Google Drive Triples Free Storage To 15Gb

[webfact]

Google Drive triples free storage to 15GB
by Seth Rosenblatt

Google announces just ahead of its I/O conference that free storage across Google services -- Gmail, Google+, and Drive -- is leaping from 5GB to 15GB. But why?

Google's capacity to store your files will jump by a factor of three, the company said Monday, rising from 5GB to 15GB shared across Google+, Drive, and Gmail.

Google made the announcement just before Google I/O developers conference begins this week. The changes will "roll out over the next couple of weeks," Google said in a blog post. Businesses using Google Apps will see their storage go up across Google Drive, Google+, and Gmail from 25GB to 30GB.

The new amount of storage space will give people who use Google services the most generous storage capacity of any player in the free online-storage game. A quick look at competitors shows that Dropbox currently starts free subscribers at 2GB, Microsoft SkyDrive users get 7GB, and Apple iCloud, Amazon Cloud Storage, and SugarSync offer 5GB for free. The announcement follows a Google Drive update from last week that allows you to save files from the Web directly to Drive.

Full story: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57584080-93/google-drive-triples-free-storage-to-15gb/

-- CNET 2013-05-15

[retell]

nice allready had it 4% full of my 10.1 GB

[Fgis]

Dropbox will certainly follow and is a lot better than Gdrive.

[Gerald14]

Google Drive is a great feature if you are working on more than one computer. You have always to the latest updated version of your documents. Hope it happens soon

[Guest]

As Google drive has not come with an real linux client, I have not been able to use it yet.

Can Google drive be used transparently with the computer's directory hierarchy as Dropbox?

[Sheist]

Dropbox will certainly follow and is a lot better than Gdrive.

I use Dropbox WITH Gdrive. You can put your Dropbox in a new subfolder of Gdrive, since most apps play nicer with Dropbox anyway, plus the folder specificity aspect.

[bobl]

You know who else uses this tactic?

Crack dealers.

Same reason they refuse to put a storage slot in their phone hardware.

They're desperately trying to push the next big thing - "The Cloud". And people are lapping it up...

Once it becomes mainstream, the next step will be to monetize it. Pay (a monthly hook into your wallet - every company's wet dream) to have it stored and of course the mobile crowd are more than happy to charge you for mobile data to access your own files - over and over and over...

Meanwhile, you can walk around with 2TB in your pocket.

Don't use the cloud (as your primary storage)! Or do, then come back to this thread in a couple of years when you realise you're paying 50 bucks a month just to have access to your own data, and remind me to say "told ya".

[bobl]

Google Drive is a great feature if you are working on more than one computer. You have always to the latest updated version of your documents. Hope it happens soon

Google drive is great if you need to quickly share documents among colleagues. For personal storage or working on more than one computer, not so much.

First and obvious problem - no internet connection = screwed.

For working on more than one computer, I would never trust that I would be guaranteed access to the internet simply because there's no need to. A thumb drive trumps the cloud hands down. Heck you don't even need a thumb drive any more, even the elderly (by technology standards) desktop PC I'm sitting at right now has a socket for this:

Forget even 2.5" portable hard drives (now up to 2TB), you could walk around with a terabyte in your wallet, with only 16 of these.

[Guest]

Google Drive is a great feature if you are working on more than one computer. You have always to the latest updated version of your documents. Hope it happens soon

Google drive is great if you need to quickly share documents among colleagues. For personal storage or working on more than one computer, not so much.

First and obvious problem - no internet connection = screwed.

Are you saying that Google Drive does not synchronize files between local computer and cloud service? That can not be so?

[aarn]

There was a post on TV a few weeks ago, www.box.com gives you 50Gb.

I am putting stuff up there in case of... well, just good to have backups somewhere.

Not sure if you can synch your latest versions of a doc, but...

50Gb is a reasonable storage space. AA

[bobl]

Are you saying that Google Drive does not synchronize files between local computer and cloud service? That can not be so?

I'm sure it does. Now go to computer #2 that doesn't have an internet connection, and open your file.

[Guest]

Are you saying that Google Drive does not synchronize files between local computer and cloud service? That can not be so?

I'm sure it does. Now go to computer #2 that doesn't have an internet connection, and open your file.

Obviously in that case I would have to move the file to the computer without internet connection, with usb memory. I would have to find the USB stick first, which would be pain. That would also be an very special case as normally my computers are connected to the net.

I'm not sure about Gdrive, but this is how Dropbox works. I'll put an file to my dropbox directory. Background sync process starts to upload it to the cloud service immediately. It simply keeps all the files in sync between clients and the cloud.

If I have another computer with dropbox, the changed files (actually only the changes on the file) will be synced to that computer. If my main laptop and another computer are located on the same LAN network, then the sync is done directly between the clients. I would say pretty handy and everything works out without need to do upload or download separately.

In case I accidentally remove some files or directories, I can also login to the dropbox website and do undelete to those.

Now if I'm out of the home and wish to access these files with my android phone or tablet, I just start dropbox application and download the data from the server. I can and do use encrypted directories, which are encrypted with my own key.

In case I got robbed in Nicaragua, I still can access to my passport copy from local internet cafe.

Overall the cloud storage services are pretty handy, when used in a correct way.

I do wish and expect the Google drive to work in similar manner. Actually even a bit better with Google docs and Picasa integration.

[retell]

There was a post on TV a few weeks ago, www.box.com gives you 50Gb.

I am putting stuff up there in case of... well, just good to have backups somewhere.

Not sure if you can synch your latest versions of a doc, but...

50Gb is a reasonable storage space. AA

they give 5 GB 50 cost 19,99

[bkk_mike]

It's probably necessary after they added the Keep app on Android, which uses drive for storage.

[NeverSure]

I don't trust Google. They have a really bad record of privacy violations if for no other reasons that to target ads. In addition to the obvious Google Ads, they also own Adsense and a couple of others.

I won't put anything in the cloud that isn't encrypted.

[isawasnake]

There was a post on TV a few weeks ago, www.box.com gives you 50Gb.

I am putting stuff up there in case of... well, just good to have backups somewhere.

Not sure if you can synch your latest versions of a doc, but...

50Gb is a reasonable storage space. AA

You can get up to 50gb free cloud storage, that is for sure. I am not sure if box offers that though. I have 3 free 50 gb accounts with mega. If you are cheap like me, it's great. I do have a very large, non-portable harddrive.... I don't even bother with paying for, or carrying usb's anymore. I do actually have one that I picked up for free; if it wouldn't have been free, I'd just have passed on it though

Edited May 15, 2013 by isawasnake

[Jimbob1]

Google Drive is a great feature if you are working on more than one computer. You have always to the latest updated version of your documents. Hope it happens soon

Google drive is great if you need to quickly share documents among colleagues. For personal storage or working on more than one computer, not so much.

First and obvious problem - no internet connection = screwed.

For working on more than one computer, I would never trust that I would be guaranteed access to the internet simply because there's no need to. A thumb drive trumps the cloud hands down. Heck you don't even need a thumb drive any more, even the elderly (by technology standards) desktop PC I'm sitting at right now has a socket for this:

inpost-300x180.jpg

Forget even 2.5" portable hard drives (now up to 2TB), you could walk around with a terabyte in your wallet, with only 16 of these.

Is that a terabyte in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me .. ? ...

[aarn]

<Is that a terabyte in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me .. ?>

You need a rocket in that socket

[pete66]

You know who else uses this tactic?

Crack dealers.

Same reason they refuse to put a storage slot in their phone hardware.

They're desperately trying to push the next big thing - "The Cloud". And people are lapping it up...

Once it becomes mainstream, the next step will be to monetize it. Pay (a monthly hook into your wallet - every company's wet dream) to have it stored and of course the mobile crowd are more than happy to charge you for mobile data to access your own files - over and over and over...

Meanwhile, you can walk around with 2TB in your pocket.

Don't use the cloud (as your primary storage)! Or do, then come back to this thread in a couple of years when you realise you're paying 50 bucks a month just to have access to your own data, and remind me to say "told ya".

Cloud has been mainstream for about 3-5 years now - you must have been on our boat a long time - : ) Why shouldn't u use the the cloud free? Or paid? Its provide great functionality, it has value, it makes life easier.

And btw, loads of people have monetized the cloud for years. Its called a free market. You can choose to do it or not. GDrive has a paid option. So what? If it doesn't give you value, don't use it. Use the free version. If that disappears, switch to another free cloud storage solution. Its just files after all. Stick them back on your 2TB HD that is likely to get corrupted or broke.....

I pay Google $0.80 per month for 30 GB. Not exactly $50 is it ....

[pete66]

I don't trust Google. They have a really bad record of privacy violations if for no other reasons that to target ads. In addition to the obvious Google Ads, they also own Adsense and a couple of others.

I won't put anything in the cloud that isn't encrypted.

That's great advice - I use AESCrypt - simple and effective.

I would extend "I don't trust Google" to "I don't trust anyone" - that takes the "worrying who to trust out of your life"

Edited May 16, 2013 by pete66

[NeverSure]

There are some cloud operators whose software encrypts everything before it leaves your computer, and all they get is encrypted data. Then your computer decrypts it on the fly after you enter your password, but not until after it reaches your computer.

One of my favorites and it isn't storage, is called LastPass. It stores all of my passwords in the cloud, encrypted. When I first boot my computer I open that program with a double click, and enter my master password. After that any site I visit that needs a password, triggers an offer to log in from that program. Then I have some sites where it is set to automatically log in. That would be like this site where I don't care about security. But something like PayPal, it doesn't even offer. I have to double click on it again to get the offer. Then I have to enter my master password and again and hit enter and I'm in. I choose the security level for each site. I no longer need to remember passwords.

Even on a different computer I can download and quickly install that program. Then I just enter my user/pass, and I'm golden. It's free, btw.

So there are a lot of good uses for the cloud. Google is providing just some. Some will be an affront, such as the newest version of Photoshop which you can't download and own any more. You buy a license and pay a monthly fee. Your software is in the cloud. When you try to log into it it check to see if you're paid up and away you go. Screw them. The next latest version of Photoshop is great, I own it, and I'll never buy their new system.

So there's good and bad, to freely pick and choose.

[Buckeye21]

Drop box has a way to build up your storage space. I sent invites to join DB to old email addresses and got extra storage for each invite, the emails bounced back but I still got the extra space. Think I'm at 55 gigs with them now.

[Emeritus]

Google has not yet upgraded me to 15GB, so I signed up with Copy today after seeing this video on Youtube:

Got 15 MB free storage plus 5MB extra for installing the app on my mobile phone. I haven't looked at it in detail yet, plan to see tomorrow how it works. Wonder how its functionality compares with Google Drive.

[jcnbkk]

Thanks for all the tips on cloud storage, many I hadn't heard of. Currently juggling google drive, dropbox, skydrive and a my book live net drive. As mentioned all dependent on good internet connections with are intermittently, unexplainably absent. BTW, I'll be checking out LastPass. Trying to find where to get that 15gb now.

Edited May 22, 2013 by jcnbkk

[Emeritus]

I am not impressed with Copy. It does not synchronise files and folders. It does not let me view JPG images within the application, only offers me to download them. Now I hope that Google will increase my free storage to 15GB soon.

Edited May 22, 2013 by Emeritus

[Trembly]

MEGA : 50GB for free.

[utalkin2me]

MEGA : 50GB for free.

Total no brainer for me; why even bother with anything else?

Flickr is offering 1TB of photos for free now too. So, between those 2, there is a strong, free cloud out there.

[retell]

MEGA : 50GB for free.

thanks

[bobl]

MEGA : 50GB for free.

Total no brainer for me; why even bother with anything else?

Couldn 't agree more, that you need to have no brain to trust Kim Dotcom with your data.

[utalkin2me]

I don't think you should trust anyone with your data. I don't put my social security number and mother's maiden name on cloud storage, lol. What is somebody going to do with some amateur photos and videos (which are all backed up on my hard drive)? Painstakingly go through them and rat me out to the fbi or something?

For anybody interested, Mega is encrypted using your password as a key. It is a pretty strong cloud with respect to security imo, but nothing is perfect.

As for the poster above, if you don't want to use 50 free GB of cloud storage because you are overly paranoid, and don't understand how to properly use it, then don't.