SkyDrive

SkyDrive and iCloud: Why choose?

Microsoft is pitting its SkyDrive cloud storage against Apple's iCloud and makes many valid points. However, cloud services aren't a zero-sum game.

The software giant has launched a SkyDrive vs. iCloud comparison and makes a bevy of good points. As far as marketing SkyDrive goes, Microsoft's effort is good for awareness.

But the idea that any one cloud storage service will dominate is pure folly. The reality is that most of us will use multiple cloud services. Small businesses will too. This cloud service multiplication will become more prevalent as uploading content -- say an iTunes library … Read more

Dear Microsoft: Please don't take away my Live Mesh

Microsoft giveth, and it taketh away. At least, that's how it looks with the latest incarnation of the SkyDrive online storage service.

Unveiled this week, the preview of the new SkyDrive kicks in several improvements over its Web-based predecessor.

The old SkyDrive Web site separates documents that you upload from those synced via Live Mesh, creating a limited and clumsy workspace. The new preview edition ensures that all files are stored in one place, whether they're uploaded or synced from your PC.

You can now view and open all your SkyDrive files directly from Windows Explorer, eliminating the … Read more

How to get the most free online storage

Google Drive. Dropbox. Box. SkyDrive. Cubby. iCloud.

All cloud storage services. All offer a free plan, with varying levels of storage and features. All offer paid upgrades for more storage and yet more features. With pricing becoming such a hot topic, especially with the launch of Google Drive, let's take a look at the free upgrades some of these services are offering, and how you can take advantage of them today.

With so many different cloud storage options out there, some of the service providers are offering free storage in exchange for promoting the respective service or recruiting friends … Read more

Google Drive, SkyDrive, Dropbox? Heck, use 'em all!

It's true that the newly launched Google Drive competes with plenty of other services for sharing files across all your devices. But there's something very different in this particular situation than in a lot of online services.

Namely this: why not use them all?

With social networking, few people have the patience to keep a lively feed of activity at Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+, and any number of other sites. We gravitate toward the one where our contacts are active.

And with e-mail, it's inconvenient to have multiple addresses on multiple services, generally speaking.

But with … Read more

Google Drive: It's slick, integrated...and not exactly free

Google is set today to open Google Drive, a service to store files online and share them among various computing devices that turns out to be a lot more important than you might think.

Why? Two reasons:

First, Google's service goes well beyond rivals because of integration with Google Docs, Google+, Gmail, and other services. Second, beyond a basic free level, ordinary consumers will pay to use Google Drive -- not much, but enough to make them into customers, not just users of an advertising-subsidized service. That's a pretty big philosophical shift for Google.

What is Google Drive? … Read more

Google Docs upped to 5GB of storage; hints at Google Drive

Google Docs users now have 5GB of space to house their documents, up from just 1GB previously.

A check of my own Google Docs storage confirmed the 5GB now available, though the Verge says the rollout seems to be staggered, so some users may not yet see the increase.

The timing of this move could be a sign that Google is ready to kick off its Google Drive, especially following a Reuters report claiming the company will announce the new online storage service as soon as today.

Taking a page from SkyDrive, Dropbox, and other online storage sites, Google Drive … Read more

Microsoft adds paid storage tiers to SkyDrive cloud service

As rumors have indicated for a while, Microsoft has added paid storage options to its SkyDrive cloud service.

Brand new SkyDrive users get 7GB of storage for free. Existing users (those with accounts as of April 22) continue to get up to 25 GB of storage for free if they opt to do so. After that, an additional 20GB costs $10 per year; an additional 50GB costs $25 per year; and an additional 100GB, $50 per year.

Microsoft also made available for download on April 23 a preview version of SkyDrive for Windows, a local version of its SkyDrive client. … Read more

Office Web Apps refresh likely on Microsoft's menu

Microsoft Office users can expect to see a new version of Office Web Apps this summer, according to Windows Live enthusiast site LiveSide.net.

The cloud-based suite will reportedly be available in "preview" mode at the same time that Office 15 for the desktop is released as a beta. Users will be able to try the latest features of Office Web Apps to create or edit documents stored through SkyDrive or Hotmail, LiveSide added.

Little else is known or at least revealed about a new version of Office Web Apps. Microsoft did not immediately answer CNET's request … Read more

Reader poll: What's the best free online backup solution?

A couple weeks ago I asked you to name the best free backup program for Windows.

And, boy, what a response! Hundreds of people chimed in with dozens of great suggestions, ranging from Windows 7's built-in backup utility to folder-syncing backup hacks like SyncToy.

Today, let's talk online backups. I'm a big believer in the diversified backup plan, one that combines local and cloud-based solutions. The reasons should be obvious: an external hard drive can be stolen, destroyed in a fire, or even wrecked by malware. That's less of a crisis if your data also lives … Read more