When you upload files to the cloud, you expect them to be safe from prying eyes. Unfortunately, there are people out there that spend their time trying to break into servers just to access whatever is being stored inside. Google understands this, and that's why they're dedicating a huge chunk of money to people who want to keep their servers safe.
Google Drive users on Android, iOS, and desktop-based web browsers have been given a boost in functionality this week as Google kicks search in the bum. Users will be able to search not only terms, not only titles of files, but file types as well. Users on all platforms will be able to search for file types, and all platforms will now have quick-access to Advanced Search straight from the standard search box in-app.
This week the folks at Google have updated their cloud storage system Google Drive. This system's apps now work with Sharing Notifications, this bringing the entire system into the forefront of the Android experience. Where before the app was only a secondary doorway into the Google Drive environment, now it becomes part of your device in a real active way. A number of other bits and pieces of features come with this update as well.
Google has announced that popular chatting app WhatsApp has a new Google Drive backup option, giving Android users in particular an extra option for backing up their data. The feature allows users to keep their chats, videos, and other WhatsApp data in their Google Drive account; this will allow someone to find the data in case the phone gets lost, but also restore the data onto a new device if the user upgrades to a new handset.
This morning Microsoft Office has released an update with a new Google Drive plugin. This update allows users to use Office for Windows to open Word, Excel, and Powerpoint documents stored in Google Drive on the web, straight from the cloud, edit them, then save them back to Drive (in the cloud) when they're done. This is a strange move from Microsoft* since they've recently called Google out as having inferior technology on the office front. Between Google Apps and Microsoft Office there's a war going on in an to control the digital business-place across the planet.
Google Drive has been updated with additional features that give users optional control over how shared content is used by the recipient. In particular, the update introduces an option that disables one’s ability to print, download, and copy content that has been shared with them by another Google Drive user. While many users likely won’t care either way, those with more sensitive content like businesses will be able to use Drive for sharing content while limiting the other person’s control over it.
Not long ago, Google blogged that Drive would now serve as an automatic backup point for your photos. While the announcement was welcome, the service wasn’t quite ready for primetime, leaving the new ‘Google Photos’ tab in Drive dormant. Users are starting to see auto backup pop up for both Android and iOS, but there are some interesting wrinkles some may not have considered. Rather than let you figure it out on your own (and maybe delete pics accidentally), we’ll go over what’s what with Drive’s automatic backup.
Many of us have photos and video spread all over the web and across devices. Depending on how you’ve got your cloud storage set up, it’s not likely you've got all your media in one centralized location. Today, Google is taking steps to solve that for us. In Drive, you’ll soon see a new “Google Photos” menu option, which brings all your photo and video storage to a more convenient location. This move was rumored earlier this month, though it’s not exactly what sources claimed Google may end up doing.
With Amazon making a big splash today in announcing unlimited cloud storage at a really low monthly (or yearly) price point, many are starting to take a look at what that might mean for them. Do you really need unlimited storage? Is the backup worth it in the long run? Rather than leave you hanging, we thought it best to take a look at what other options are around, and what that might mean for you. Turns out, Amazon has a place, but it might not be for you.
You’re out and about, you snap photos — then you drop your phone. A shattered screen stares back at you, and your info is just tied to what is now a really expensive external drive. This is why cloud storage is so neat — you can remotely store your files without worry of damage to the hardware. It’s even better with automatic backups, so news that Google Drive may soon allow for automatic backups of photos is really enticing, especially for those who don’t want to sign up for a Google+ account.
Google Drive might be the best cloud storage solution there is. It’s available anywhere, securely tucks your files away, and is free to use. For mobile, it’s amazing. For the desktop, Drive is fairly utilitarian, but that’s about to change. Today, Google is announcing a few changes to Drive for PC and Mac, which will give users more control and a new menu. The new-look drop-down menu provides updates on uploads, and even gives you access to recently synced items.
While the concept of "the cloud" has been around for more than a few years now, it still feels like the idea, and use, of "cloud storage" was adopted at such a rapid rate. And that makes sense, looking at how the ubiquity of smartphones and tablets has exploded in the last 7-8 years. As evidence of the importance of cloud storage these days, a new report has found that half of all mobile photographers rely on cloud services in some way for keeping their photos.