Once PDFs, the change to files could signify big changes afoot at Google Docs.
The sharp eyes over at the Google Operating System blog noticed that Google quietly changed some wording in Google Docs from "PDFs" to "files." While small, this could signal that Google Docs may soon support the viewing and editing of other file types, and possibly double as an online storage service--like the fabled GDrive.
Google has long-allowed users to upload PDFs to Docs. These could be viewed in Google's online viewer, but not edited. However, the service would not allow other items such as photos and videos to be imported, despite Google offering other products like Picasa and YouTube that would accept these files.
Google began an overhaul of its Docs service late last week, and noted that it was putting in some small changes ahead of a much larger release which was just around the corner. Some of these changes included the addition of special search modifiers that would let users more easily hone searches for their files. Many of these came from Google's search engine and Gmail.
If, in fact, Google Docs allows users to upload other file types for viewing and re-downloading from other locations, it's still a long way from the promise of an integrated, cloud-based storage system. All signs of a GDrive from Google have pointed toward a software component that will allow users to access their Google storage as if it were a local hard disk. Google is also expected to release the service in advance of its Chrome OS, which will make heavy use of files that are stored in the cloud.
Over the past few weeks, numerous reports have surfaced suggesting that the mythical Google GDrive, an online storage service developed by the online giant, might be a reality even though the company has kept its alleged existence under wraps.
Blogger Brian Ussery has uncovered an interesting hint that the GDrive might actually exist. The Google Pack software bundle, which is for Windows users who want to use software from Google and its partners, includes a small piece of code apparently containing the GDrive's product category and description.
Here is what one blogger discovered.
(Credit: Google)"Online file backup and storage...GDrive provides reliable storage for all of your files, including photos, music and document," the description reads. "GDrive allows you to access your files from anywhere, anytime, and from any device - be it from your desktop, Web browser or cellular phone."
The description may be the most reliable indicator thus far that Google will be unveiling a product called the GDrive in the future. Prior to this discovery, rumors were swirling that a "Google Web Drive" was coming after a "Move to Collection" command for handling folders was found in the new Picasa for Mac beta version. Google confirmed that the option was included in the release, but it removed it a day later in an update.
Meanwhile, a Blogoscoped post last week reported that the blog had found an online document mentioning a "Google Web Drive." Once the report surfaced, the document was apparently deleted.
So far, Google has yet to confirm the existence of the GDrive or Google Web Drive. But as more indicators crop up, it's only a matter of time before the company needs to say something about the rumored storage service. Until then, look for more details to emerge, whether Google wants them to or not.
For quite some time there have been rumblings about "GDrive," some kind of online storage site. Despite the demise of AOL's XDrive storage service and the closure of various not-so-great-after-all Google projects, including Google's Palimpsest project for storing research data, the possibility remains that the company could offer some sort of online storage system. Google is after all a big fan of cloud computing, and data storage is an important piece of the possible architecture.
A project called Platypus in 2006 indicated that Google employees get internal storage, which makes sense even from a backup and corporate IT perspective. There were some new noises on Sunday at Google Blogoscoped that sniffed out references to another possibility, though, called Google Web Drive.
The new Picasa for Mac beta version included a "Move to Collection" command for handling folders, and one option is "Google Web Drive," according to the post. Google confirmed that the menu item was present in the software but was removed a day after release in an update, but the company wouldn't comment further.
And a further Blogoscoped posting Tuesday referred to a now-deleted online document that mentioned not just Platypus, but also Google Web Drive.
Google already offers online storage, of course, with Gmail, Google Docs, Picasa Web Albums, YouTube and any number of other services. The question is whether the company sees merit to a general-purpose file repository. Microsoft offers such a beast with its free 25GB storage through SkyDrive--helpfully synchronizing local and cloud-based files through Live Mesh, and Yahoo has its Briefcase, so there are precedents among competitors.
But here's the catch. The more useful an online storage system is, the harder it is to build and the more expensive it is to run.
A password-protected general-purpose online file system is easier to do with a basic Web site for uploading or downloading files. But what about tighter integration with computers, so for example you could set up Quicken to back up records to an Internet-based service the same way it can with, for example, a USB drive? How about natively supporting different operating systems, each with different file systems? How about automated backup of your entire hard drive?
The technology quickly gets more complicated, and storage is something you don't want to mess up. People get angry when their data disappears.
But it doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. Google could offer it to paying Google Apps corporate customers, either included in their subscriptions or as a premium option. That would defray the expense of operating at scale and limit it to a more manageable size of users while potentially making Google Apps more appealing.
The Gdrive, the mythical, hypothetical Google-provided and free Web-based storage drive, took a giant step toward reality earlier this week. As most of America waddled out of its tryptophan-induced haze on Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the myth could become real within a few months.
However, you don't have to wait that long to get free storage from Google. Thanks to Gspace and Gmail Drive, you can start using your five-gigabyte-plus of Gmail storage as a virtual drive right now. This second, even.
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Gmail users running short on storage are getting a reprieve starting today. The company has announced they'll be increasing the speed in which they've been adding storage to their popular e-mail service, along with bumps to Google Apps users. You might have seen the storage counter that's been running on the Gmail's start page, which is nearing the 3 GB mark bit by bit--and now, it's doing it just a little bit faster. Meanwhile, Google Apps users are getting a slightly better end of the deal. Standard and Educational users are getting a size match with Gmail's offerings, while the Premier gets an extra 15GB, bringing their cap to 25GB.
The one thing missing from any of this newly added storage is a place to dump files--or the long awaited "Gdrive." The closest thing Google actually has to a file dump is with their Google Groups service, which caps total file storage at 100 MB. In comparison, competitors like Microsoft are taking their own initiative with the Windows Live SkyDrive service, which bumped up its limit to 1GB last night, and Yahoo's somewhat crippled Briefcase service which gives users a paltry 25MB of shared storage to share only with other registered Yahoo users (incidentally this is about the attachment size limit for Gmail).
I still think Google is sending mixed messages with their "infinity + 1" concept, which promotes the idea of offering users unlimited storage. The only caveat there is it's on Google's terms, and they'll only make adjustments to the storage limit when they see fit--like today. At the same time, the company is quietly promoting their paid storage add-on service, which sells yearly subscriptions of extra storage to your Google account, ranging up to an additional 400GB. This bodes well for the eventual rollout of the fabled GDrive, but if anyone's expecting copious amounts of free storage beyond what the big G is currently offering, don't hold your breath.
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