Google Drive
Google is a relative to cloud computing,
but Drive compared well with its rivals and will particularly appeal of you
already use other Google services such as Google+ or Docs.
The cloud service provide 5GB of free
online storage, and its subscription fees for additional space are reasonable
too, starting at $2.49 per month for 25GB and going up to $9.99 per month for
200GB.
The Google Drive app works in a similar
fashion to all its rivals, creating an upload folder on your hard disk where
you place all the files that you want to store and sync online.
Apps are available for OS X, Windows, iOS
and, of course, Google’s own mobile OS, Android. The iOS version has some
useful features, such as the ability to specify whether shared files and
folders should be for viewing only or can be edited as well. It also supports a
wide range of file types, allowing you to view Microsoft Office documents,
Photoshop PSD Illustrator .ai files, which will be handy for Mac-based
designers and illustrators. Oddly, it doesn’t seem to support playback of audio
files from the cloud, but that’s no big deal.
Apps
are available for OS X, Windows, iOS and, of course, Google’s own mobile OS,
Android
The key feature, though, is Google Drive’s
integration with those other Google services. You can create world processor,
spreadsheet and presentation documents using the online Google Docs apps, store
those files in your Google Drive, and collaborate with colleagues.
There’s also an offline mode that lets you
view files even when you don’t have internet access, but when we asked Google
to explain how it worked, their PR wouldn’t. So if you need know, er, try
Googling it.
Dropbox was one of the first popular cloud
services but its 2GB of free storage is starting to look stingy now
SkyDrive
Microsoft SkyDrive has been around for
years, but the original version wasn’t very good. It was fine for online
backups, but the options for syncing files to other devices were a bit of a
mess. Microsoft revamped the service earlier this year, and the new SkyDrive is
a real contender.
That revamp was heavily influenced by
Dropbox, and SkyDrive now creates a special SkyDrive upload folder where you
store all your files, just like Dropbox. Still, original or not, the service is
much improved and good value for money.
SkyDrive starts off by giving you 7GB of
online storage for free. That’s more than any of its rivals, and its
subscription fees for additional storage are attractive too, at $9 per year for
20GB or (slightly bizarrely) $48 for 100GB. The SkyDrive app runs on Macs and
PCs, iOS and Android, and the iOS app has a simple, uncluttered interface that
we rather like.
SkyDrive is a particularly good option for
users of Microsoft Office. The current Office for Mac 2011 includes an option
to save your documents directly to SkyDrive, and if you log on to your SkyDrive
account using a web browser you can create and edit documents using Microsoft’s
online web apps.
The
SkyDrive app runs on Macs and PCs, iOS and Android, and the iOS app has a
simple, uncluttered interface that we rather like
Our one complaint is that SkyDrive is a bit
fussy about folder and file names, just as Windows can be when you transfer
files form a Mac. It won’t allow you to use characters such as / or? in file or
folder names. So if you had a whole bunch of folders with names such as
‘Reviews/MacUser’, just let’s say for example, you might not be thrilled to see
that SkyDrive refused to upload those folders until you renamed them all without
the offending slash. Bah.
SugarSync
We’ve covered SugarSync before, but it’s
been one of the less well known cloud storage services, and until recently
wasn’t a top choice for Mac users. Here, though, is SugarSync 2.0, and this
recent update is well worth a second look.
It’s immediately obvious that while the
other services here want mass-market adoption, SugarSync is more interested in
attracting business users who’ll sign up for a paid subscription, and doesn’t
dish out free accounts with the main web page, but this only gives you a 30-day
trial with eon of the subscription plans. You have to look around for the small
print to discover you can actually get an account with 5GB of online storage
that’s permanently free. SugraSync’s subscriptions are relatively expensive,
too, at $50 per year for 30GB or $150 for 100GB.
The SugarSync app is available for Mac,
Windows, iOS, Android and BlackBerry, and the Mac version surprised us with a
feature we hadn’t seen before. Like all its rivals SugarSync creates a special
upload folder MySugarSync where you can place all the files and folders that
you want to store and sync online. But it also includes a special File Manager
option that allows you to link any existing folder to the MySugarSync folder.
This means that you don’t have to reorganize any of your existing folders to
use SugarSync.
It’s
obvious that SugarSync 2.0 is mostly interested in attracting business users to
its paid subscription plans
Its subscription plans aren’t all that
attractive, but the File Manager option definitely gives SugarSync an edge, and
if you’re happy to settle for one of its free 5GB accounts you’ll get your
money’s worth.
It’s obvious that SugarSync 2.0 is mostly
interested in attracting business users to its paid subscription plans
Dropbox
·
Free storage: 2GB
·
Paid options: 100GB $9.50pm/ $950pa, 200 GB
$19.25pm/ $192.5pa, 500GB $48pm, 480pa
·
App available for:
·
Mac: Yes
·
iOS: Yes
·
Windows: Yes
·
Windows Phone: No
·
Windows Mobile: No
·
Linux: Yes
·
Chrome: No
·
Android: Yes
·
BlackBerry: Yes
·
Web browser access: Yes
·
Sync files across devices: Yes
·
File/ folder sharing: Yes
·
Website: dropbox.com
Google Drive
·
Free storage: 5GB
·
Paid options: 25GB $2.5pm, 100 GB $5.0pm, 200GB
$9.5pm
·
App available for
·
Mac: Yes
·
iOS: Yes
·
Windows: Yes
·
Windows Phone: No
·
Windows Mobile: No
·
Linux: No
·
Chrome: No
·
Android: Yes
·
BlackBerry: Yes
·
Web browser access: Yes
·
Sync files across devices: Yes
·
File/ folder sharing: Yes
·
Website: drive.google.com
SkyDrive
·
Free storage: 7GB
·
Paid options: 20GB $9pa/ $950pa, 50 GB $24pa,
100GB $48pa
·
App available for
·
Mac: Yes
·
iOS: Yes
·
Windows: Yes
·
Windows Phone: Yes
·
Windows Mobile: Yes
·
Linux: No
·
Chrome: Yes
·
Android: Yes
·
BlackBerry: No
·
Web browser access: Yes
·
Sync files across devices: Yes
·
File/ folder sharing: Yes
·
Website: skydrive.live.com
SugarSync
·
Free storage: 5GB
·
Paid options: 30GB $5pm/ $50pa, 60 GB $9.5pm/
$95pa, 100GB $14.5pm, 145pa
·
App available for
·
Mac: Yes
·
iOS: Yes
·
Windows: Yes
·
Windows Phone: No
·
Windows Mobile: Yes
·
Linux: No
·
Chrome: No
·
Android: Yes
·
BlackBerry: Yes
·
Web browser access: Yes
·
Sync files across devices: Yes
·
File/ folder sharing: Yes
·
Website: sugarsync.com
