Free 2gb Addition for Google Drive

Google wants to make sure your account is secure by reminding you to run the free security check. You can always run the security check, but from not until February 17, 2015, Google will give you a thank you gift of 2gb for your Google Drive account.

After you’ve gone through the checkup successfully, you’ll see three green checkboxes (see below) that confirm you’re eligible for the free storage and, more importantly, that you’ve taken steps to enhance your online safety. We’ll be granting the storage automatically to everyone around 28 February 2015 and we’ll send you an email when your adjustment is complete.

Free Extra 10GB of Storage on Google Drive

Google is currently offering an extra 10GB of free storage on Google Drive for two years for anyone that downloads the Quickoffice app. Quickoffice is a free app available for both Android and iOS (iPhone) phones. The app will allow you to open files anywhere.

While we’re on the topic of free stuff, if you sign in to your Google Account from the new Quickoffice app for Android or iOS by September 26, 2013, an extra 10GB of Google Drive storage will be added to your account for two years (look for it in the next few weeks). So don’t let your hardware or software differences get in the way of true collaboration -- download the new app and start working together today. (Source: Official Google Drive Blog)

My Head's In the Clouds

With the release of the Google Drive, clouds are more confusing than ever.  Which one should I use?  Do I need to upgrade?  How do I decide?  These are just a few questions you might be asking yourself.  The answer is not simple.  It really depends on what you plan to use your cloud for.

For readers that don't know what a cloud is, this might sound even more confusing.  Check out my original post on Riding the Cloud: A Guide to Online File Storage.

If you are ready to join the online storage craze you might be looking at the pros and cons of each cloud along with the cost.  Almost every cloud offers a free tier, but some are very small and very restricted.  ars technica has written a wonderful article comparing the free and pay tiers for the major cloud providers.


I found it interesting that Dropbox, while one of the most popular clouds, is also the most expensive paid services.  The free tier only starts with 2 GB but the free upgrades are easy to get.  I love that the app on my phone automatically uploads every picture I take.  That's a 3 GB (500 MB at a time) free upgrade.  You can also earn free storage from referrals, installing the app, and more.

Google Drive is providing 5 GB to start but I don't see any free upgrades.  Of all the drives, they are the cheapest for paid upgrades.  I haven't really played around yet but it looks good so far and Google is reliable for quality.  The only problem I see is that ars technica listed the con of Google Drive as having loose privacy policies.  This makes me worry that they might be looking at your documents, pictures, etc.

Check out the whole article on ars technica to compare the different clouds for yourself.