New Google Drive app allows users to back up entire computer

After amping up its Gmail file transfer services last March, Google is turning its Drive feature into the ultimate backup tool.

According to The Verge, the famed file storage and synchronization service will undergo an immense upgrade called the Backup and Sync feature.

Starting June 28, Google Drive users will no longer have to rely on files being simply stored on the Drive folder. Instead, Google will now be able to  monitor and back up files inside any folder including the desktop and even the entire Documents folder.

Theoretically, the app can back up an entire computer, but users must still be wary of their file sizes as the free Drive storage space is capped at 15GB. Those who wish to exceed beyond that must pay for extended storage, the report said.

The Backup and Sync app, meanwhile, is expected to eventually replace both the Google Drive app and the Google Photos Backup app. However, Google has recommended that business users stick with the existing Drive app for the meantime.

The new feature rolls out in less than two weeks and will be available on Google Drive for both Mac and PC.  Khristian Ibarrola /ra

source: technology.inquirer.net

Here's how to sync Microsoft Office with Google Drive

Thanks to this Google plugin, the Microsoft Office productivity suite can now sync directly with Drive, Google's cloud-based storage service.

"Building on this open approach, we recently made it possible to launch your favorite desktop applications directly from Google Drive. And today we’re taking it a step further by bringing Google Drive to Microsoft Office. Using the new Google Drive plug-in, people using Office for Windows can now open their Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents stored in Drive, then save any changes back to Drive once they’re done," technical program manager Darrell Kuhn said in a blog post.

"With this plug-in, you can use the apps you’re already comfortable with, while benefitting from the security and convenience of Google Drive," he added.

Click here to install Google Drive for Office.

Kuhn said this means one working on a document, spreadsheet or presentation on his or her computer can also save that file to Google Drive, directly from the Office apps.

"This is especially useful for sharing files with teams, or for accessing your files across devices," he said.

A separate report on The Verge said Microsoft already made Office run on the desktop, web, and mobile platforms.

It also teamed up with Dropbox to give users storage options other than Microsoft's OneDrive.

"If for some reason you're a Drive loyalist who also loves using Office, this tool just might make your life easier; it should be available to install today," it said. — Joel Locsin/TJD, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com

Google Drive for Linux may be coming soon

 

Good news for users of computers running Linux: Google may soon make its Drive app available for the platform. That is if a reported leak proves accurate.

 

PC World said this could also finally fulfill Google's promise three years ago when it promised support for Linux for Drive, its free cloud-based storage service.

 

A PC World report cited screenshots showing Drive running on Ubuntu - "leaked straight from Google itself."

 

It cited Linux blog Web Upd8 as discovering the screenshots "buried in a recent Google Drive for Mac installer."

 

 

"This suggests that development is actually proceeding on Google Drive for Linux, and that Google has an internal build of the software that they’re working on. As Google themselves use Linux internally—in fact, they have their own Ubuntu-based Linux distribution known as 'Goobuntu' —it’s unsurprising they’d want their own software to run on their own computers," it said. — Joel Locsin/TJD, GMA News

 

source: gmanetwork.com