Google Drive Offers 5GB Free Cloud Storage: Report

A new service from Google reportedly will offer users 5 gigabytes (GB) of online storage at no cost. Called 'Google Drive,' it appears the service will launch within the next few days.

Google Drive is a 'cloud storage service,' which is a short-hand description for the capability of saving information online and accessing it again from any Internet-connected computer.

Such online storage capability can provide a valuable backup option, particularly when you consider that most computer systems will experience a hard drive crash or have their device stolen at some point.

Without some form of reliable backup -- of which cloud storage is a new and popular possibility -- such problems will result in the loss of data.

Leaked Announcement, Screenshots Behind Rumor

Right now Google Drive remains just a rumor birthed by The Next Web blog, which reportedly got its hands on a draft version of Google's announcement for the new service.

The rumor is substantiated by screenshots acquired by TalkAndroid two weeks ago. (Source: slashgear.com)

The Next Web says that Google Drive will be available out-of-the-gate for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS platforms. Its tagline will reportedly be "All your files, everywhere," which many feel is shockingly similar to Dropbox's "Your life's work, wherever you are." (Source: thenextweb.com)

Cheaper Storage Could Lead Users to Drop Dropbox

If these rumors are true, Google Drive will offer more than double the cloud storage space offered by its main competition. For example, Dropbox gives users 2GB of storage at no cost to users, but charges $9.99 per month for 50GB and $19.99 monthly for 100GB. (Source: dropbox.com)

Dropbox has also partnered with hardware manufacturers HTC and Samsung to offer 25GB of storage to owners of these companies' smartphones.

It's not yet clear if Google will offer a similar pricing structure for such large amounts of storage. We should know more by the end of next week, as most experts are currently predicting a Tuesday or Wednesday unveiling for Google's new cloud storage service.

Google already offers a wide variety of cloud storage tools with its Google Docs platform, which is essentially a pared-down and online version of Microsoft's Office business software.

Some insiders have suggested that the launching of Google Drive could lead to a re-naming or even re-vamping of Google Docs in the weeks to come. (Source: thenextweb.com)