Amazon Cloud Drive

On March 29, 2011 the Amazon company owning the world's largest network supermarket started a "cloud" online service of Cloud Drive for storage of musical files and their playings on the personal computer or the mobile device on the Google Android Amazon platform^[1].

According to unofficial information, also corporations Apple and Google, controlling development of two most perspective software platforms for violently emerging market of smartphones and tablet computers work on similar projects.

"Cloud" technologies mean use of the remote servers serviced by the supplier of similar services instead of resources of the local computer. It allows to get an information access almost from everywhere where there is an Internet connection, and in the theory provides high degree of safety of data.

• Free data storage in a cloud: 5 GB
• Additional volume: 20 GB, 10$/year; 50 GB, 25$/year; 100 GB, 50$/year; 200 GB, 100$/year; 1 TB, 500$/year. Cloud Music Player player: 250 imported songs free of charge; 250.000 imported songs, 24.99$/year.
• Additional information: the music purchased or loaded from the website of Amazon, automatically, free of charge remains in Cloud Drive. The service also offers data backup of tablets of the Kindle brand. From the moment of the opening in March, 2011, service was exposed to criticism for the politicians of access according to whom Amazon is allowed to use the files which are stored in Amazon Cloud Drive.

Possibilities of service

The Amazon Cloud Drive service allows to transfer a personal digital record library to "cloud". The user can load the musical files from the computer without loss of quality and save in network storage of a song, purchased in Amazon online store. In addition to music, Cloud Drive allows to store videos, photos, documents and any other files.

Each subscriber of service receives 5 Gbytes of the disk place free of charge, and upon purchase at least of one album in Amazon online store, the allocated quota increases to 20 Gbytes for a period of a year. Besides, at the shortage of the place it is possible to issue a paid subscription which cost begins with 20 dollars a year.

For listening of music of the MP3 and AAC formats it is possible to use the browser or the application for smartphones and tablet computers working under control of Google Android. It is not obligatory to load files on the device at the same time, music can be transferred in the mode of stream broadcasting.

For launch of Cloud Drive it is available only to residents of the USA.

In April, 2013 file synchronization function is added to Amazon Coud Drive. Now users can throw files in a certain folder then they will be automatically filled in to the cloud storage and are synchronized with all devices on which CloudDrive is set. This function was available practically in all cloud storages, including Dropbox, Box.com and Google Drive. It is strange that one of leaders of cloud computing came to it one of the last. Possibly, having achieved leadership in business market, the Amazon company decided to pay a little attention and to consumer solutions.

Restrictions for the equipment of Apple

Experts of the website note that though web service for playing of the music saved in Cloud Drive storage maintains the majority of modern browsers, it does not work with mobile version of Safari which is used on portable devices of Apple - iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The edition assumes that by Amazon made it intentionally (Amazon in the developments relies on the Google Android platform which directly competes with the Apple iOS system).

Theoretically, Amazon can release the application especially for owners of devices of Apple, however the conflict of interest of two companies is capable to prevent it. By hearsay, Apple leading in the market of electronic distribution of music with the iTunes Store online store prepares own "cloud" service for storage of songs of the user. Presumably, it will be started in the fall of 2011, along with release of the IOS 5 mobile operating system.

Besides, according to unofficial information, Google already started internal testing of own music service which among other things will provide storage of musical files of the user on servers of the company.

2015: Changed Amazon the tariff policy of Cloud Drive service

On March 27, 2015 the Amazon company provided two new rates to users of the cloud storage of Amazon Cloud Drive. They allow to store an unlimited number of photos or data of any type for the annual fixed subscription fee. At the same time the company cancelled connections to a cloud on all former rates, including free^[2].

Rates differ in cost and what types of files allow to store. A rate "without restrictions" - Unlimited Everything Plan allows storage of any information:

• photo,
• video,
• files,
• documents,
• movies
• music.

Unlimited Photos Plan is intended only for storage of photos. The cost of the first rate - $60 a year, the second — $12 a year.

At payment of the Unlimited Photos Plan rate the user receives unlimited disk space for storage of a photo and 5 GB for video, documents and other files. He does not need to pay these 5 GB in addition. Within three months any of new rates can use free of charge.

With start of new rates connection to former is stopped:

• the free rate gave to the user of 5 GB.
• 20 GB cost $15 a year,
• 50 GB — $25 a year,
• 100 GB — $50.
• 1 TB - $500.

The Amazon Cloud Drive service allows to send data with the PC and mobile devices to a cloud, using the web interface, desktop applications (for PC and Mac) or mobile applications (for Android and iOS). Registration in Amazon Cloud Drive is available in Russia. Mobile applications are also available to loading.

Competitors of Amazon Cloud Drive — Google Drive Dropbox Apple iCloud Microsoft OneDrive. None of them offer boundless space, except Microsoft.

Notes