Google Gdrive: Is the PC killer arriving?

Google Gdrive: Is the 'PC killer' arriving?

Reports says the most anticipated GDrive storage-in-the-cloud service may be released this year

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

BANGALORE, INDIA: Search giant Google is reportedly all set to make another giant leap in the world computer, with its plan to launch this year the long-rumoured and the most anticipated GDrive storage-in-the-cloud service.

According to industry reports, the company is about to launch 'GDrive', which would allow people to store almost all their data on the Internet and access it from wherever they are.

"Throw your hard drive away, Google's Gdrive is arriving in 2009," said TG Daily, an American technology news website.

According to it, when Google Drive, or Gdrive, arrives, it will likely cause a major paradigm shift in how we use computers and bring Google one step closer to dethroning Windows on your desktop.

The service has the potential to eclipse even Gmail, Google's second best-known product after their google.com search engine, it added.

Gdrive is basically a cloud-based storage that should have two faces: A desktop client that keeps local and online files and folders in two-directional sync via a web interface for accessing your desktop files anywhere and anytime, using any network-enabled computer.

In addition, it will come tightly integrated with other Google services to enable editing of supported document types, like spreadsheets and presentations via Google Docs, email via Gmail, images via Picasa Web Albums, etc, said TG Daily.

The GDrive would enable users to access and update all their information such as emails, photographs, music, documents and spreadsheets from any device with an Internet connection.

This move on Google said to be a part of its 'cloud computing' initiatives, in which the web rather than the hard drive is used as the place where information is stored.

Actually the first rumour about Gdrive was broke way back in 2006 March, when it described about the product in a Google's Analyst Day Power Point presentation.

"With infinite storage, we can house all user files, including: emails, web history, pictures, bookmarks, etc and make it accessible from anywhere (any device, any platform, etc). We already have efforts in this direction in terms of GDrive, GDS, Lighthouse, but all of them face bandwidth and storage constraints today," it said.

However, Google had removed this presentation from its website and was silent about it. Now the rumour has got stronger once again. According to Britain's Observer newspaper, G-Drive has the capacity to kill off the desktop computer.

With the GDrive, a PC would be a device acting as a portal to the Web, enabling users to think of their computer as software rather than hardware, it said.

However, Google is still silent about the GDrive launch was imminent. "We don't comment on speculation, and we don't pre-announce product launches," said a Google spokesperson.

But what do you feel? Can the mysterious drive make the PC redundant?

©CyberMedia News

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Sangeeth said on 1/30/2009 9:39:55 AM:
it is unlikely to kill PC, because whatever Google intorduces will be a value addition to computer only

to Sangeeth

Gautam Chakravorty said on 1/29/2009 9:04:51 AM:
Of course nothing comes free, but we do have to keep our fingers crossed as to how Google reduces the hardware/maintenance cost prevailing with any establishment for that matter. Though the idea seems earth-rolling to me but a lot of care has to be taken to design this, to even set it live in a pilot phase. This idea is infact not old enough to be limited to intranets but to scale it to internet is a real challenge. Hats-off to Googel for the work it has done all this long and helping us to use them and keep our patience intact while we are at work...

to Gautam Chakravorty

Gangadhar G.Barve said on 1/29/2009 6:38:14 AM:
What it means is that we hand over all our data confidential or otherwise to Google for safe keeping with permission for them to use it in lieu of safe keeping charges. It is like banking in the finance sector. But the difference between money and data is that the latter is having quality and quantity attributes whereas the former has only quantity aspect. G-Drive is prima facie a risky proposition.

to Gangadhar G.Barve

bill said on 1/28/2009 11:05:01 AM:
what would this do for the size of a lap top, think about all the parts that support the hard drive/bat/.

to bill

PankajD said on 1/28/2009 4:13:00 AM:
There is no way they are gonna give "unlimited" space free of cost, after a few days they will surely start asking money for more than 200 or 300 mb space. And even in that case, rapidshare is gonna be in deep deep trouble...lol

to PankajD

Deepak said on 1/27/2009 10:25:41 PM:
It already exists. Try gmail drive in google search

to Deepak

sidd said on 1/27/2009 9:27:13 PM:
But what about our music & movies files....will it backup that amount of data....!!!

to sidd

Bhupendra Singh said on 1/27/2009 9:18:58 PM:
Good service, by google. but i think it will not affect the hardisk market much coz people will use it as a backup any time from any where, not as storing data on web rather local hard drive. Lets wait and watch how much they will charge /Gb.

to Bhupendra Singh

Madan Mohare said on 1/27/2009 7:16:29 PM:
I am sure this will affect storage market considerably.

to Madan Mohare

Naufel said on 1/27/2009 3:56:25 PM:
But u need a computer, after all. So there is no question of the PC becoming reduntant!!!

to Naufel

V.Venkatasubramani said on 1/27/2009 12:48:55 PM:
This will definitely revolutionize PC usage. G Drive may become accessible through mobile phones. Then it may save lot of power (& software investments) for PC usage per person.

to V.Venkatasubramani

Amit said on 1/27/2009 12:36:18 PM:
Wowiee!

to Amit

svengali said on 1/27/2009 11:49:53 AM:
Gmail is on the way to destroy the MICROSOFT monopoly on the desktop. However on the way, they are destroying the business models of numerous Web based businesses from Email to Web Storage

to svengali

James said on 1/27/2009 11:28:29 AM:
Rumours are renewed!!! One will have to wait and see what it can do!!!

to James