Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Google Intros 2nd-Gen Chromebook, Chromebox
On Tuesday Google announced the launch of two new 2nd-generation Chrome OS products: the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook laptop and the Samsung Series 3 Chromebox desktop. They're based on Intel Core processors and feature support for hardware accelerated graphics, a built-from-scratch multi-touch trackpad, and a boot time of less than seven seconds.
"This is the next step in our journey toward an always-new computing experience focused on speed, simplicity and security," said Caesar Sengupta, Director of Product Management at Google. "This next-generation hardware from Samsung based on Intel processors and hardware-accelerated software delivers nearly three times the performance of the first-generation Chromebooks. With a new, app-centric user interface rolling out today and thousands of available web apps, we couldn’t be more excited about this evolution."
The Chromebook arrives in two flavors: Wi-Fi only (XE550C22-A01) and Wi-Fi + 3G (XE550C22-H01). The tech specs include a 12.1-inch screen (1280 x 800), a dual-core Intel Celeron 867 processor clocked at 1.3 GHz, 4 GB of SoDIMM RAM, a 16 GB SSD, an integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000 GPU, a built-in 1MP HD webcam, 802.11 a/b/g/n connectivity, and a battery life of up to 6 hours. Ports include 2 USB 2.0, a 4-in-1 memory card slot, a DP++ port (2560 x 1600), Gigabit Ethernet and more.
The Series 3 Chromebox (XE300M22-A01) can be connected to up to two 30-inch displays simultaneously. It packs a dual-core Intel Celeron B840 processor clocked at 1.9 GHz, 4 GB of SoDIMM RAM, a 16 GB SSD, 802.11 a/b/g/n connectivity, Gigabit Ethernet and an Intel HD Graphics 3000 GPU. Ports include six USB 2.0, two DP++ display out ports (2560 x 1600) and a combined headphone/microphone jack.
"The new Samsung Series 5 Chromebook and Series 3 Chromebox provide the rapid, convenient and ever-improving computing experience that was so well-received in our first Chromebook," said Todd Bouman, vice president of marketing at Samsung Enterprise Business Division. "As the world’s first Chromebox, the Series 3 provides users with the Chromebook’s ease-of-use in a compact desktop product, which easily integrates with their existing accessories."
Google's blog on Tuesday talks about the updates in Chrome OS including a revamped media player and a built-in photo editor and uploader so that users can easily play and manage personal media collections. Google Drive is now seamlessly integrated with the File Manager and will support offline access with the next release of Chrome OS in six weeks. Google Docs offline support is also rolling out over the next few weeks.
"We’ve released eight stable updates over the past year, adding a number of major features and hundreds of improvements to all Chromebooks through our seamless auto-update mechanism," Google adds. "There’s a lot more on the way, so all you need to do is sit back and enjoy the benefits of the (always) new computer."
The company added that it's expanding the Chrome Zone experience centers in the United States, available for hands-on trials in select Best Buy stores in the coming weeks. The new Chromebook and Chromebox can be purchased now through Google's online retail partners in the U.S. and U.K., and in other select countries over the coming weeks.
As for pricing, the Wi-Fi only Samsung Series 5 Chromebook 550 costs $449.99 USD, whereas the Wi-Fi + 3G model costs $549.99 USD. The Chromebox is a mere $329.99 USD.
"This is the next step in our journey toward an always-new computing experience focused on speed, simplicity and security," said Caesar Sengupta, Director of Product Management at Google. "This next-generation hardware from Samsung based on Intel processors and hardware-accelerated software delivers nearly three times the performance of the first-generation Chromebooks. With a new, app-centric user interface rolling out today and thousands of available web apps, we couldn’t be more excited about this evolution."
The Chromebook arrives in two flavors: Wi-Fi only (XE550C22-A01) and Wi-Fi + 3G (XE550C22-H01). The tech specs include a 12.1-inch screen (1280 x 800), a dual-core Intel Celeron 867 processor clocked at 1.3 GHz, 4 GB of SoDIMM RAM, a 16 GB SSD, an integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000 GPU, a built-in 1MP HD webcam, 802.11 a/b/g/n connectivity, and a battery life of up to 6 hours. Ports include 2 USB 2.0, a 4-in-1 memory card slot, a DP++ port (2560 x 1600), Gigabit Ethernet and more.
The Series 3 Chromebox (XE300M22-A01) can be connected to up to two 30-inch displays simultaneously. It packs a dual-core Intel Celeron B840 processor clocked at 1.9 GHz, 4 GB of SoDIMM RAM, a 16 GB SSD, 802.11 a/b/g/n connectivity, Gigabit Ethernet and an Intel HD Graphics 3000 GPU. Ports include six USB 2.0, two DP++ display out ports (2560 x 1600) and a combined headphone/microphone jack.
"The new Samsung Series 5 Chromebook and Series 3 Chromebox provide the rapid, convenient and ever-improving computing experience that was so well-received in our first Chromebook," said Todd Bouman, vice president of marketing at Samsung Enterprise Business Division. "As the world’s first Chromebox, the Series 3 provides users with the Chromebook’s ease-of-use in a compact desktop product, which easily integrates with their existing accessories."
Google's blog on Tuesday talks about the updates in Chrome OS including a revamped media player and a built-in photo editor and uploader so that users can easily play and manage personal media collections. Google Drive is now seamlessly integrated with the File Manager and will support offline access with the next release of Chrome OS in six weeks. Google Docs offline support is also rolling out over the next few weeks.
"We’ve released eight stable updates over the past year, adding a number of major features and hundreds of improvements to all Chromebooks through our seamless auto-update mechanism," Google adds. "There’s a lot more on the way, so all you need to do is sit back and enjoy the benefits of the (always) new computer."
The company added that it's expanding the Chrome Zone experience centers in the United States, available for hands-on trials in select Best Buy stores in the coming weeks. The new Chromebook and Chromebox can be purchased now through Google's online retail partners in the U.S. and U.K., and in other select countries over the coming weeks.
As for pricing, the Wi-Fi only Samsung Series 5 Chromebook 550 costs $449.99 USD, whereas the Wi-Fi + 3G model costs $549.99 USD. The Chromebox is a mere $329.99 USD.
Google Drive: Cloud service or emerging OS? | Google Drive News
Google Drive is a free synching and file storage service that is the foundation for a comprehensive cloud service. Google’s big cloud initiative is starting to form more cohesively.
Is Google Drive aiming to be the best cloud solution or is it a new OS in the making?
Google has always been about cloud computing. Their popular services like Picasa image sharing and gMail have always been server-based cloud apps that were accessible from any connected computer. Google Docs, their version of Microsoft Office, was likely a web-based cloud service that offered a free suite of applications such as a word processor, spreadsheet, database and presentation software that could work on virtually any computer and for free!
Google Drive gives users 5GB of free storage which can be expanded to 25GB for a nominal monthly fee of US $ 2.50.
Google Drive also allows users to download desktop clients (it is available for Mac and PC) which places some files on their computers. The desktop client synchronizes remotely with the server version so users can maintain the lastest iteration of the documents they are working on locally and on the cloud.
They announcement today that a new version of Google’s Chrome OS will be accompanying new hardware from Samsung in the form of a a Chromebox desktop PC and a new and improved version of the Chromebook.
I tested last year’s Google Chromebook as a personal machine and used it (or, rather tried to use it) as my mobile computer for a month. While the browser basedOS was fast and seemed capable of handling basic computing tasks, I found working with documents quite frustrating.
Without any ‘offline mode’ it was impossible to work on Google Docs documents away from a WiFi connection. I also encountered various issues with the actual cloud service being down or inaccessible. This made it impossible for me to do my work or access my files.
The experience just felt too much like amateur hour and I could not see this solution being used in businesses or mission critical situations.
Since then, Google has bolstered Google Docs and introduced Google Drive. It has also updated Chrome OS and released these new notebooks and desktops that all seem to fit into this growing ecosystem. What’s Your Tech? Is a cheaper and cloud connected alternative to Windows and Mac an attractive solution for you or is cloud computing for the birds?
Cloud Computers: Samsung developed google Chromebox and Chromebook computers are purely cloud terminals
Google has always been about cloud computing. Their popular services like Picasa image sharing and gMail have always been server-based cloud apps that were accessible from any connected computer. Google Docs, their version of Microsoft Office, was likely a web-based cloud service that offered a free suite of applications such as a word processor, spreadsheet, database and presentation software that could work on virtually any computer and for free!
The best feature about Google Docs was the collaborative nature. Documents can be worked on by multiple users concurrently and in real time. If any of those computers fail, get lost or are stolen, then the documents are safely stored in the cloud, accessible from any terminal. Google Docs is now known as Google Drive.
Google Drive has been around for roughly a month. Most users gravitate towards the service because as an extension of Google Docs, it is a convenient and easy to use system, specially for collaborating on documents as well as sharing files so that they are accessible from various devices.Google Drive gives users 5GB of free storage which can be expanded to 25GB for a nominal monthly fee of US $ 2.50.
The Chromebox features an Intel Core processor, 4GB of RAM and uses the cloud for storage
They announcement today that a new version of Google’s Chrome OS will be accompanying new hardware from Samsung in the form of a a Chromebox desktop PC and a new and improved version of the Chromebook.
I tested last year’s Google Chromebook as a personal machine and used it (or, rather tried to use it) as my mobile computer for a month. While the browser basedOS was fast and seemed capable of handling basic computing tasks, I found working with documents quite frustrating.
Without any ‘offline mode’ it was impossible to work on Google Docs documents away from a WiFi connection. I also encountered various issues with the actual cloud service being down or inaccessible. This made it impossible for me to do my work or access my files.
The experience just felt too much like amateur hour and I could not see this solution being used in businesses or mission critical situations.
Since then, Google has bolstered Google Docs and introduced Google Drive. It has also updated Chrome OS and released these new notebooks and desktops that all seem to fit into this growing ecosystem. What’s Your Tech? Is a cheaper and cloud connected alternative to Windows and Mac an attractive solution for you or is cloud computing for the birds?
Google, Samsung unveil new version of Chromebook
San Francisco: Google will try to win more converts to a computer operating system revolving around its popular Chrome Web browser with a new wave of lightweight laptops built by Samsung Electronics.
Tuesday's release of the next-generation Chromebooks will give Google and Samsung another opportunity to persuade consumers and businesses to buy an unconventional computer instead of machines running on familiar software by industry pioneers Microsoft Corp. and Apple Inc.
Unlike most computers, Google's Chromebooks don't have a hard drive. They function like terminals dependent on an Internet connection. The laptops come with 16 gigabytes of flash memory - the kind found in smartphones, tablet computers and some iPods. Two USB ports allow external hard drives and other devices to be plugged into the machines.
Chromebooks haven't made much of a dent in the market since their debut a year ago. In that time, more people have been embracing Apple's iPad and other tablet computers - a factor that has contributed to a slowdown in sales of personal computers.
The cool reception to Chromebooks has raised questions about whether Google misjudged the demand for computers designed to quickly connect to its dominant Internet search engine and ever-expanding stable of other online services, ranging from email to a recently introduced file-storage system called Drive.
"The Chromebooks have had less to offer than tablets, so they haven't been that interesting to consumers," said Gartner analyst Mika Kitagawa.
Google says it always intended to take things slowly with the Chromebooks to give its engineers time to understand the shortcomings of the machines and make the necessary improvements.
"This release is a big step in the journey to bringing (Chromebooks) to the mainstream," said Sundar Pichai, Google's senior vice president of Chrome and apps.
The upgraded laptop, called "Series 5 550," is supposed to run two-and-half times faster than the original machines, and boasts higher-definition video. Google also added features that will enable users to edit documents offline, read more content created in widely used Microsoft applications such as Word and Excel, and retrieve material from another computer at home or an office. More emphasis is being placed on Chrome's Web store, which features more than 50,000 applications.
The price: $449 for models that only connect to the Internet through Wi-Fi and $549 for a machine that connects on a 3G network. Samsung's original Chromebooks started out with prices ranging from $429 to $499. Like the original Chromebooks, the next-generation machines feature a 12.1-inch (30.5-centimeter) screen display and run on an Intel processor.
Google Inc. and Samsung also are introducing a "Chromebox" that can be plugged into a display monitor to create the equivalent of desktop computer. The box will sell for $329.
The latest Chromebook and new Chromebox will be available online only, beginning in the US on Tuesday, followed by a Wednesday release in the United Kingdom. The products will go on sale in brick-and-mortar stores for the first time in still-to-be-determined Best Buy locations next month.
The expansion beyond Internet-only sales signals Google's determination to attract a mass audience to its Chromebooks, just as it's done with smartphones running on its Android software. More than 300 million mobile devices have been activated on Android since the software's 2008 release.
Without providing specifics, Pichai said several other computer manufacturers will release Chromebooks later this year. Google plans to back the expanded line of Chromebooks with a marketing blitz during the holiday shopping season in November and December.
One reason Google is confident Chromebooks will eventually catch on is because the Chrome Web browser has attracted so many fans in less than four years on the market. The company says more than 200 million people worldwide currently are using the Chrome browser.
Like other laptop and desktop computers, the Chromebooks will have to contend with the accelerating shift to the iPad and other tablets. The iPad 2, an older version of Apple's tablet line, sells for as little as $399, undercutting the new Chromebook. Other low-cost tablets are expected to hit the market later this year. One of them might even be made by Motorola Mobility, a device maker that Google bought for $12.5 billion earlier this month. Google so far hasn't commented on Motorola's future plans for the tablet market.
The new Chromebooks also are hitting the market at a time when some prospective computer buyers may be delaying purchases until they can check out machines running on Windows 8, a makeover of Microsoft's operating system that is expected to be released in September or October. Microsoft designed Windows 8 so it can be controlled through touch as well as keyboards. That versatility is expected to inspire the creation of hybrid machines that are part laptop, part tablet.
Tuesday's release of the next-generation Chromebooks will give Google and Samsung another opportunity to persuade consumers and businesses to buy an unconventional computer instead of machines running on familiar software by industry pioneers Microsoft Corp. and Apple Inc.
Unlike most computers, Google's Chromebooks don't have a hard drive. They function like terminals dependent on an Internet connection. The laptops come with 16 gigabytes of flash memory - the kind found in smartphones, tablet computers and some iPods. Two USB ports allow external hard drives and other devices to be plugged into the machines.
The cool reception to Chromebooks has raised questions about whether Google misjudged the demand for computers designed to quickly connect to its dominant Internet search engine and ever-expanding stable of other online services, ranging from email to a recently introduced file-storage system called Drive.
"The Chromebooks have had less to offer than tablets, so they haven't been that interesting to consumers," said Gartner analyst Mika Kitagawa.
Google says it always intended to take things slowly with the Chromebooks to give its engineers time to understand the shortcomings of the machines and make the necessary improvements.
"This release is a big step in the journey to bringing (Chromebooks) to the mainstream," said Sundar Pichai, Google's senior vice president of Chrome and apps.
The upgraded laptop, called "Series 5 550," is supposed to run two-and-half times faster than the original machines, and boasts higher-definition video. Google also added features that will enable users to edit documents offline, read more content created in widely used Microsoft applications such as Word and Excel, and retrieve material from another computer at home or an office. More emphasis is being placed on Chrome's Web store, which features more than 50,000 applications.
The price: $449 for models that only connect to the Internet through Wi-Fi and $549 for a machine that connects on a 3G network. Samsung's original Chromebooks started out with prices ranging from $429 to $499. Like the original Chromebooks, the next-generation machines feature a 12.1-inch (30.5-centimeter) screen display and run on an Intel processor.
Google Inc. and Samsung also are introducing a "Chromebox" that can be plugged into a display monitor to create the equivalent of desktop computer. The box will sell for $329.
The latest Chromebook and new Chromebox will be available online only, beginning in the US on Tuesday, followed by a Wednesday release in the United Kingdom. The products will go on sale in brick-and-mortar stores for the first time in still-to-be-determined Best Buy locations next month.
The expansion beyond Internet-only sales signals Google's determination to attract a mass audience to its Chromebooks, just as it's done with smartphones running on its Android software. More than 300 million mobile devices have been activated on Android since the software's 2008 release.
Without providing specifics, Pichai said several other computer manufacturers will release Chromebooks later this year. Google plans to back the expanded line of Chromebooks with a marketing blitz during the holiday shopping season in November and December.
One reason Google is confident Chromebooks will eventually catch on is because the Chrome Web browser has attracted so many fans in less than four years on the market. The company says more than 200 million people worldwide currently are using the Chrome browser.
Like other laptop and desktop computers, the Chromebooks will have to contend with the accelerating shift to the iPad and other tablets. The iPad 2, an older version of Apple's tablet line, sells for as little as $399, undercutting the new Chromebook. Other low-cost tablets are expected to hit the market later this year. One of them might even be made by Motorola Mobility, a device maker that Google bought for $12.5 billion earlier this month. Google so far hasn't commented on Motorola's future plans for the tablet market.
The new Chromebooks also are hitting the market at a time when some prospective computer buyers may be delaying purchases until they can check out machines running on Windows 8, a makeover of Microsoft's operating system that is expected to be released in September or October. Microsoft designed Windows 8 so it can be controlled through touch as well as keyboards. That versatility is expected to inspire the creation of hybrid machines that are part laptop, part tablet.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Google Drive Errors | Error messages for sync problems
Below is a list of common error messages that you may come across in Google Drive when a file or document can't sync and some possible solutions.
https://support.google.com/drive/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=2565956
| Error message | Likely reason | Suggested steps |
| An unknown issue has occurred. | Something unexpected has happened. | Restart Google Drive. If you still see the message, please post in the Google Drive forum. |
| Authorization failure | You no longer have permission to access this file. | Contact the owner to check on / request access to the file. |
| Connection failure | A connection to Google couldn't be established (often due to a proxy or a bad Internet connection). | Click Retry All or restart Google Drive on your Mac/PC. |
| Google Cloud Connect is already syncing this file. Google Drive will ignore it | Google Cloud Connect isn't compatible with Google Drive when it comes to Microsoft Office files. | Ignore these files or uninstall Google Cloud Connect and restart Google Drive. |
| The Google Drive server encountered an error. | You temporarily lost your connection to Google. | Click Retry All. If this continues over several hours please post in the Google Drive forum. |
| This file is a link to an online Google Doc. It cannot be changed. | You tried to alter a Google Doc from your desktop using a third party application. | You can only change Google Documents when online. If you see this error, make a copy of the original Doc online and select it for syncing. |
| The file on your computer is missing. | You deleted or moved a file out of the Google Drive folder during the syncing process. | Restart Google Drive on your desktop. |
| This file points to an invalid online Google Doc. | The original Google Doc is no longer available online (e.g. your Google Doc was deleted while you were offline or paused a Google Drive sync). | Remove the file from your Google Drive folder and restart the application. |
| You do not have enough Google storage for this file. Please buy more storage. | A file's too large for the amount of storage you have left online. | Purchase more storage or delete some of your files online. Learn more. |
| You do not have permission to sync this file. | You have view-only permission for the file. | Contact the owner for edit access to the file. |
| You only have permission to view this file, so your changes cannot be synced. | You tried to edit and save a file to which you have view-only access Google Drive. | Contact the owner of the document and request access to edit it. |
https://support.google.com/drive/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=2565956
Dropbox, SkyDrive, Google Drive: which one is right for you?
If you’re looking for free (or cheap) online storage, you have a bewildering assortment of options.
For Windows users, though, three services stand out from the crowd.
Dropbox, Microsoft’s SkyDrive, and Google Drive are superficially similar: You get several gigabytes of free storage just for signing up. By installing a small Windows app you get the ability to synchronize that storage with the hard drive on your PC, where you can manage them using Windows Explorer. You can sync files and folders with other PCs and Macs, access them from mobile devices, and share them with other people.
But when you dig deeper and get past those similarities, you can see important functional differences between the three services. Reviewers love to turn this sort of comparison into a horse race where they can declare a winner. But depending on how you plan to use an online file storage service, one might be a better fit than others. In this review, I look in detail at all three services to help you make the right choice.
See the companion screenshot gallery:
Cloud Services Showdown: Google Drive, Dropbox, Box & Cubby Compared
In today's highly mobile world, it wouldn't be at all unusual to check your email on your tablet before you even got out of bed in the morning, finish up a presentation for your boss on your home desktop PC, and even update the sales figures on that business plan from your smartphone late that night. Yet how can you keep all of those files available and in sync no matter where or how you're accessing them?
In the olden days, you might have relied on USB thumb drives, or perhaps you just emailed files back and forth to yourself. Things have gotten a lot easier now with the advent of cloud-based online storage services. Still, how do you choose the one that's best for meeting your own needs, whether those are more related to photo sharing, file sync, or group editing, for instance? Here's the lowdown on four services that you might consider: Dropbox, Box, and the newer Cubby and Google Drive.Dropbox (2GB for free, up to 18GB total with referrals, up to 100GB for $199 yearly)
Dropbox is the current market leader, and with good reason. It's incredibly easy to use and very reliable. The service monitors one particular folder on your computer and automatically uploads files in that folder to your Dropbox. You can then access those files either from within Finder on a Mac, the standard Windows file system on a PC, any web browser, or the free apps available for mobile devices. Those apps run on Android smartphones and tablets, as well as on Apple's iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad.
Once you sign in to your Dropbox account on your mobile device, you'll find a simple interface which looks just like a traditional computer file system. If you mark individual files as favorites, you'll be able to access those files offline when you don't have an Internet connection (when service goes down, during an airplane flight, etc.).
The Android and iOS tablet apps are relatively bare bones, but they work just fine. No matter what mobile platform you're using, you can view some file types within the Dropbox app itself, most notably plain text, PDFs, and both JPEG and PNG photos. Other files -- such as Microsoft Office documents and ePub eBooks -- are opened in helper apps like Polaris Office on Android devices or Documents to Go, GoodReader, iBooks, or Stanza on the iPad.
If you want to edit your files from directly within the Dropbox app, you can do so only on Android devices, and even then only for plain text files. Other document types can be edited by external apps such as Polaris Office on Android devices, and with apps such as Pages or Documents to Go on iOS devices.
Dropbox, though, needs to keep innovating or it runs the risk of falling behind some of the "younger" services such as Google Drive and Cubby. As things stand, Dropbox is an excellent backup and file storage/synchronization service. Yet it doesn't offer any real editing or collaboration tools. It also forces users to keep all of their files in a single Dropbox folder for synchronization. The smartphone and tablet apps are straightforward and easy to use, but they could be more feature-rich.
Box (5GB for free, up to 50GB of total storage available for $19.99 a month)
Box is similar to Dropbox in its cloud storage and synchronization services. However, Box adds some clever collaboration tools to the mix, as well. For example, you can share individual files or entire folders with a few clicks. You can also embed files on a web page for public viewing, with full control over whether users can print, download, or share the file.
If you're working with a group, you can add collaborators to each folder in your Dropbox, share direct links to individual files, and add comments as well, instead of needing to send a flurry of email messages back and forth each time a document warrants discussion.
The Box mobile apps are available for Android and iOS, plus BlackBerry PlayBook and the webOS TouchPad. They don't offer much in the way of built-in editing features, but they do work with external helper apps such as Quickoffice, PaperPort Notes, and PDF Expert to make the editing process as seamless as possible.
Box also places a strong emphasis on security, with the mobile apps optionally requiring a four digit unlock code each time the app is launched, in addition to the regular login information. You can optionally cache all recent files as they are accessed within the mobile app, or you can mark individual files as favorites for offline access.
The Box smartphone and tablets app also offer some unique features. For instance, there's an Update tab that lets you know what the latest activity was and exactly when it happened, including the name of the person who accessed each file. You can also create batch uploads of photos and videos directly from your smartphone or tablet, instead of uploading one at a time, or -- as with the other file sharing apps covered here -- only allowing the upload of individual new photos taken from within the app.
Box is more expensive overall than Dropbox, but it provides more collaboration and workgroup features. Arguably, the mobile apps are more polished as well, with better security and real time notifications regarding who has accessed your files.
Box might be overkill for someone who just wants to back up his or her files. Yet for groups and enterprise customers, it offers some compelling features. Moreover, it's the only one of the four services covered here to provide mobile apps for all four tablet platforms: Android, BlackBerry, iOS, and webOS.
Cubby (5GB for free)
Cubby isn't quite on the scene yet, although it's almost there. Currently in beta, Cubby is the new file sharing service from LogMeIn, the popular remote desktop application that allows you to access your home computer from anywhere. I've only been using the service for a few days, and I'm already quite impressed.
Cubby is more more flexible than Dropbox in that any folder can be designated as a "cubby." Consequently, you don't need to change the way you've already organized your files. Cubby also offers strong file sharing tools, allowing you to create public links for either individual files or for an entire cubby folder. On the other hand, Cubby doesn't have the emphasis on collaboration and group editing which you'll find in Google Drive.
One of Cubby's more interesting concepts is unlimited peer-to-peer syncing. If you've been struggling for a long time to keep multiple computers in sync and you haven't found a good solution, Cubby has you covered. Once you set up the service on two computers (such as home and work, or the home desktop and your laptop), you can designate specific cubby folders to sync between the two. The service will then work seamlessly in the background to keep them both in lockstep.
Even better, there are practically no GB limits. If you have 20GB of vacation photos on your desktop that you also want on your laptop, Cubby will do that for you. The only limit which applies is 5GB total for Cubby folders that are synced to the cloud for use with mobile devices. Both the Android and iOS apps are already available in their respective stores.
As with Dropbox, you can mark individual files as favorites for offline access. You can also upload files or photos from your mobile device to Cubby, making the service a great way to share photos if you'd rather send the pics directly instead of publicly uploading your life to Facebook and Flickr.
If you're the forgetful type, or the sort to delete first and realize later that you needed a particular file, you'll be glad to know that Cubby has the ability to restore deleted files from the archive. Cubby also keeps multiple versions of each file, just in case you later decide that you liked chapter 8 of your novel better before you revised it.
Even though it's currently only a beta offering, Cubby already gets a lot of things right. The Android and iOS apps are well polished and extremely fast. The service deserves close attention, especially if you are concerned more about synchronization and sharing than with group editing and collaboration.
Google Drive (5GB for free, additional storage available for purchase)
Although Google Drive is the newest player in this group, Google has been storing documents and allowing folks to work on them from any web browser for quite some time with Google Docs.
So Google Drive is the spiritual successor to Google Docs. This becomes readily apparent when you access it for the first time. You'll see that anything you've previously stored in Google Docs is already available in your Google Drive.
You'll also encounter a short introductory video, After that, you'll be prompted to download and install the Google Drive app on your PC or Mac. Google Drive will then create a folder on your computer.
Anything dragged to that folder will sync with your Google Drive, as well as with all of the devices associated with your Google account, such as tablet computers and smartphones.
Google hasn't yet released any iOS apps for Google Drive, but the Android OS tablet and smartphone experience closely mirrors the desktop experience. Once you download the free Android app from the Google Play store, you'll find that the main screen of the Google Drive app looks almost exactly like what you'd see on a regular computer. You can easily navigate from folder to folder, and you can star your most important documents to make them easier to find. Sharing with one of your Google contacts is a snap. It takes just a couple of taps.
If you want to make individual documents available for offline viewing, you'll need to go through and mark them each individually ahead of time. You can also create new documents by taking a photo of any printed text and uploading it to your Google Drive (although that service is somewhat hit-or-miss at the moment, and it doesn't work at all if you take the photo in landscape mode instead of portrait).
There are a few gotchas with Google Drive that you will want to think about carefully before completely switching over to the service. It's a hybrid file backup/online collaboration tool designed to help you share and collaborate with others more easily. So there's no encryption.
Also, there's no offline editing of Google Docs files. You can view Google Docs files when you're offline, but editing them is not possible even if you've configured offline access in Google Chrome. You can, however, edit Microsoft Office documents offline, and they'll be synchronized back to your Google Drive the next time you're connected.
Google Drive is a no-brainer option for those who are already heavily invested in Google services like GMail and Google Docs, for those who need extensive collaboration tools, and for those who own Android tablets and smartphones. Unfortunately, there is no word yet on when iOS apps for your iPad and iPhone will be available. They have been announced, but Google has not rolled out a timeline for when that will happen.
Create your own private Google Drive
Cloud storage solutions like Dropbox of Google Drive are ideal for start up and small businesses. They're flexible, you can share files across the web on any device, you only pay for what you use and they grow with your business. However many businesses are afraid to move to the cloud - or because of legislation aren't allowed to - because of fears over security, but a new solution has finally killed the security worry.
Until now the only way to get the benefits of cloud without the security worries, was to create a private-cloud. However this was an option only really open to big businesses, with deep pockets. Pogoplug Team allows any business to create a private-cloud that would be the envy of any big business in just a few minutes.
Pogoplug Team, is a new cloud storage solution that's optimised for small to medium-sized businesses and turns any office computer, mobile phone, server or Pogoplug device into a private, multi-user cloud storage solution —with no additional hardware required.
Essentially Pogoplug uses your own computers' drives and your broadband connection to create your own personalised cloud storage, so your data remains on your own computers and on your own network.
Other features of Pogoplug Team are:
Until now the only way to get the benefits of cloud without the security worries, was to create a private-cloud. However this was an option only really open to big businesses, with deep pockets. Pogoplug Team allows any business to create a private-cloud that would be the envy of any big business in just a few minutes.
Pogoplug Team, is a new cloud storage solution that's optimised for small to medium-sized businesses and turns any office computer, mobile phone, server or Pogoplug device into a private, multi-user cloud storage solution —with no additional hardware required.
Essentially Pogoplug uses your own computers' drives and your broadband connection to create your own personalised cloud storage, so your data remains on your own computers and on your own network.
Other features of Pogoplug Team are:
- Create multiple users and set permissions by folder
- Use your existing storage and grow as you go; your storage remains safely in your office
- Automatically back up files stored on computers and mobile devices, even when users are outside of the office
- Customise the Pogoplug Web interface, emails and share URLs to match your brand
- Share large files (password-protection optional) with clients with no size restrictions, and allow clients to upload to selected folders
Pixorial leads with Google Drive: will developers follow?
When Pixorial updated its video-sharing iOS app last month, the company added a feature its competitors couldn't yet match: Integration with the new Google Drive cloud storage service.
"One of our main goals is to eventually allow people to have their videos anywhere, anytime, on any device," said John Martyniak, Pixorial's senior vice president of products and services, later adding: "A lot of people use Dropbox, or they're starting to use Google Drive. For us to be able to add our service to that, it's a no-brainer."
Pixorial was first out of the gate because Google designated it a "launch partner" for the service. But will other iOS app developers follow? And with cloud-based storage services proliferating--Google Drive is joined by Apple's iCloud and Microsoft's SkyDrive in chasing a market that has been dominated until now by services like Dropbox and Box--how will developers choose?
Among app developers surveyed by Macworld in recent days, there is wariness.
"I don't think I will be adding any additional cloud services to the app just yet," said Samer Abousalbi, co-founder of Capparsa, developer of the Dropbox-integrated Compositions writing app. "I mostly don't want to chase new drive services every time they come out, because it complicates supporting the app."
Chad Sellers of Useful Fruit Software, which makes the Dropbox-integrated Pear Note note-taking app, agreed: "As a small dev shop, I don't have the time to support lots of services. I understand the excitement around other services, but I can't justify the time it takes to support them at this time."
But Justin Brock, a marketer for Notability app developer Ginger Labs, said his company is considering adding Google Drive integration. Convenience must be weighed against clutter, he said.
"On one hand, users often want more choices; each person has his or her preferred service and want to provide for that user," Brock said. "But, on the other hand, all users want a clear interface without choices cluttering the screen or interfering with functionality. So, we work to balance these forces when we select what features and services to add."
Other developers said that two things must happen for Google Drive to earn their support: Grow an audience and show commitment. App creators remember all too well failed services like Google Wave and Google Buzz.
"We'd love to know how many people are actively using Google Drive a few months after launch," said Zulfiqar Shah of Zaal, the developer behind the Contacts Journal application. "If it eclipses Dropbox as the premier choice for file storage for many people, then it would be interesting to look at as a way of reaching out to new users.
"If it's going to be another Google Buzz," she added, "then we'll pass."
Abousalbi agreed. "When it comes to Google products, I can't help but worry that they will pull the plug on it at any time like other services," he said. "Dropbox is much more focused--they only do storage and they do it real well.
Other developers don't see the big deal, however. Readdle already includes Google Docs integration in its ReaddleDocs and PDF Expert apps, company spokeswoman Irene Chernyavska pointed out. That service can sync with Google Drive for customers who want to use it.
And, she added, it is app customers who will determine whether developers ultimately flock to Google Drive. "We measure the market, we try to understand and analyze what people use," Chernyavska said. "We add (services), according to the requests from our users."
Back at Pixorial, Martyniak says he expects his company's app to eventually add integration with other cloud-based services. But he's happy with Google Drive, saying it offers "pretty solid" integration with Pixorial.
"We want the connection to be a seamless as possible," he said. Google Drive, he said, "is a very straightforward and simple way to do that."
Google Drive Picking Up Millions of Users in Short Time
Google Drive, the company's new cloud storage system that launched on April 24, has picked up a lot of users in a short window of time.
A research note from Trip Chowdhry, managing director of Equity Research at Global Equities Research, reported May 12 that Google Drive signups are off to a "very strong start, with probably about 35 million to 40 million signups in 15 days."
That's a lot of people interested in backing up their files and a lot of storage capacity. It certainly helps to have an established brand such as Google holding your files.
Google provides free storage for up to 5GB in Google Drive. Extra storage is priced as follows: 25GB: $2.49/month; 100GB: $4.99/month; 200GB: $9.99/month; 1TB: $49.99/month; 16TB:$799.99/month. Other increments below 16TB are available.
"Google got Google Drive right in the very first attempt," Chowdhry said. "Syncing is about 20 percent to 30 percent faster than DropBox."
Google Drive isn't perfect, however. Its application programming interfaces apparently need some work, Chowdhry said.
"On a scale of 10, developers (Chowdhry talked to 14 of them) give 6 to Google Drive APIs," Chowdhry said. "Developers are optimistic that Google may fix the Drive API's shortcomings by Google I/O event, which is happening in the last week of June."
Chowdhry estimated that Google Drive thus far may have generated at least $4 million in revenues (5% x 35 million x $2.49 = ~$4 million per month, he calculated).
"However, at this time Global Equities Research does not have insights into the pricing," he wrote. "We think we will get a better sense when we attend Google I/O."
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Data-Storage/Google-Drive-Picking-Up-Millions-of-Users-in-Short-Time-234900/
A research note from Trip Chowdhry, managing director of Equity Research at Global Equities Research, reported May 12 that Google Drive signups are off to a "very strong start, with probably about 35 million to 40 million signups in 15 days."
That's a lot of people interested in backing up their files and a lot of storage capacity. It certainly helps to have an established brand such as Google holding your files.
Google provides free storage for up to 5GB in Google Drive. Extra storage is priced as follows: 25GB: $2.49/month; 100GB: $4.99/month; 200GB: $9.99/month; 1TB: $49.99/month; 16TB:$799.99/month. Other increments below 16TB are available.
"Google got Google Drive right in the very first attempt," Chowdhry said. "Syncing is about 20 percent to 30 percent faster than DropBox."
Google Drive isn't perfect, however. Its application programming interfaces apparently need some work, Chowdhry said.
"On a scale of 10, developers (Chowdhry talked to 14 of them) give 6 to Google Drive APIs," Chowdhry said. "Developers are optimistic that Google may fix the Drive API's shortcomings by Google I/O event, which is happening in the last week of June."
Chowdhry estimated that Google Drive thus far may have generated at least $4 million in revenues (5% x 35 million x $2.49 = ~$4 million per month, he calculated).
"However, at this time Global Equities Research does not have insights into the pricing," he wrote. "We think we will get a better sense when we attend Google I/O."
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Data-Storage/Google-Drive-Picking-Up-Millions-of-Users-in-Short-Time-234900/
2012 GDocsDrive 2.0 Download
DocsDrive 2.0
GDocsDrive supports Windows XP(32 & 64 bit), Window Vista (32 & 64 bit) and Windows 7(32 & 64 bit)- Modify online files with local apps
- Convert files to other formats
- Never email yourself a file again
- Easily backup your files online
- Share files easily with others
- Convert files to other formats
- Upload folders with a drag and drop
- Hide, rename, delete, and star files or folders
Google Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft SkyDrive compared - Which one is for you?
Moving digital files between your work and home computers can be a pain. Add smartphones and tablet computers to the mix, and you've got yourself a giant headache.
Google Inc. unveiled its solution to the problem last week, while two other companies, Dropbox Inc. and Microsoft Corp., improved their existing offerings. The idea is to leave your files on their computers, so that you can access them from any Internet-connected device, wherever you are.
That means you can stop emailing big files to yourself, and you can stop carrying those USB thumb drives that fill up quickly, especially when transferring photos and video. These services also make it easier to share documents with others.
The three services I tried are free, though you'll have to pay if you need more than your allotted storage.
Google Drive, Dropbox and Microsoft's SkyDrive share many core features.
You can store just about any type of file - photos, videos, songs, spreadsheets and more - on distant servers operated by those companies. All you need is a Web browser and an Internet connection. To upload a file to the online storage service, you simply move the file's icon to the browser window. The original file remains on your computer.
To access a file from another computer, you simply go to the service's website and log in. You can make changes on that computer and move the file back online. You can create Web links to entire folders or specific files for sharing.
You can install free software to simplify these transfers. The software creates a special folder on your computer for that particular service. Anything you add to it will automatically get transferred to your online storage. If you or colleagues make changes from another computer, the original version gets automatically updated.
A subset of features is also available through apps for mobile devices. You can pull up photos and other documents on the go, though it's not designed for making too many changes.
One drawback with all three services: You can lose metadata associated with these files. Attributes such as the file's creation date can change in transfer. The contents aren't affected, with one major exception I'll discuss as I compare the individual services.
Storage
The services give you plenty of free space for word processing, spreadsheets and other basics, but not enough for extensive storage of photos and video.
You get 2 gigabytes for free on Dropbox, 5 GB on Google Drive and 7 GB on SkyDrive. Those who used SkyDrive before April 23 can claim 25 GB of free space, though others might be eligible too. Dropbox lets you earn additional free space by recruiting friends or performing such tasks as installing Dropbox's software.
Signing up for additional free accounts gets cumbersome, so count on paying if you need more. An extra 100 GB will cost $50 a year on SkyDrive and $59.88 on Google Drive, while 100 GB including the free space will cost $199 on Dropbox. Cheaper plans with less storage are available.
Winner: SkyDrive, with the most free storage and cheapest upgrade plans.
Sharing
All three let you share content by creating links.
On Dropbox, friends with that link can view the content, though you'll have to go through extra steps to create a "shared folder" for others to edit documents.
With SkyDrive, you can give people editing capabilities with that link. In fact, you can give some people a view-only link and others a link with editing privileges. You can share via email and decide whether recipients can edit documents. You can also post content to Facebook, Twitter and other social networks directly from SkyDrive.
Google Drive also lets you choose whether links come with editing capabilities. But unlike SkyDrive, you can't create view-only links for some and editing links for others. It's one or the other for particular files and folders. You can also email items as attachments or as a link to your Google Drive account.
Dropbox and SkyDrive can automatically turn the photos you share into galleries, so that friends can view them through an interface that resembles what you'd get on Facebook or a photo-sharing site.
Winner: SkyDrive, with the most options for sharing.
Search
Not surprisingly, the best search options come from Google, the Internet search leader.
Searching on Google Drive is fast and versatile. You can search not just by file name, but also the contents of documents in a variety of popular formats. It uses an optical-character reader to pull out text from newspaper clippings and brochures you scanned. I was impressed that it found multiple references to "cockatoo" embedded in some scanned brochures.
Dropbox searches based on file names only. SkyDrive searches contents of documents in Microsoft formats - Word, PowerPoint and Excel - but it won't even index the file names for other types, including photos.
Winner: Google Drive
Software
Dropbox has the most software options.
For desktops, there's a Linux version besides ones for Windows and Mac computers. Microsoft and Google support Windows and Macs only. Microsoft's software won't work on Windows XP, an older, but still widely used system. It also won't work on earlier versions of XP's successor, Vista. So many SkyDrive users will be stuck with the Web-based interface.
Dropbox also is the only service to offer phone apps for both Apple and Android devices. It's also the only one to support BlackBerrys. Google doesn't have a version for iPhones or iPads yet; its app only works on Google's Android system. Microsoft doesn't make one for Android, though it has one for its own Windows Phone system besides the Apple devices.
Winner: Dropbox
And the rest ...
Dropbox has a handy feature for restoring files you accidentally deleted or overwrote. That means you can go back to an earlier draft of a document if you change your mind - up to 30 days, or forever if you have a paid account. For truly sensitive files, a few extra steps are needed to permanently erase them.
SkyDrive will automatically shrink larger photos to save space if you use its Web interface, unless you notice and uncheck a small box. Some people may like that, as it'll speed up file transfers. But if I had deleted my originals before noticing that, I could have lost them forever. I didn't get any warnings ahead of time. That's enough for me to lose confidence in the service.
Google Drive offers to convert files to Google's online documents format. That makes it easier for multiple people to collaborate. When you make changes to a spreadsheet from your computer or phone, it will pop up seconds later on all the other screens where it's open. Collaborating through Dropbox and SkyDrive gets clunky. As a bonus, files in Google formats don't count toward the storage quota.
One annoying thing about Google: Under standard settings, if you upload the same file three times, it will get stored as three separate files on Google Drive - all with the same name. It ought to just replace the file - after asking, of course - and perhaps keep an older version hidden away as Dropbox does.
SkyDrive wins on storage and sharing, but it ought to be more forthcoming about shrinking originals.
Google's nifty search features make it the best choice overall. After all, storage does little good if you can't find what you need.
At the same time, I'm uneasy about relying on Google for even more of my online life. Google Drive doesn't currently run any ads, and the company says it has no plans to use your documents - such as your private diaries - to target ads elsewhere. But Google's recently revised privacy policy allows the company to do so if it ever changes its mind.
If you aren't bothered by that, Google Drive is the service you'll want. Otherwise, Dropbox is a fine alternative, especially if you expect to use it a lot on a variety of phones or an iPad.
Whatever you choose, I recommend that you keep your original files somewhere, even if you have to buy an external storage drive. These services are good for backups and sharing, but what SkyDrive did to my photos made me realize they are all too new to fully trust.
Google Inc. unveiled its solution to the problem last week, while two other companies, Dropbox Inc. and Microsoft Corp., improved their existing offerings. The idea is to leave your files on their computers, so that you can access them from any Internet-connected device, wherever you are.
That means you can stop emailing big files to yourself, and you can stop carrying those USB thumb drives that fill up quickly, especially when transferring photos and video. These services also make it easier to share documents with others.
The three services I tried are free, though you'll have to pay if you need more than your allotted storage.
Google Drive, Dropbox and Microsoft's SkyDrive share many core features.
You can store just about any type of file - photos, videos, songs, spreadsheets and more - on distant servers operated by those companies. All you need is a Web browser and an Internet connection. To upload a file to the online storage service, you simply move the file's icon to the browser window. The original file remains on your computer.
To access a file from another computer, you simply go to the service's website and log in. You can make changes on that computer and move the file back online. You can create Web links to entire folders or specific files for sharing.
You can install free software to simplify these transfers. The software creates a special folder on your computer for that particular service. Anything you add to it will automatically get transferred to your online storage. If you or colleagues make changes from another computer, the original version gets automatically updated.
A subset of features is also available through apps for mobile devices. You can pull up photos and other documents on the go, though it's not designed for making too many changes.
One drawback with all three services: You can lose metadata associated with these files. Attributes such as the file's creation date can change in transfer. The contents aren't affected, with one major exception I'll discuss as I compare the individual services.
Storage
The services give you plenty of free space for word processing, spreadsheets and other basics, but not enough for extensive storage of photos and video.
You get 2 gigabytes for free on Dropbox, 5 GB on Google Drive and 7 GB on SkyDrive. Those who used SkyDrive before April 23 can claim 25 GB of free space, though others might be eligible too. Dropbox lets you earn additional free space by recruiting friends or performing such tasks as installing Dropbox's software.
Signing up for additional free accounts gets cumbersome, so count on paying if you need more. An extra 100 GB will cost $50 a year on SkyDrive and $59.88 on Google Drive, while 100 GB including the free space will cost $199 on Dropbox. Cheaper plans with less storage are available.
Winner: SkyDrive, with the most free storage and cheapest upgrade plans.
Sharing
All three let you share content by creating links.
On Dropbox, friends with that link can view the content, though you'll have to go through extra steps to create a "shared folder" for others to edit documents.
With SkyDrive, you can give people editing capabilities with that link. In fact, you can give some people a view-only link and others a link with editing privileges. You can share via email and decide whether recipients can edit documents. You can also post content to Facebook, Twitter and other social networks directly from SkyDrive.
Google Drive also lets you choose whether links come with editing capabilities. But unlike SkyDrive, you can't create view-only links for some and editing links for others. It's one or the other for particular files and folders. You can also email items as attachments or as a link to your Google Drive account.
Dropbox and SkyDrive can automatically turn the photos you share into galleries, so that friends can view them through an interface that resembles what you'd get on Facebook or a photo-sharing site.
Winner: SkyDrive, with the most options for sharing.
Search
Not surprisingly, the best search options come from Google, the Internet search leader.
Searching on Google Drive is fast and versatile. You can search not just by file name, but also the contents of documents in a variety of popular formats. It uses an optical-character reader to pull out text from newspaper clippings and brochures you scanned. I was impressed that it found multiple references to "cockatoo" embedded in some scanned brochures.
Dropbox searches based on file names only. SkyDrive searches contents of documents in Microsoft formats - Word, PowerPoint and Excel - but it won't even index the file names for other types, including photos.
Winner: Google Drive
Software
Dropbox has the most software options.
For desktops, there's a Linux version besides ones for Windows and Mac computers. Microsoft and Google support Windows and Macs only. Microsoft's software won't work on Windows XP, an older, but still widely used system. It also won't work on earlier versions of XP's successor, Vista. So many SkyDrive users will be stuck with the Web-based interface.
Dropbox also is the only service to offer phone apps for both Apple and Android devices. It's also the only one to support BlackBerrys. Google doesn't have a version for iPhones or iPads yet; its app only works on Google's Android system. Microsoft doesn't make one for Android, though it has one for its own Windows Phone system besides the Apple devices.
Winner: Dropbox
And the rest ...
Dropbox has a handy feature for restoring files you accidentally deleted or overwrote. That means you can go back to an earlier draft of a document if you change your mind - up to 30 days, or forever if you have a paid account. For truly sensitive files, a few extra steps are needed to permanently erase them.
SkyDrive will automatically shrink larger photos to save space if you use its Web interface, unless you notice and uncheck a small box. Some people may like that, as it'll speed up file transfers. But if I had deleted my originals before noticing that, I could have lost them forever. I didn't get any warnings ahead of time. That's enough for me to lose confidence in the service.
Google Drive offers to convert files to Google's online documents format. That makes it easier for multiple people to collaborate. When you make changes to a spreadsheet from your computer or phone, it will pop up seconds later on all the other screens where it's open. Collaborating through Dropbox and SkyDrive gets clunky. As a bonus, files in Google formats don't count toward the storage quota.
One annoying thing about Google: Under standard settings, if you upload the same file three times, it will get stored as three separate files on Google Drive - all with the same name. It ought to just replace the file - after asking, of course - and perhaps keep an older version hidden away as Dropbox does.
SkyDrive wins on storage and sharing, but it ought to be more forthcoming about shrinking originals.
Google's nifty search features make it the best choice overall. After all, storage does little good if you can't find what you need.
At the same time, I'm uneasy about relying on Google for even more of my online life. Google Drive doesn't currently run any ads, and the company says it has no plans to use your documents - such as your private diaries - to target ads elsewhere. But Google's recently revised privacy policy allows the company to do so if it ever changes its mind.
If you aren't bothered by that, Google Drive is the service you'll want. Otherwise, Dropbox is a fine alternative, especially if you expect to use it a lot on a variety of phones or an iPad.
Whatever you choose, I recommend that you keep your original files somewhere, even if you have to buy an external storage drive. These services are good for backups and sharing, but what SkyDrive did to my photos made me realize they are all too new to fully trust.
Google Drive Info : Google Drive makes online storage easy
Using files from multiple computers and locations made easy with online storage Moving digital files between your work and home computers can be a pain. Add smartphones and tablet computers to the mix, and you've got yourself a giant headache.
Google Inc. unveiled its solution to the problem last week, while two other companies, Dropbox Inc. and Microsoft Corp., improved their existing offerings. The idea is to leave your files on their computers, so that you can access...
Google Inc. unveiled its solution to the problem last week, while two other companies, Dropbox Inc. and Microsoft Corp., improved their existing offerings. The idea is to leave your files on their computers, so that you can access...
Google Drive brings everything under one big 'cloud'
Ending months of speculation about Google launching an online drive, the Google Drive was unveiled last week.
"Just like the Loch Ness Monster, you may have heard rumours about Google Drive. It turns out, one of the two actually exists," Sundar Pichai, senior vice-president, Chrome & Apps, posted on an official Google blog recently.
For starters, users will get 5GB of storage free to back up anything - photos, videos, music, documents, PDFs. Possibly, as Wired put it, Google plans to replace the pendrive with Drive.
Google supports the Drive on both PC and Mac as well as on Android devices, and an app for the iOS is promised. Those who use Google Docs will feel at home using the Drive, which has Docs built in.
The blog post goes on to say that Drive supports keyword searching and has OCR software built in. How does that help?
"Let's say you upload a scanned image of an old newspaper clipping. You can search for a word from the text of the actual article. We also use image recognition so that if you drag and drop photos from your Grand Canyon trip into Drive, you can later search for [grand canyon] and photos of its gorges should pop up," Pichai says.
Google says the Drive uses same infrastructure as other Google Apps services, promising "security and reliability".
It also has centralised management tools for administrators, encryption on emails exchanged between Drive and the desktop and replication of data "so that in the unlikely event that one data centre is unavailable, your files will still be safe and accessible" Google says, guaranteeing a 99.9 per cent uptime and 24/ 7 support.
Incidentally, the Drive has an Indian connect.
Turns out that all the centralised tools we talked about in the last paragraph were "conceptualised and built" by Google's engineering teams in Bangalore and Hyderabad.
Maybe one more reason for the patriotic ones to use Drive. A Wired article online raised a couple of interesting points. One, if one already used cloud services, did one need yet another service? The answer, as Wired put it, is that Drive is for all those who already love using Google services.
Another interesting point Wired raised was if Drive was a harbinger of things to come - meaning an online OS. "Will Google Drive integrated with Chrome OS usher in the next generation of cloud-based personal computing?" Wired asked.
"With Chromebooks, [Google Drive] is even more powerful," says Pichai, "because it just starts working naturally. Your local drive is also Google Drive".
Basically, Drive can then work as the local file system and say a document one saves on a Chromebook is saved directly on the cloud. Gartner has already said the personal cloud will replace the personal computer by 2014. Is this a step in that direction?
"Just like the Loch Ness Monster, you may have heard rumours about Google Drive. It turns out, one of the two actually exists," Sundar Pichai, senior vice-president, Chrome & Apps, posted on an official Google blog recently.
For starters, users will get 5GB of storage free to back up anything - photos, videos, music, documents, PDFs. Possibly, as Wired put it, Google plans to replace the pendrive with Drive.
Google supports the Drive on both PC and Mac as well as on Android devices, and an app for the iOS is promised. Those who use Google Docs will feel at home using the Drive, which has Docs built in.
The blog post goes on to say that Drive supports keyword searching and has OCR software built in. How does that help?
"Let's say you upload a scanned image of an old newspaper clipping. You can search for a word from the text of the actual article. We also use image recognition so that if you drag and drop photos from your Grand Canyon trip into Drive, you can later search for [grand canyon] and photos of its gorges should pop up," Pichai says.
Google says the Drive uses same infrastructure as other Google Apps services, promising "security and reliability".
It also has centralised management tools for administrators, encryption on emails exchanged between Drive and the desktop and replication of data "so that in the unlikely event that one data centre is unavailable, your files will still be safe and accessible" Google says, guaranteeing a 99.9 per cent uptime and 24/ 7 support.
Incidentally, the Drive has an Indian connect.
Turns out that all the centralised tools we talked about in the last paragraph were "conceptualised and built" by Google's engineering teams in Bangalore and Hyderabad.
Maybe one more reason for the patriotic ones to use Drive. A Wired article online raised a couple of interesting points. One, if one already used cloud services, did one need yet another service? The answer, as Wired put it, is that Drive is for all those who already love using Google services.
Another interesting point Wired raised was if Drive was a harbinger of things to come - meaning an online OS. "Will Google Drive integrated with Chrome OS usher in the next generation of cloud-based personal computing?" Wired asked.
"With Chromebooks, [Google Drive] is even more powerful," says Pichai, "because it just starts working naturally. Your local drive is also Google Drive".
Basically, Drive can then work as the local file system and say a document one saves on a Chromebook is saved directly on the cloud. Gartner has already said the personal cloud will replace the personal computer by 2014. Is this a step in that direction?
Google Drive info : How using it can be 'dangerous'
WASHINGTON: Search giant Google's new consumer service that allows users to store photos, videos, and other digital files in the Internet 'cloud', could allow US law enforcement agencies to access your data, without your knowledge and without the need for a warrant, an expert has claimed
David Asprey, the inventor of one of the first cloud computing services TrendMicro cloud evangelist, said that the terms of use of Google Drive "destroys any expectation of privacy because you license your data to a third party"."You give Google full right to do whatever they want to do with your data and of course one of those things is to give your information to law enforcement without a subpoena," news.com.au quoted Asprey, as saying.
"By signing up to Google Drive, users give the tech giant a global license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify or create derivative works and to publish, publicly perform and distribute that content," he added.
Asprey said the new terms of service extended the reach and power of the Patriot Act - which was passed shortly after September 11, 2001, giving the US Government permission to look at people's documents without their knowledge or permission.
Meanwhile, Google said they comply with US laws and legal processes 'just like any law-abiding company'.
"We have a track record of advocating on behalf of user privacy in the face of law enforcement requests (including but not limited to US Dept of Justice subpoenas)," Google said in a statement.
"We look at each request to be sure they adhere to both the letter and the spirit of the law before complying. We do our best to notify the subject named in any such requests in order to give them the opportunity to object," it added.
David Asprey, the inventor of one of the first cloud computing services TrendMicro cloud evangelist, said that the terms of use of Google Drive "destroys any expectation of privacy because you license your data to a third party"."You give Google full right to do whatever they want to do with your data and of course one of those things is to give your information to law enforcement without a subpoena," news.com.au quoted Asprey, as saying.
"By signing up to Google Drive, users give the tech giant a global license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify or create derivative works and to publish, publicly perform and distribute that content," he added.
Asprey said the new terms of service extended the reach and power of the Patriot Act - which was passed shortly after September 11, 2001, giving the US Government permission to look at people's documents without their knowledge or permission.
Meanwhile, Google said they comply with US laws and legal processes 'just like any law-abiding company'.
"We have a track record of advocating on behalf of user privacy in the face of law enforcement requests (including but not limited to US Dept of Justice subpoenas)," Google said in a statement.
"We look at each request to be sure they adhere to both the letter and the spirit of the law before complying. We do our best to notify the subject named in any such requests in order to give them the opportunity to object," it added.
Google docs adds 450 fonts, 60 templates
ust days after adding new features to Gmail, Google has updated Google Docs with 450 new fonts, 60 brand new templates and many other features. With quirky font names such as Crushed, Cherry Cream Soda and Unkempt, Google is offering users a great variety to make their dreary docs more
related stories presentable and fun.
"To use these new fonts, click on the font menu and select "Add fonts" at the very bottom, which will take you to a menu of all the Google Web Fonts available. Once you've selected new fonts, you'll be able to select them from the font menu", explains the post on Google Docs official blog.
And if that isn't cool enough, Google has added a host of new features such as improvement in Apps Scripts, Google Drive, over 60 new templates, better accessibility and a lot more.
With these new updates, Google is leaving no stone unturned to woo Microsoft Word loyalists to Google Docs.
related stories presentable and fun.
"To use these new fonts, click on the font menu and select "Add fonts" at the very bottom, which will take you to a menu of all the Google Web Fonts available. Once you've selected new fonts, you'll be able to select them from the font menu", explains the post on Google Docs official blog.
And if that isn't cool enough, Google has added a host of new features such as improvement in Apps Scripts, Google Drive, over 60 new templates, better accessibility and a lot more.
With these new updates, Google is leaving no stone unturned to woo Microsoft Word loyalists to Google Docs.
Monday, May 14, 2012
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