Tuesday, January 12, 2010 8:56 AM
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.Instead of emailing files to yourself, which is particularly difficult with large files, you can upload to Google Docs any file up to 250 MB. You'll have 1 GB of free storage for files you don't convert into one of the Google Docs formats (i.e. Google documents, spreadsheets, and presentations), and if you need more space, you can buy additional storage for $0.25 per GB per year. This makes it easy to backup more of your key files online, from large graphics and raw photos to unedited home videos taken on your smartphone. You might even be able to replace the USB drive you reserved for those files that are too big to send over email.
Combined with shared folders, you can store, organize, and collaborate on files more easily using Google Docs. For example, if you are in a club or PTA working on large graphic files for posters or a newsletter, you can upload them to a shared folder for collaborators to view, download, and print.
You can also search for document files you've uploaded or that have been shared with you just like you do with your Google documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and PDFs. And you'll be able to view many common document file types with the Google Docs viewer.
To learn how businesses can take advantage of this new functionality, check out the post on the Enterprise Blog.
As always, we’d love your feedback and if you have any questions, please check out our help page. This feature will be enabled for your account over the next couple of weeks — look for the bubble notification when you sign in to Google Docs.
67 comments:
I have already bought storage for picasa web albums. Can that storage be shared for docs too ?
Yes, the storage is shared between Picasa Web Albums, Gmail and Google Docs. The storage page will be updated later today to reflect the addition of Google Docs.
As a Google Apps Education Edition administrator, will we be able to turn off this feature? Or a least limit the file types?
Finally! Thank you!
-SparkDad.com
Assuming this will soon be available via 3rd party tools for backup (competing w/ Amazon S3) I'd like to know if there are anticipated transfer costs.
I hope Google ties this in to Youtube as well -- add a checkbox to video uploads to "Save original video file to Google Docs". That would be AWESOME!
Anyone knows what 3rd party softs are available now (or will be) to sync files between my pcs and Googler Docs storage?
txs.
Tax center: Now that tax season is coming, and lot of people spend lot of time managing their bank/brokerage 1099 forms (ie forms on "bank interest" from different banks) etc. How can google docs/spreadsheets help in this whole tax process ? Things that will help : ability to convert of pdf to google doc format, is needed, since pdf viewing etc is slow and consumes lots of computer memory/resources. Also google docs will then provide ability to edit such documents and remove unwanted material in the doc, so as to make analysis of 1099 forms etc easier. And if I have an online site that does my taxes, then the pdf for final return can be downloaded directly to google docs (maybe in chrome or other browser), instead of local desktop. Also please provide tax calculator gadgets, sample templates for tax schedule D capital gains/losses etc.
From my blog http://people20.blogspot.com/2007/10/wrote-to-gmail-yahoomail-hotmail-to.html , http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dthcr25_155gbfdnd
Google Docs:
a) When I am editing a Google Doc that has images and would like to save an image to my desktop, that is not possible. When I select that image, and right-click mouse, options are to cut, copy, etc image, but not to save image to desktop. So I have to sign out of Google and then view the same doc link in non-editable mode, and then click on image and "Save to Desktop"
b) Copy and paste of Google Doc (containting bold face, italics, etc), onto the Blogger message posting (while creating Blogger message new post), does not work. It copies over text etc, but removes bold face, italics, etc.
c) I would like to embed a Google Spreadsheet within a website page, similar to embedding a presentation like Google Presentations/www.slideshare.net does; that way, people who look at a spreadsheet at the same website in the same window, can view the doc/presentation flip through it, in the same window, without opening another window. This is currently not possible, and new window needs to be opened for Google Spreadsheet or Doc.
d) Google docs blog posting: When I go to share a doc , and post the doc to blog, it only posts to the first blogger account. I have multiple blogs in my blogger account, but google docs does not ask me which blog to post to; it posts the doc to the first blog of my blogger account.
e) Google Docs should have ability to create wiki-able sections in my blogger.com blog, where viewers can edit some data along with other viewers and bloggers. Lets say I want to create a list of nice local restaurants and post it within my blog as a blogpost, and want the post to be appendable/modifiable by my viewers, so they can also add in their list of restaurants, etc. Currently, this is not possible in Google docs/blogger. I can definitely create a link to the editable google doc in blogger, but I would like to EMBED the doc in a blogpost for editing my anyone.
f) Ability to define right-click on any phone number in spreadsheet or document, and call an application like Google Voice to make the phone call : I have a google spreadsheet that has names and phone numbers of all my friends. I would like to easily make phone call (using a voip software, like that of webcalldirect.com ) to anyone in that spreadsheet, without having to enter the phone numbers in that voip software executable. Right now, this is not possible and the process is tedious. It will be great if you can help automate this.
g) Search :I should not have to press enter for search results: http://www.xobni.com/support/ : for example , you can type "gmail" or something and not have to press enter key to see results. So besides autocomplete, it offers interactive search results.
h) Search : When I search for something, it should also show a preview of the search results, so I do not have to open the doc or spreadsheet, to view the search result. For example, google hompage search at www.google.com provides 4-line preview of search results, so one can quickly arrive at conclusion which of the docs shown in the results are worth opening.
i) Voice chat or phone calls to folks who are sharing docs/spreadsheets with me, at the point of viewing of docs/spreadsheets itself, simply by right clicking on their name : For example, in Microsoft sharepoint when there are documents etc, by right clicking on the names of the people there, one can call them either on messenger or phone them at their work or mobile numbers etc, without having to look up their numbers etc. This is great productivity improvement.
From my blog http://people20.blogspot.com/2007/10/wrote-to-gmail-yahoomail-hotmail-to.html , http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dthcr25_155gbfdnd
Google online storage, finally! Will it feature differential up/downloads the way rsync or JungleDisk does? And will it be possible to map it to a drive so that we can upload and download files using common file managers?
I would like a folder on my computer to be able to Sync with Google docs storage. This way, any time I and anything to the folder OR edit a file in that folder it will automatically be backed up to Google Docs.
Similar to what Dropbox does
This seems to me like it's more and more like the "G-Drive" everyone's been talking about and wanting. The ability to upload any sort of files is awesome, but I'm boggled as to why 250 megs is the limit - I mean, GMail offers 7.4GB of limit for emails, Microsoft's SkyDrive gives me 25gigs, and most free services will start off with 2 gigs to whet your appetite. For me, 250 megs is a 5-year-old USB key... What gives?
It's 1GB total space, and 250MB per file. Read the post next time?
@Lucas: 250Mb per file. Your total upload limit is how much space you own with Google (Gmail+picasa)
Awesome! Finally!
Lucas:
Storage Limits:
See: https://www.google.com/accounts/purchasestorage
This is a great feature. If you make it Dropbox like in functionality (keep it synced with a local folder), it's a killer feature. Thanks guys!
Oh yeah, if this had Dropbox style functions by syncing a folder, that'd be great.
Cloud Hero (cloudhero.com) uploads, downloads and syncs files to Google Docs.
Now it checks for file types that Google Docs was storing. (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)
We will update for all file types.
Excellent, thanks for this.
Now if I were to upload my music collection, would I be able to somehow gain access to these files via an API so I could essentially build my own streaming music player?
Ah right, I see, 1gig. A bit better, still not what I'd expect. It's a start, I guess, though!
Thanks for the corrections!
@Joen
That's a really good idea!
The 250MB limit per file means I still need an separate solution for HD video from my digital cameras.
Will have to stick with Amazon S3.
dropbox gives you 2gb to start. i'm just saying...
Will you have an application like Dropbox that will sync the files?
This is awsome, great news guys cant wait!
I'm a songwriter and that's a very cost effective way of storing and sharing session data (from a disaster recovery point of view its awesome!!)
Will there be any bandwidth limit?
I have an apps for domain acc and a normal google acc.
On my normal acc. I have subscribed for extra storage for Picasa.
From what I read the apps/dom acc will allow me to subscribe for additional syncing functionality.
I would very much like to get all of this functionality from just one acc. Am I likely to get what I want?
The Google Documents List API will support this new feature. I expect someone to create an app for Dropbox-like interaction.
What I'm curious about is whether or not I could use Google Docs to host podcast audio files.
How about synchronization with Youtube. I want to upload my videos at one place and still have access to them. Based on the number of monetized viewers, Google can give discounts on storage of big video files. Also, if users upload DivX, Mp3 files that many other users have already uploaded, the storage cost should be free. Google should release a new Google Uploader client software that quickly analyses the file before uploading it to see if Google already has a copy of it and doesn't need to upload it again. Then also, provide video file encoding to other formats and bitrates, including online video editing, integration of watermarks, intro/outros and available for direct download within Youtube. Then also allow Youtube users re-upload newer better quality versions of existing videos.
$5/20GB per year is a fair price for high availability in the files. Though low availability backup option with cold storage at about $5/50GB per year or $100/1TB per year, which could for example be used to storage uncompressed videos and only "wake up" the drive when it is needed for short periods of time.
Does this FINALLY mean also that MS Office files (Word, Excel, Powerpoint) can be stored also WITHOUT conversion to Google Docs format?! I keep my fingers crossed hoping for the best...
Timo, yes!
Will I be able to allow a client to upload an image file to my account? I'd like to be able to give someone that maybe doesn't have a Google Account, access to upload a photo to my Google Account. Will or is this possible?
Chris
@Chris, I assume as long as it's in a shared folder, yes. I also assume you could use collaborative albums in Picasa.
Would love to see support for third party storage solutions. I'm very happy with Dropbox, so it would be really nice to see my Dropbox folders in Google Docs.
Ricardo, check this from Google Enterprise Blog (third party tools):
- Memeo Connect for Google Apps is a new desktop application that offers an easy way to access, migrate, and synchronize files to Google Docs across multiple computers. (PC and Mac)
- Syncplicity offers businesses automated back-up and file management with Google Docs. (PC)
- Manymoon is an online project management platform that makes it simple to organize and share tasks and documents with coworkers and partners, including uploading files to Google Docs.
When is this coming? I can finally dump Microsoft sky drive and use Google's cloud. I need dates..
@Bill, read the last paragraph.
Will there be a 1000 folder with 1000 items limitation like Picasa? Do you plan to offer a mass uploader?
Woohoo the GDrive has arrived!!
I just uploaded a JPG to see if it works. It accepted the JPG. However, when I clicked on the All Items tab to see how the JPG displays it shows up as a Document. And then when I clicked on the new "document" it opened up a Google Document with the JPG inserted as an image in the document. Needless to say, that doesn't solve any of our storage "problems". Is this a quirk or how it's going to work moving forward?
Do programmatic uploads work now? Right now, Fireuploader and other tools can't even upload PDF files, let alone anything else.
Will we be able to see all of the pictures that we uploaded into picasa web folders inside our google docs file structure, and add images to the one "folder" through either path-way?
AWESOME!
I can't WAIT to use this with my students in my high school classroom
I am going to get them to show the REST of the teachers around here how it will revolutionize educational practices!!!
I am also curious about bandwidth constraints, if any, that will be imposed.
Also what about versioning of files or as it is currently known in Google Docs as revision history?
Will this keep older versions of a file if you upload one with the same name?
Yep, like a lot of people here this service would be a lot more interesting if it offered sync with local files. Automatic versioning would be the icing on the cake. Until I see those features I'll continue to pay Dropbox.
This is awesome news...but I still lean toward a more open/flexible service such as this one: www.datastorageunit.com
Thats great news, but could we have a scaled priing model? At 1tb and above it stops to make sense!
Thank you Google! It makes life in "the cloud" just a little bit more easy =).
Why has this been such a long and drawn out process?
Picasa syncing needs major work.
What's with GDrive already. Although it would take a lot for me to leave dropbox.
Google, is it time to aquire Dropbox?
Then maybe development would go faster :-)
It would be great if it has,
- syncing like DropBox
- API like Amazon S3
Just wondering how secure will this be? It sounds like a dream, but would sensitive docs be secure?
It's not at all secure unless your password is secure. Someone stole my google account and google has not helped me at all to restore that account because it's all automated when you generate a complaint. I have had google docs and used them since 2006 and someone just stole my account. All my documents are GONE. Google has not helped me. At all. I hope this gets someone's attention so they can help me.
If you use this feature, just be very sure you do not use an English word as a password because it can be hacked. And if it's stolen, google doesn't have ample support to restore it to you. Over three years of my hard work is gone.
All my google-linked services: youtube, blogger -- all gone. My website? Gone. I put too many of my internet eggs into the google basket because I trusted them to be there for me. They aren't.
I'm reading that this feature will only be available to Google Apps Premier users. When can I as an individual have access to the muli-file-type upload feature?
Wow Karla, that's horrible. I hope Google can help you restore access to your account.
To everyone else, heed her story and keep backup copies of everything! On your computer, on a USB drive, with services like Dropbox or Backupify, don't leave it to chance.
What about figuring out some kind of failsafe for protecting account from malicious or arbitrary deletion? I have a friend that has had her google identity deleted, this means losing 3+ years of Gmail, Google Docs with her novel drafts, her Youtube videos, the works. She can't talk to a human being at Google about this problem because her only recourse is automated forms that are flawed and stuck in an endless loop.
I am actually a paying customer, I have paid for extra storage and I am in the process of switching my company to use Google Apps for domains and this really worries me.
at last
I already store plenty of documents including PowerPoint and PDFs in Google Docs.
The one feature I've been waiting for is the ability to edit docs from my iPhone. When I view them, they are in read-only mode.
Waiting anxiously for it to be enabled on my account... common google.
cool
aindreas.com
Hi from the Syncplicity Team. Syncplicity supports Dropbox-like synchronization of your desktop directly with Google Docs.
Word, Spreadsheet, and Presentation documents synchronize with any Google Account. Arbitrary files require a Google Premier Account.
You can try Syncplicity out here for yourself: http://bit.ly/6yf7HH
Syncplicity looks good the pricing not so much. The only difference I am seeing is the use of the Docs API. Am I missing something?
The GDrive has arrived!! Who knew it would be smaller than the drive on my keychain.
I'll stick with my free 25 GB SkyDrive that I've had for the past 23 months. It works with SkyDrive Explorer, a free gadget to integrate it with Windows Explorer.
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