Tag Archives: the cloud

Google intros Google Drive, a new place to “keep all of your stuff”

This week Google introduced their very own cloud service appropriately titled Google Drive. The search giant says Drive is “a place where you can create, share, collaborate, and keep all of your stuff.” It’s acts just like competitor Dropbox, but what differentiates it significantly is that it takes advantage of Google’s other services like Google Docs, Search, and Google+. Also incorporated is the ability to search for keywords embedded inside scanned documents. Your free Drive account can be accessed in a browser and apps made specifically for the PC, Mac, and Android (an iOS app is in the works). Google gives users 5GB for free at the start, and you have the option to upgrade storage capacity if you’re willing to pay: 25GB for $2.49/month, 100GB for $4.99/month, 1TB for $49.99/month. Google notes that if you upgrade to a paid account, your Gmail storage will automatically expand to 25GB, so there’s a cool perk.

Google says that “this is just the beginning for Google Drive,” so you can expect this new service to evolve over the coming months with tighter integration with all that Google has to offer, as well as bug fixes and more streamlined interfaces across devices. Learn more about Drive and see if the gradual rollout has hit you yet right here. Video sits after the break.

[Via Google] Continue reading Google intros Google Drive, a new place to “keep all of your stuff”

Google renames Android Market the Google Play Store, puts all of its offerings under one roof (er, cloud)

Today Google made the executive decision to rename the Android Market and emphasize the importance of its cloud services. The newly branded Google Play Store brings together all of the company’s offerings–namely music, movies, books and apps–and ultimately ties together Android Market, Google Music and the Google eBookstore into one streamlined entity. On the Internet and Android phones and tablets the Market is now referred to as the Play Store and individual Google apps are seeing the name change, too: Google Play Movies, Google Play Books and Google Play Music. Google reminds its customers that everything is cloud-based, meaning that if you download content on your computer it will automagically find a home on your Android-powered phone and tablet, and vice-versa.

A phased OTA update is currently rolling out to devices running Android 2.2 or higher. Besides the name change, everything else pretty much remains the same. Check out some minor visual changes and get a taste of Google’s refreshed portal to music, apps, and more right here, right now: https://play.google.com/store. Video after the break.

[Via Google 1, 2, 3] Continue reading Google renames Android Market the Google Play Store, puts all of its offerings under one roof (er, cloud)

Google Music Beta offers up free songs through Magnifier

This week Google launched a new music discovery site called Magnifier for Music Beta users. If you managed to score an invite to Google’s (currently) free music locker in the cloud, you probably noticed the Auto Playlist named Free songs idly sitting there. Well, now we know its intention. Magnifier offers free tracks for people looking to discover new music and expand their library. The portal is split up into three sections. The home page puts front and center a featured artist. This week it’s indie rock band My Morning Jacket. The post includes a write-up about the band, a video interview, and two free tracks (one of which is an exclusive to Magnifier). Click the “Add free music” button and both tracks will instantly fly into your Free songs playlist, ready for you to play. Inside the Song of the Day tab you’ll find “key tracks from the most innovative and exciting artists” handpicked by Googlers. The Antenna tab is home to Google’s Artist of the Week; this week Shabazz Palaces is featured and you can preview their “ghetto sound sprawl” vibe by downloading three free tracks. In addition to these featured artist sections Google also offers Free Song Archives; hundreds of songs are available to download for free and they’re grouped by genre.

So if you’ve found a way into the Music Beta, head on over to Magnifier to get your music discovery on.

[Via GoogleBlog]

Google I/O 2011: Music Beta, Android Ice Cream Sandwich, Android@Home, Chrome OS, Chrome Web Store

Yesterday and today Google hosted its renowned developer’s conference dubbed Google I/O 2011. Literally thousands of developers flocked to San Fransisco’s Moscone Center to find out what Google’s been cooking up on their end. This year’s event proved to be leaps and bounds more exciting than last year’s conference. Google introduced their new cloud-based music service called Music Beta; they unveiled Ice Cream Sandwich, the next version of Android that promises to bridge the gap between Gingerbread and Honeycomb; Android is going into the home automation business with Google’s impressive initiative Android@Home; Chrome OS is finally ready for the big leagues–Samsung and Acer are prepping Chromebooks for mass consumption; and Angry Birds has landed in the browser!

So much to discuss–it’s all a hop, skip and a jump after the break. Continue reading Google I/O 2011: Music Beta, Android Ice Cream Sandwich, Android@Home, Chrome OS, Chrome Web Store