Google Drive triples free storage to 15GB

Google announces just ahead of its I/O conference that free storage across Google services -- Gmail, Google+, and Drive -- is leaping from 5GB to 15GB. But why?

(Credit: Google)

Google's capacity to store your files will jump by a factor of three, the company said Monday, rising from 5GB to 15GB shared across Google+, Drive, and Gmail.
Google made the announcement just before Google I/O developers conference begins this week. The changes will "roll out over the next couple of weeks," Google said in a blog post. Businesses using Google Apps will see their storage go up across Google Drive, Google+, and Gmail from 25GB to 30GB. The new amount of storage space will give people who use Google services the most generous storage capacity of any player in the free online-storage game. A quick look at competitors shows that Dropbox currently starts free subscribers at 2GB, Microsoft SkyDrive users get 7GB, and Apple iCloud, Amazon Cloud Storage, and SugarSync offer 5GB for free. The announcement follows a Google Drive update from last week that allows you to save files from the Web directly to Drive.
There's no doubt that the 15GB is a game-changer in the free storage market. The question is, why did Google do it?
Nevermind "do no evil," Google -- as we all know -- is in the business of making money. If Google is offering you more storage, then there is something that extra storage helps you do that will help Google make more money.
What that is, Google is not saying -- yet.
It's possible that at I/O, Google will reveal that Drive or Google+ will incorporate a more multimedia approach. Or perhaps it's simply nothing more than a shot across the bow of Dropbox: you now get 15GB because Google can give you 15GB.
Either way, it makes Gmail, Google+, and Google Drive that much more appealing to serious Google services users.
Update, 7:03 p.m. PT: Added that business using Google Apps will see their storage increase to 30GB.
Update, 10:47 a.m. PT: Clarified that the new storage capacity is shared by Gmail, Google+, and Google Drive.

Livedrive Backup just became even more powerful

 
Livedrive Backup makes it so easy to backup your files safely online and access them from anywhere. This is because the Livedrive Desktop Software – which is installed on your PC or Mac – works seamlessly in the background to protect your files as you work. Livedrive are excited to announce that a new version of the Desktop Software is being rolled out to all of our customers over the next two weeks, and features a range of improvements to Livedrive Backup.
If you already have the Livedrive Desktop Software installed then you will be prompted to update it at some point over the next two weeks. Simply follow the on-screen instructions to upgrade the software – you will be guided through the process and it only takes a few minutes. If you don’t have the software installed yet, or if you want to upgrade sooner, then you can download the latest version from your web portal. Just log in to your Livedrive account online and go to Account Settings > Software download.
The newest version of the Desktop Software is available for both Windows and Mac customers, and includes the following improvements.
Backup of in-use files
The new software will back up files even when they’re in use, and won’t ever lock your files while they’re being backed up. So you can now be confident that your Outlook database and Office documents are being backed up – even if you’ve got Outlook or the document open.
Partial upload support for Outlook files and more
The new software will only upload changed portions of Outlook PST files and selected other file types, making it easier to keep large, frequently changing files safely backed up. We’re constantly reviewing the types of files that are available for partial upload, but currently we support ZIP, DMG, PST and DAT files. Let us know if you have other common file formats that would benefit!
Flexible scheduling
You can choose times when you don’t want Livedrive to be backing up your files, so that users with slower or older computers can disable backup when their PC is busy. To modify the schedule, simply right click on the Livedrive icon near your clock and select Manage Backups, and then click on Backup Settings. You can choose the times that you want backup to run from this screen:

Help test the latest version of Livedrive for Windows and Mac!

We’ve been working hard on a number of improvements to our Windows and Mac software.
The latest version includes:

• Significant speed and memory usage improvements
• Fixes for the installer, making it easier to install the software
• Improvements to NAS backup handling
• Many other behind the scenes fixes and improvements

We’d like your help to test the new software before we roll it out to all our customers.
To download the software, please use the following links:
Windows: (Beta is now closed – see update below)
Mac: (Beta is now closed – see update below)
Once the software has downloaded it will guide you through the upgrade process.
We’d really appreciate your feedback on any issues you find. Please e-mail us at betafeedback@livedrivesupport.com
If you do not wish to test the new software then you don’t need to take any action. Your Livedrive software will automatically update when the software is available for general release.
Please remember the new version of the software is not officially supported although we will do out best to assist with any issues.
Update on 5th Dec 2011: Thank you very much for your feedback and help during this beta. The latest version of the Windows software is now ready and will be rolled out to all customers over the next few weeks. If you go to the Updates tab in the Livedrive Control Panel and click on Check for Updates then you can download it now. The Mac version is in progress will be coming very soon.