Google Drive service was launched yesterday. The service enables users to store documents, videos and audio clips online through a web connection. Compared to storage on a hard drive, cloud storage increases accessibility manifolds. Users can access the cloud based content at any time and from any place either through computers or other internet enabled devices.
Google’s latest offering adds fuel to the increasingly fierce competition between the search giant and companies like Microsoft Corp. and Apple Inc. in the cloud computing space. The service expands Google’s offerings beyond query based advertising and search engine. Similar services are offered by both Microsoft and Apple. Microsoft’s cloud based storage service is called SkyDrive, while Apple’s offering is names iCloud.
According to the search giant, the service will boost the amount of time spend online by users. Features of the service include image sharing and web based document creation among others. The latter feature is likely to be especially useful for web content writers and providers. Google Drive offers cloud based storage space up to 5 gigabytes free of cost and charges a nominal fee for additional space. Users can get 25 gigabytes storage space for a monthly fee of $2.49.