Google Inc. is close to launching a cloud-storage service that would rival one of Silicon Valley's hottest start-ups, cloud-storage provider Dropbox Inc., according to people familiar with the matter.
Like Dropbox, Google's storage service, called Drive, is a response to the growth of Internet-connected mobile devices like smartphones and tablets and the rise of "cloud computing," or storing files online so that they can be retrieved from multiple devices, these people said.
celgins
5:01 pm on Feb 9, 2012 (gmt 0)
Just another effort to grab as much data as possible.
Sgt_Kickaxe
5:12 pm on Feb 9, 2012 (gmt 0)
My files can be retrieved from multiple devices from my own servers just fine.
Perhaps they hope to scoop up users who got left in the cold when Megaupload went down?
[edited by: Sgt_Kickaxe at 5:20 pm (utc) on Feb 9, 2012]
Reno
5:19 pm on Feb 9, 2012 (gmt 0)
"Just another effort to grab as much data as possible" ... which will fill out each individual user's profile to an extent never before thought possible. They already know more about us than most of our neighbors ~ with this, they'll know more than most of our family. But the gov will love it, so look for a full frontal push as soon as it's ready for prime time. And eventually, depending on how insane the insanity gets, anyone who refuses to store all their data in a cloud because of privacy issues will be viewed with suspicion. Does that sound nuts? Ha, did you ever think your little children would get full body frisking by Federal agents? Stay tuned.
................
albo
5:27 pm on Feb 9, 2012 (gmt 0)
Somewhere I saw a description this morning of Facebook as the "Walmart" of web services. I guess this makes Google the "K-Mart"? (There's smart, and there's Google Smart.)
Habtom
7:31 pm on Feb 9, 2012 (gmt 0)
Drive, SPY World ... who is coming up with these names?
Web_speed
7:49 pm on Feb 9, 2012 (gmt 0)
Great... the octopus is about to grow yet another very long big fat arm. Like they don't have enough of of them..... and Microsoft are fast a sleep!
J_RaD
9:53 pm on Feb 9, 2012 (gmt 0)
another goog service I won't be using :-)
bhonda
9:45 am on Feb 10, 2012 (gmt 0)
All the Google-bashing aside, I'm interested to see this in light of what's happened with Megaupload. If/when dodgy stuff gets uploaded to this new service, what's to stop the authorities shutting it down?
Or are they doing something different that means they are not at fault?
rollinj
3:03 pm on Feb 10, 2012 (gmt 0)
@celgins: just encrypt all of your uploaded data.
J_RaD
3:30 pm on Feb 10, 2012 (gmt 0)
^ then why bother.
If/when dodgy stuff gets uploaded to this new service, what's to stop the authorities shutting it down?
