Google launches Google Drive, a cloud storage & file management solution

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Yesterday, Google finally launched its much hyped cloud and document management system, Google Drive. The cloud storage service basically makes managing, sharing and backing up files an easier and seamless task as users switch from one device to another.  Google Drive is launching with 5GB free storage. Users will need to pay for more storage; about US $2.49 a month for an additional 25GB. It’s gets cheaper as you buy more space.

Here’s a video that explains how Google Drive works:

Those of you familiar with Dropbox of course already get some of the convenience Google Drive offers. But Dropbox is not all that Google Drive is. The deep integration with Google Docs, a somewhat maturing product makes it way more useful in managing documents and editing them from the internet, something Dropbox doesn’t provide. Additional storage price is also lower than Dropbox. Google Drive is also likely to have heavy integration with other products Google is pushing like Google+ and Android.

Checkout this Engadget article for a comparison of the Google Drive, Dropbox and other cloud storage service like Microsoft’s Skydrive.

Google Drive is not available immediately to everyone. The company is apparently rolling it out slowly. On visiting drive.google.com/start to use the service, most new users are being asked to request to be notified via email when Google is ready to give them access. Google doesn’t say what criteria they are using to give access to new users.

It’s a service we’re definitely keen to use and we’ll be letting you know our thoughts once we’ve done so.

4 comments

  1. Robasta

    Back in 2006/7, we used the Gmail Drive shell extension, which was awesome. But it stopped working when gmail was upgraded. In a way, we have been waiting for this for over 3years.

    I hope I will now be able to attach documents from drive directly, instead of having to dowload and then attaching to gmail

  2. Devloper

    Cloud computing is the way to go, these days I don’t scream if I see my daughter carrying my laptop or if she spills coffee on it cse I have ALL my stuff “in the cloud” including music. I have been using Dropbox for a long time now (I have 5GB free and was planning to buy 50GB for $99 but now I have to wait for this cheap Drive thing…50GB for $36…..taluma isu…lets go Google. This is the best product from Google after Android, GMAIL, Gtalk and Google maps..the rest is crap.

  3. Frustrated

    All of these cloud services are pointless when using powertel because upload speeds are as slow as 1kb/s and as high as 2kb/s and when uploading the whole internet dies! So I can imagine everytime the service needs to sync wih the “cloud” my whole internet will die all whilst taking 1hr to upload a 5mb file.

  4. Devloper

    Got my GDrive last night and so far its just another Dropbox. No difference…maybe the web interface, which i should say the dropbox one is better.

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