It is finally here! The search giant has just released Google Drive. As rumored, the new cloud storage service offers 5GB of free storage for documents, photos, videos, PDFs and many other type of files, and Google Docs is part of the just released service.
If you need more space, Google is also offering storage plans which tops SkyDrive storage capacity:
- 20 GB ($5.00 USD per year)
- 80 GB ($20.00 USD per year)
- 200 GB ($50.00 USD per year)
- 400 GB ($100.00 USD per year)
- 1 TB ($256.00 USD per year)
It is worth noting that when you upgrade your Gmail storage expands to 25GB.
Search is deep integrated in Google Drive, the company says that you can search all your stuff in the new cloud storage service by keyword, filters, and several other queries. Text on scanned documents will also be recognized.
Google Docs is also a big player in Google Drive, it will allow users to collaborate with other people in real-time, and the ability to add, share and comment on files are part of the functionality that are included.
Google Drive is available for PC, Mac and Android devices. iPhone and iPad is in the works and it should be available pretty soon.
Among many features, the company says, that Drive will work in harmony with other services and not affecting the overall Google experience. In other words, users will be able to post images from Drive to Google+, and also attach files from Google Drive into emails.
The search giant is also noting that the new online storage service is an open platform and developers will be able to build third-party apps around the service, so you can do things like send faxes, edit videos and create website mockups directly from Drive. To install these apps, visit the Chrome Web Store—and look out for even more useful apps in the future… So far, so good. What do you think?
Mauro Huculak is a Windows expert and the Editor-in-Chief who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He's also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 12 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows, software, and related technologies, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ & Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, and LinkedIn.