Talks about Google Drive (GDrive) first started way back in 2006 and there have been no shortage of rumors and speculations regarding the mysterious online storage service ever since. But it appears like the service is finally going to launch. According to GigaOM’s Om Malik, who got tipped off by “well placed sources”, Google Drive will arrive in the first week of April 2012.

It’s really disappointing that Google is taking so much time for launching the much anticipated service. But, as you know, the company is already into online storage via other services. You can upload documents and files to Google Docs, upload photos to Picasa, and Gmail can also be used as a storage locker. There is unlimited storage available for photos via Google+ and Google Music allows up to 20,000 song uploads.

But the problem with these services is that you won’t be able to manage all your files at one location. That is why a service such as Google Drive is much needed.

Om Malik says that Google will be offering 1GB of free online storage via GDrive, but you will be charged for more storage (Just in case you didn’t know, Dropbox currently offers 2 GB for free). GDrive will come with a local client and the interface will resemble that of Google Docs. Reportedly, the service will be available for Google Apps customers.

But Malik himself is not too confident about the new info. He says, “…the storage drive might just see the day in early April…. I say might, just because of Google’s history with the Google Drive.”

And that’s not all on Google Drive today. According to this report, Google Drive might arrive in mid April with 2GB of free storage (5GB is also a possibility).

The post Google Drive Might Launch Next Week Or In Mid April appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

For better or for worse, Google controls a fairly significant part of my online life. And I want access to that online life even when I’m not plugged into the matrix. And that’s why it’s good to hear that the Google Docs for Android app is now bringing offline access into the picture.

The newest update to the app, version 1.0.43, lets you view any file you have saved in your Google Docs account without having to be connected to the Internet in some form. Of course, you’ll need to define this offline access ahead of time and you’ll need to download the file locally before you disconnect from the net, but at least the feature is now there.

The other major change with the update is that when you view these Google Documents on your Android tablet, you will be presented with a “high resolution version of the document.” Rounding out the changelog include the ability to manage offline content, as well as the ability to star or rename files while offline. As always, you can find the app in Android Market as a free download.

The post Newest Google Docs for Android App Finally Adds Offline Access appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

I really like all the Google integration I get on my Android smartphone, but sometimes I want more. That’s why I was pleased to hear that the Google Docs app for Android has been updated with some new features, the most notable of which is Web Clipboard.

The sad news is that it’s not quite as good as I had hoped. Basically, it allows you to snap a photo from your phone and have it uploaded to the Web Clipboard. From there, you have to go to your computer and open up the GDoc of choice to insert the image. That’s kind of roundabout, don’t you think? Wouldn’t it make more sense if I could insert it from directly within the Android app itself?

In addition to supporting 45 more languages in the GDoc Android app, the update also includes the ability to send a document as an attachment through email or another app on your phone. You can also view the various docs you have saved through any compatible viewer application, giving you a few more options for looking at that TPS report.

But hey, as always, the Google Doc app is free and, well, you can’t really complain about the value you’re getting for the purchase price.

The post Google Docs Android app updated with Web Clipboard appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

“The new mobile editor is fast and lightweight, but sometimes you want to make more style edits like changing a font, or center aligning a paragraph. If you’re on an iPad, you can do that by visiting the Desktop version of the document editor.”

[Google Blog]

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You will be able to search for files, do work online, edit and then save the document back up to the clouds without it ever being downloaded to your device.  No longer will there be a need to load down your pockets with jump drives or fill up your personal email account.

“We’re happy to announce that over the next few weeks we will be rolling out the ability to upload, store and organize any type of file in Google Docs. With this change, you’ll be able to upload and access your files from any computer, all you need is an Internet connection,” wrote Vijay Bangaru, Product Manager, on Google Docs Blog.

Gmail and Google Docs users can upload any type file up to 250 MB to their 1GB of free cloud storage space.  There is also the option to increase your storage space for $0.25 per GB per year, purchased in lots of 20GB.

Google Docs will also be able to seamlessly ‘share folders’ with other Google Docs users, store larger video, music and photo files.  This service will possibly make Android truly fly.

http://docs.google.com/

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