Google is preparing to launch a cloud-based storage service to rival similar services offered by Microsoft Corp.’s SkyDrive, Apple Inc.’s iCloud and Dropbox Inc.
The service, called Drive, allows people to store photos, documents and videos on Google’s servers, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.
The stored files can be accessed from any Web enabled device. Users can also share the files with other people. For example, if a person wants to share a snapshot taken with a smartphone, the user can upload it to the Web via Google Drive app and email people a link to the shot rather than send out the whole file.
Drive is seen as a response to the increasing use of cloud computing and the rise in popularity of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
This is not Google’s first attempt in rolling out a cloud storage service. Some five years ago, the company developed GDrive. The service allowed users to store their data in the cloud and access those files from anywhere via Internet connection. The service was never launched.
Drive is one of the latest developments by Google to catch up with innovations brought forth by a new crop of companies.
Last year, Google launched Google+ in order to compete with social networking sites Facebook and Twitter. Google Currents, a mobile app that lets users read news articles is competing with the likes of Flipboard Inc.