Face-Off: Cloud Storage Alternatives

Dig 4104c- By: Gina Levy

What we know:

As a students we heard of the main storage sync apps are:

Drop Box

Google Docs

Sky Drive (School Email)

Top Apps:

We'll take a look at the top apps that let you: sync files between all

of your devices automatically

share files using password protection

pick which folders you want to sync

and do anything else you might want to do with a syncing app.

Can open up to 30 kinds of files inside your browser

Photoshop files (even if you don’t have the program)

creates a QuickLook-esque experience inside your web browser

option to turn on OCR text scanning

offers the same drag-and-drop syncing

tie right in to Google+, Gmail, Android, and other Google services

a built-in document editor on par with Microsoft's online Office suite

Google Drive-What it does:

Sky Drive-What it does: Microsoft's syncing solution

API it's built on

syncing documents created using OneNote and other Microsoft Office products like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

share public links, view-only private links, and view/edit private links

experience akin to iCloud, but for Microsoft products — except you can also edit documents in groups like you can with Box or Dropbox

And like with Drive (and Google Docs), you can edit (and create) documents for free within your browser

Drop Box-What it does:

syncing files across multiple devices

API it's built on

offers just 2GB of storage for free

plugged in to all your favorite apps

Sugarsync-What it does:

Alternative to Dropbox

Pre-loaded on all new Lenovo computers and some smartphones (like devices from SoftBank)

Just about every platform, gets updated frequently, and lets you micro-manage what you want to sync

add password protection to files and folders when sharing them publicly

stream a whole album of songs in a row from the cloud

InSync-What it does:

works really well as a Dropbox substitute, syncing without a hitch to your Google Drive account

can't sync any other folders on your computer unless they are inside an Insync folder

will automatically convert your files into formats (like .doc) that you can read on your computer

solely as a file manager for your Google Docs files since it lets you drag-and-drop things around between folders (labels in Google Docs)

LogMeIn Cubby-What it does:

remote desktop pros LogMeIn, is a hybrid of SugarSync and Dropbox

pick folders around your computer to sync like with SugarSync

offer more for users trying to sync files between two desktop computers that are always on

offers "unlimited peer-to-peer syncing" between computers, assuming both computers stay turned on

Apple iCloud-What it does:

Various apps such as Pages and iWriter have iCloud sync capabilities, saving your work after every keystroke and instantly sending changes to Apple's servers

working with the most recent version of your document

if you need to stream music or videos you've purchased from the cloud, you can do that, too

Mozy Stash-What it does:

modeled after Dropbox, which is a good thing, but this also means it doesn't offer any features that make it worth using over the industry leader

Pricing: 50GB for $5.99/month (one computer)

125GB for $9.99/month (three computers)

SpiderOak-What it does:

puts backing up your computer at top priority

Once you pick folders to back up, you can choose one to sync to multiple computers

tell the app that "Folder A" on your laptop (which you've already backed up using SpiderOak) should sync with "Folder B" on your desktop (which you've already backed up using SpiderOak).

AVG LiveKive-What it does:

AVG licensed an entire suite of syncing and backup software from SpiderOak and has rebranded it as its own.

AVG's upgrade structure is less expensive than SpiderOak's by a long shot.

AVG gives you unlimited storage for $79.99/year, while SpiderOak gives you 100GB for the same price.

Wuala-What does it do:

uses a Java web-app alongside desktop and mobile apps so all encryption takes place on your device

share files publicly or privately with just a couple clicks

syncing or backing up files

switch off "continuous" sync and switch to backup intervals if you'd like to

Box-What it does:

API is so popular with productivity apps like QuickOffice

integrate Box storage into your workflow — and with sync (offered free, but only to business customers at this point)

detailed version-tracking, a feed of every sync and change you've made to a document, elaborate sharing features, and frequently updated and polished apps for just about every platform

Syncplicity- What it does:

primarily meant for business users

Google Docs integration and a news feed of activity (like in Box)

sync folders from anywhere on your computer

edit documents stored in your Drive and browse versions in the Syncplicity mobile app

Google Docs, it's essentially a full-featured cloud document editing and storage suit

Best way to collaborate with others using online documents, SkyDrive is the way to go

Dropbox is still the champ at syncing since it's so reliable and on so many platforms

Ability to sync and also backup multiple folders around your computer, SugarSync

Each one is different.

You decide.

The winner?:

Questions:

As students, which 3 main storage sync apps have we heard of? Drop Box , Google

Docs, Sky Drive.

Which storage system is considered Drop Box alternative? Sugar Sync.

What are the 2 storage apps that are mainly for Business people at the moment? Syncplicity & Box.

As students, which 3 main storage sync apps have we heard of and/or use? Drop Box , Google

Docs, Sky Drive.