CART
With the increase in technology devises it is becoming more of a need to have documents and data stored in a central cloud based area that all mobile devices, such as Smart Phones, ipads, tablets and laptops can connect to. Most individual users who have Google accounts can store up to 1 GB free. Google just launched Google Drive in April 2012 which is intended to lure more Google customers to use Google for their document storage. There are other options such as DropBox, Microsoft SkyDrive and SugarSync. Below is a comparison table that outlines these options and some of the features and cost with each.
|
Features |
||||||
| Free Storage | 1 GB | 5 GB | 2 GB | 5 GB | 7 GB | 5 GB |
| 100 GB Storage Cost | Free | $4.99/ month | $19.99/ month | $14.99/month | $4.16/month ($50/year) | $100/ year (only 55 GB) |
| Operating Systems | Windows/ Mac/ Android | Windows/ Mac/ Android | Windows/ Mac/ Android | Windows/ Mac/ Android | Windows/ Mac | Remote Access/ iphone/ ipad |
| File Sharing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| File Systems | Must upload documents. Need to create ‘collections’ to file documents | Will sync data but need to create ‘collections’ to organize documents. | Retains original file system from local drive | Retains original file system from local drive. Can email files directly to profile | Retains original file system from local drive | Works great for Mac uses and Apple mobile devises. |
| View/ Edit | Can edit and create files within Google Apps. Can only view MS office docs, not edit | Can edit and create files within Google Apps. Can only view MS office docs, not edit | Can only view and not edit online. | Can only view not edit online. | Can view and edit online all MS office docs | n/a |
Some good articles to learn more about document storage for mobile devises;
Google Heads to the Cloud for Storage, Wall Street Journal.
Google Drive’s Six Substantial Slip-ups, PC Magazine
Google Drive Launches, PC Magazine
Online Storage Comparison, Life Hacker