Amazon Cloud Drive against Google Docs against Microsoft Skydrive

This week Amazon.com announced availability of its Amazon Cloud Drive service to consumers: the world retailer will provide any who has an account of Amazon, 5 GB for data storage. How does it correspond to the existing offers from Google and Microsoft?

Shortly: it is not really good. If there is a need for storage of big files (more than a gigabyte, for example), but such not really there is a lot of, then Amazon deserves attention. But it in brief about features which and Google and Microsoft and main competitors, such as Box.net, filled the clouds during this time (see the pivot table below).

For many years Amazon used cloud storage by means of S3 Amazon Web Services. However this storage was not available to people, only to programs. Several providers, such as ElephantDrive.com and JungleDisk.com entered the market with the products using a cloud from Amazon. They should be considered if a lot of place for storage is required cheaper. But how to be using service directly through the new offer of Cloud Drive?

Musical direction

First, Amazon allows easy loading anything from the browser: additional software is not required though there is an instrument of loading for Windows or Mac OS which can be used for fast sending packets of files to a cloud. Secondly, service is concentrated on files of music: after the account is created, and you purchase a compact disk of a MP3 with music from Amazon, the quota of storage will be increased up to 20 GB.

You will be able to reproduce any of your musical files of the browser that is especially pleasant if you want that music sounded on your smartphone or on other computer. (Lawyers of the industry of music already sharpen feathers and in impatience shiver at this function).

Cloud expenses

Amazon web services are known as the inexpensive place for storage and cloud computing. It does not belong to Cloud Drive. Though you also receive 5 GB free of charge, the price will quickly increase as soon as you wish to consume high capacity of storage. When you reach terabyte, Amazon will cost already 1 thousand $/year. Possibly, it is the most expensive terabyte that you can find today. Compare this price to Google Docs which will cost $256 a year. And of course, this transaction is Skydrive.com from Microsoft which will provide 25 GB free of charge.

Despite attractiveness of Skydrive, this service has several shortcomings: first, there is no method to expand limits of free 25 GB (except as having created other account of Hotmail to receive 25 more GB), and secondly, the volume of files for storage on Skydrive is limited to 50 MB that is quite sickly size. The limit of Amazon makes 2 GB on one file that is explicit better, than it is possible to receive from Google or Microsoft. And for use of commercial service Box.net, it is necessary to pass to the paid account to store files more than a gigabyte the size, and it will pour out in 15$/month. Generally, that who needs to store big files cheaper Amazon is the first place for test removal.

Where functionality?

The Amazon service is functionally very poor in comparison with competitors. And Google and Microsoft added to the clouds various tools for joint work which facilitate exchange of documents in a project team, in the form of mail investments, providing these an alternative to e-mail. Google included the co-edit mode of documents close to real time so two or more people can change them on the computers, will see changes and to leave comments.

Box.net includes what calls "an open chest" (open box) - tens of additional applications expanding functionality of service, including an opportunity to share the Box-files on LinkedIn, the blogs WordPress and Salesforce.com, to send them to the fax device (on a screenshot below).

Google Docs also has a possibility of creation of web forms and storage of results in the general table. Google, Microsoft (through service Live Mesh) and Box.net opportunities for synchronization of local files with those that are stored in a cloud have. Amazon has no such functions. Surprisingly, but Live Mesh - the best of services which allows to synchronize as Mac, so Windows computers. Probably, the few heard about it also because Live Cloud from Microsoft is not integrated with SkyDrive service, there are different trifles and particulars which do not fit in together.

Live Mesh can synchronize files more than 50 MB, but then you will not be able to edit them or to browse in SkyDrive. Box and Google Docs will allow to synchronize only Windows-PK with their cloud disks (and Google has for synchronization with Microsoft Office 2010 only adding (add-on) which is called Cloud Connect).

In conclusion

From all cloud services Box.net is selected. It is very multifunction environment with reasonable price for storage less than 100 GB. If shared access to big files is required, it is the simplest of services in use. There is, however, a confidence that Amazon is not going to sit quietly from the Cloud Drive, and finally will bring its functionality to parity with competitors. And if its experience with S3 service is any indicator, the company will continue to reduce the storage cost as looks for less expensive methods - to provide more place.