossberg reports. “It subsumes the editing and file-creation features of Google Docs, and replaces Google Docs (though any documents you have stored there carry over). In my tests—on a Mac, a Lenovo PC, a new iPad and the latest Samsung Android tablet — Google Drive worked quickly and well, and most of its features operated as promised. At launch, it’s available for Windows PCs, Macs and Android devices. The version for the iPhone and iPad is planned for release soon.”
Mossberg reports., “Google Drive is meant as an evolution of Google Docs. While you could previously upload a file to Google Docs using your Web browser, for Google Drive, the company is providing free apps for Mac and Windows that, like Dropbox, do this for you. They create special folders that sync with your cloud-based repository and with the Web version of the product. So, you can drag a file into these local folders on your computer and that file will be uploaded to your cloud account and will rapidly appear in the Web version of Google Drive, in the Google Drive folders on your other computers, and in the Google Drive apps on Android, iPhone and iPad devices. These local apps also sync any changes to the files you make.”
Read more in the full review here.
MacDailyNews Take: Uncle Walt also enjoys TSA pat-downs, to say nothing of their nude body scans.
Related article:
Google launches Google Drive with free 5GB cloud storage – April 24, 2012
no thanks
I have no interest in letting the G spot weaponize / monetize my files
Me either. What’s to like about a drive? Cloud or otherwise.
The G spot must bring google a lot of pleasure.
Who knows what the hell Google will do with those files.
The question is “How exactly will Google monetize your data?”
Because that is their sole mission in every thing they do, despite their protestations. Whatever the answer, it will not be in the best interest of the end user.
They will carefully insert subliminal messages into EVERYTHING you save there.
They will zombify and enslave EVERYONE.
😉
Not me. I always wear my tinfoil hat, and keep all my electronic devices tightly wrapped in tinfoil as well. I even wrap my jockstrap in tinfoil – you know, just in case!
Happy in my AFDB world.
Hahahahahaha Tinfoil Jockstrap!!!!! 😉
That made my day. Just for the record, I was being sarcastic, and your also-sarcastic contribution made it even better 😀
This looks quite promising as a possible substitute for the IDisk and iWeb hosting features that disappeared in the MobileMe to iCloud downgrade.
My files? Never!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Unless it is sugar free Uncle Walt, you should not be drinking kool-aid.
Next up:
An app that coordinates sending and distributing backups to ALL the free cloud space. That amounts to at least 30 GB.
OH! And as usual, expect the Feds and everyone else on the planet to be able to access all your cloud files. ENCRYPT EVERYTHING before you send it off into the etherial clouds, unless you don’t care.
Wait a min…
Anywhere?? Even in CHINA?? I went there and I was unable to search something using Google at all.
Yahoo was searchable over there.