Apple Watch vs Moto 360

Apple Watch vs Moto 360

Apple’s first attempt on the still nascent wearable market was huge, with people eyeing Tim Cook’s wrist the moment he entered the stage. Apple Watch (not iWatch) will be priced at $349 and will be available by early 2015. It will come in three variations – Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport and the Apple Watch Edition. The wearable will be compatible with iPhone 5, 5S, 5C, 6 and 6 Plus.

There are already quite a few competitors trying to define what should a smartwatch look like on your wrist. However, Google beat Apple in that race by just a few months by releasing Android Wear. One of the crowd’s favourite is Moto 360 which was launched last week, priced a hundred dollars less at 250$.

The smartwatch technology is still in its infant stage. Apple is known for its innovations and setting trends like it did with iPods and iPads; the Apple Watch is anticipated to have the same impact. However, both Moto 360 and Apple Watch both have their strengths and weaknesses. A quick rundown to help you decide which one to buy, once the devices are available.

INTERFACE

Both companies have provided several interestingly themed watch faces which can be changed easily to suit your mood. Agreed that our watches are getting smarter, but the basic function of the watch is to tell time every time we look at the device. Apple Watch display turns off when you aren’t looking at it. When you turn your wrist, it’ll light up again only showing information when you want it.

In Moto 360, colors pop on the display, and everything is easily viewable, even in direct sunlight. However, when the display is dimmed it darkens after a few seconds of inactivity, but the time is still visible. Though, it  is very hard to see outdoors. Waking up the watch is as simple as lifting your wrist; same as on the Apple Watch.

ON-THE-GO INFORMATION AND NOTIFICATIONS

Main aim of smartwatches since their earlier days has been to minimize handset use by integrating phone notification with the smartwatch on your wrist for a easy and more convenient experience. In Apple Watch all notifications coming through your phone will pop up on your watch. If the app developer chooses to, they can enrich that notification to let you do a lot more with it — replying to messages or even taking actions, like accepting a Facebook friend request. All together, it sounds fairly decent.

Google’s smartwatch platform is all about notifications, which uses most of its interface. In Moto 360, all of your notifications are routed to it, and you can swipe through the phone to view them all, dismiss them, and even act on some of them. That said, you can’t use them as easily as Apple hopes to allow.

A good smartwatch, in my opinion, is the one gives you what you want, when you want it, without having to do to much. To some extend both Apple and Motorola have achieved that. Apple promises that the person sitting next to you would not be able to tell that you’ve received a notification. The notification buzz will simply give the effect as if someone is tapping you lightly on your wrist. You can customise the apps which you’d like notifications from. It will use the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi from the iPhone for all communication purposes. The built-in speaker phone and microphone can be used to receive calls and use the built-in Siri. With a simple tap on the digital crown, Siri can be activated.

The Moto 360 can do a number of things, such as display incoming calls and texts, measure your heart rate, pull up directions from Google Maps, count your steps, and tell you the weather. The idea behind Android Wear is that the watch should display contextual information before you even need to ask for it. Google Now has always been really capable, and its ability to predict and surface information that you’re interested in is built right into Android Wear. So, for example, if  your favorite IPL team has a match at 7 p.m. tonight, Android Wear would display that information on your wrist automatically.

HEALTH AND FITNESS

The Moto 360 has a heart rate monitor on the underside, that’s good for getting a causal fix on your overall health, but it will not be much of use for vigorous workouts sessions. On the Moto 360 are three pre-installed apps for measuring your overall health. Fit shows how many steps you’ve taken during the day, can measure your heart rate, and lets you set a goal for the number of steps you take each day. In a similar vein, Heart Activity displays how many minutes you need to be active during each day (it’s set at 30 minutes), and how close you are to completing that goal.

Apple Watch promises to take over and take it to a whole new level. Instead of simply tracking daily activities, the watch will actually encourage you to be more active. It has two key apps for this; the first will map your fitness activity through the day, while the second and the more important one, will help you set goals and then help you achieve them.

THIRTY-PARTY APPS

For wearables to entice prospective buyers, third party apps were needed and both Motorola and Apple understood that. Apple has already experimented with certain third-party apps. Developers will be able to create custom notifications for the home screen. For example, the City Mapper will remind you to get off at the right station, the BMW app will direct you to where you would’ve parked your car and the Nike app will allow you to challenge your friends to go for a run.

It’s been a few months, and Google says there are already thousands of apps that support Android Wear. Facebook Messenger, for instance, will now send messages to Wear and can accept responses dictated over voice. Though, we’ve seen a handful of good apps that run specifically on Wear, but no one has actually gave us any breakthrough app yet.

STYLE

Since watches are worn all the time, it’s important that they look good. The design and style should suit you well. The Apple Watch will be available in six designs. The watch comes with a mechanism which would make it super easy to switch between the straps. The straps include a sport band, soft quilted leather and stainless steel options. And since one size does not fit all, Apple has also developed smaller sizes.

 The Moto 360’s 1.56-inch-diameter round display is big, bold, and feels a lot larger than a square display. It has a 320×290 resolution, effectively, at 205ppi. Actually, it’s not fully round there’s a bit of a black bar on the bottom. Apple has done great job by giving us variety, but Moto 360’s round dial and sleek look has already garnered many fans.

A biggest setback is that the Apple Watch will be compatible with only with iPhone 5, 5S, 5C, 6 and 6 Plus, on the other hand the Moto 360 isn’t as exclusive or biased to its own brand. Apple definitely stands out with its sophisticated and extensive sensors. Unlike Moto 360, Apple Watch seems to do much more than just showing you notifications. It seems both the devices have the right components, they just need to get some developers to come up with more compelling apps.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4

The Beast is Back: Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Unveiled

The Beast is Back: Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Unveiled


The season of big ticket releases has been kicked off by Samsung in an optimistic fashion. The company flaunted an assortment of products at its pre-IFA event in Berlin. The company finally unveiled the Galaxy Note 4 which gets quite a few upgrades over its predecessor both on the hardware, as well as the software front.

The presentation was done by three presenters who were well prepared for the show, though it got a bit annoying when they tried to over-reach. Most of the features presented were affirmative of the leaks.

Looks


Image Credit: The Verge



The new generation Note flagship comes with a 5.7 inch Quad HD Super AMOLED screen. It has a thickness of 8.5 mm and weighs 176 gm. The device is LTE category 6 ready.

On the looks front, the device borrows the design language from the Samsung stable while going for an edgier design. The device is built on a metal frame which strengthens the device to minimize damage from dropping of the device. It has a soft textured back cover.

Camera



The cameras on the Note 4 get a lot better.
Image Credit: The Verge



The Galaxy Note 4 comes with a 16 MP camera on the back with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS.) With the OIS, Samsung claims, you’ll get professional quality HD videos with minimum jitters.

The company has gone out of its way to bring a superior selfie experience, and it was truly innovative of them. The 3.7 MP front camera has a wide f/1.9 iris which will ensure brightness of the image. To make selfie taking more convenient, the Note 4 utilizes the heart rate sensor on the back as a shutter release. To take a selfie all you need to do is hold the heart rate sensor and release, when you are ready for a click. For taking a wider selfie or a “Weefie” with multiple people, the device offers a wide 90-degree frame. There is also an option for Wide Selfie that lets you take an even wider 120-degree selfie by moving the phone till everyone is in view. The presenters took the photo of the entire auditorium using the feature.

The camera also has an extremely useful feature called the Snap Note through which you can take an image, and the phone will extract the data from it. So when sitting in a classroom you can simply click the photo of the board, and the phone scan the image and will take the information out. You can then add annotations to the information and have an easy learning experience.
S-Pen

The S-Pen also gets upgrades and added functionalities. The pressure sensitivity has been increased to give a more natural pen-like feel. The pen now also acts as a mouse with features like click and drag which lets you select multiple files at once.

The Smart select feature lets you select text and images from multiple sources and lets you bring them all together. It also lets you easily share them on the internet.
Audio Recorder

The audio recorder on the device has also received some really handy and functional upgrades. The device can now track voices in 8 distinct directions so it great for getting quality sounds in multi-people environment. The interview mode on the device cancels out the unnecessary ambient noise and hence gives a clearer audio output.

Multi-Windows

Using multi-window gets easier with the new device. You can now access the multi-window feature through the recent apps menu. It has become a lot easier to resize, relocate or minimize the screens during multi-window usage.

Note 4 comes in four color options: White Black, Gold and Pink. It also provides customizability with 4 covers. There is the S-View, Flip wallet, S-view Flip wallet and LED cover which reminds of the Dot case by HTC. The device also comes with a back panel encrusted with Swarovski Crystals.




The device is sleeker and edgier than the Note 3.
Image Credit: The Verge

Battery

The device gets its juice from a 3220 mAh battery which is a slight increase over the predecessor. Samsung claims that with advanced optimization of their product, the battery will last longer than before. They have also brought the ultra power saving mode from the S5 onto this device.
Mont Blanc

As the phone flaunts its USP of a writeable screen, it was only natural for them to partner with a writing instrument manufacturer sooner or later. So Samsung has partnered with Mont Blanc to bring stylish writing instruments for the Note 4. The pens have multiple usability as they come with interchangeable refills for the paper and the screen. They also offer several nib options for different needs. The pen is connected with the device using a chip that lets the user have a fulfilling writing experience on the device’s massive 5.7 inch screen.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 comes with 50 GB of Dropbox storage for two years. The phone will be available in the market in the month of October.

Samsung has done well on its presentation, and this will help calm some of the criticism that it has been facing for a while. The Note 4 is without a doubt a new era for the company. This was a good launch event, and we’ll be updating you when more information surfaces.

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge

Samsung Enters the Future With the Curved Galaxy Note Edge

Samsung introduced a one-of-a-kind smartphone today. It stands out in the crowd for its unique screen, which extends and runs over onto the right side of the device. And if you’re thinking the curved panel is simply a marketing gimmick, you’re wrong.

The extended side screen is super functional as well – it has 7 scrollable panels which are customisable. When the Galaxy Note Edge is locked, the side-panel can be used to have a quick look at notifications and get faster access to certain features such as time and date display, flashlight, camera, messages and even a ruler.  Preferred apps can also be shifted to the side panel, frequent use of which will help users conserve battery life.

The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge comes as a pleasant surprise which was kept well under wraps. It is one of the few devices launched recently which left no virtual trail and had no ‘leakster’ tracking its every more.

So, the new bent display not only gives Samsung’s new smartphone a sleek look, but it actually might help keep the main screen clutter-free. Samsung has also announced that will release the API so that third-party app developers can make use of the new screen and create appropriate apps for the screen.

Specs-wise, the smartphone has a 5.6-inch, Quad HD 2560 x 1440 display and is powered by a 3,000 mAh battery. It comes with Snapdragon 805 or Exynos 5433 chipset, Android 4.4, 16MP OIS camera and S Pen stylus. With this launch, Samsung proved that it still has an eye for innovation.

APPLE VS SUMSUNG

Apple’s $2 billion lawsuit: These are 5 patents allegedly infringed by Samsung

One of the contentious patents

In its most recent courtroom battle against Samsung, Apple has said that the Korean smartphone leader has violated over 50 patents held by the Cupertino company. However, Apple also said that they can’t possibly try 50 patents in court, so they have narrowed down the list of alleged infringements to five patents.

Apple says Samsung should be penalised $2 billion for allegedly violating these patents. Wondering which those five patents are? Here’s a look.

Slide to unlock
We have already seen Apple go to battle with Samsung over this patent, but with varying degrees of success. As we reported last year, a German court invalidated the slide-to-unlock patent, saying it didn’t constitue enough of a technical innovation to qualify for the patent.

Florian Mueller, a noted writer on patent law issues, said at the time, “This patent isn’t even remotely as strategic as it is famous. Every user of a smartphone with a touch screen needs to perform this gesture frequently, but the patent does not cover all slide-to-unlock mechanisms but only some, and Apple’s rivals have all developed workarounds.” And that remains true till this date. Google’s stock unlocking mechanism is very different from Apple’s and so is Samsung’s unlocking method, which is not even remotely like the stock Android unlocking method.

Links within SMSes
We all know how easy it is to tap on a number or a contact within a text message to get the options to call or add them to your phone book. Apple alleges that this infringes its patent. Back in 1999, Apple was awarded a patent called “System and Method for performing an action on a structure in computer-generated data”, which is the technical description for clicking on links, numbers and other elements within a text message to perform a related action.

Despite Apple’s allegations against Samsung, this feature has been used in feature phones before smartphones came on the scene as well. On earlier Nokia or Sony Ericsson phones too one could interact with numbers within an SMS to open a new dialog, and it’s pretty much a given these days on Android devices that are not made by Samsung as well.

Auto-correct on Android

Auto-correct
Apple alleges that the implementation of auto-correct in iOS has been ripped off by Samsung and Android. While on iOS, auto-cuorrect quite literally automatically corrects the last-typed word on hitting the space bar. On the other hand, Google displays options in a side-scrolling bar on top of the keyboard, but the default auto-corrected option is picked when you hit the space bar. Apple contends that hitting the space bar to accept the default auto-correct option has been patented by them and hence cannot be used by Android or indeed, Samsung.

Background data sync
If Apple manages to get a sales injunction on Samsung phones based on this patent, we could see a whole lot of changes in Android. The thing is that even though Apple is suing Samsung in the US, only one patent (the slide-to-unlock) is directly targetted at the Korean company. The other features are a standard part of Android, which Google developed. Samsung says that it cannot be held responsible for using features that were developed by Google and so there are a number of key witnesses in the current case from the Mountain View company. Andy Rubin, the co-creator of Android, could also be called up to the stand.

Background syncing essentially describes making a new entry within an app on an iPhone, which is automatically synced to the cloud service for off-device viewing. For example, if you make a new calendar entry on your iPhone, it would almost immediately show up on the web or desktop version of the app.

As Android users know fully well, when sync is on, any changes or entries made in apps such as Keep, Calendar, Contacts, Gmail, Chrome and other apps automatically show up on the non-mobile version of these apps too. So it could greatly limit the functionality of Android.

Universal search
Apple holds a patent for universal search, which allows users to search the local device as well as the web for a particular keyword, with just one tap. So if you are search for ‘Dictionary app’ using the searchbar on an iPhone, it would show you results from within the phone and the various apps where you can find this keyword, and also allow you to search the web through just one tap. In Apple’s case, it allows users to search the web or search on Wikipedia through the universal search feature.

Search in iOS 7

So these are the five patents that Apple alleges Samsung, and by extension, Android has violated. It must be noted that Apple is not naming Google in any of its charges, so this is definitely a Samsung-only legal attack, but if Google’s engineers provide concrete evidence of them working on these features independently of Apple’s work, then Apple may have to change its tack. The trial will proceed till the latter half of May at the very least, with three court days scheduled for each week this month, followed by jury deliberation. So we’ll have to wait over a month to find out Samsung’s fate.

Nexus project Ara

Google Ara: How the next Nexus project works

It’s time to get down to basics with the plug-and-play customizable smartphone platform known as Project Ara - or Google Ara. Paul Eremenko took the stage at Launch this week to show off a non-working prototype of the device we’ve seen several times in the recent past. This is Google’s vision, not just for the future of smartphones, but for the future of the individual parts of smartphones.

The device you’re seeing here is a high-fidelity industrial design prototype. While this is called "Project Ara" now, Eremenko suggests that, should it become a real device in the future (like Google Glass), it’d become Google Ara. As Eremenko takes the machine apart, piece by piece, it’s revealed that it all comes down to a piece of metal with a battery inside called an Endoskeleton.
Each slot in this Endoskeleton of Ara works with a 3 newton permanent magnet attached. Eremenko suggests that this is "just enough for you to put the modules in and be able to flip the device over without the modules falling out." You’ll also notice a bit of a lip over each segment to add a bit more hold - each area is a slot instead of a cubby.

The frame for this first iteration of Google Ara has a battery inside as well as connections between each of its slots. These connections allow for each module to communicate with the other, together creating a full smartphone experience. These connections use a protocol stack from MIPI (the mobile industry consortium) called M-PHY (on the physical layer), offering 10 Gigabits per 1x1 block.
In the base frame of Google Ara is a battery that's meant only as a reserve. To make the phone function fully, one of your modules must be a more traditionally-sized battery. The only thing Google restrains is the partitioning scheme - the 1x1, 2x1, etc sizing scheme for the hardware.
"Our goal here is to create a 3rd party ecosystem of module developers," says Eremenko, "to change the way innovation happens in the hardware space, and make it a lot more like the software and app store model."

Next what you’re seeing is a functional module. This module has a white enclosure - Eremenko is holding it in his hand - which is user-serviceable. This means that both the module bits inside and the casings are able to be swapped - you can make your phone look however you want as you make it function however you want.
Modules will be developed using a Module Developers Kit, that's an MDK, and we'll certainly be hearing a lot more about it as this project progresses. This includes an open platform specification and a reference implementation that allows developers to create for Google Ara. This developer program will be published in a little over a month.



Eremenko shows off a couple of custom-printed enclosures created by 3D Systems, a group that Google is partnered with for Ara to print 3D enclosures galore. This is the same company that’s 3D printing food, mind you.
"The consumer gets to decide exactly and only what functionality goes into the device," suggests Eremenko. "So if you don’t want a camera, if you want a really inexpensive and stripped-down phone, you can do that. In fact you can get a Wi-fi-only device."
The $50 Google Ara phone you may have heard of is also known - by the team here - as The Gray Phone. Working with only the basics - an application processor with Android, a display, and a Wi-fi module, this device is targeted at $50 for launch sometime in the near future.
"We're less interested in people's margins than we are in the pace of innovation in the hardware ecosystem." Eremenko continues, "I think that there are plenty of opportunities to make money out of a highly competitive ecosystem, but what we are after is getting the number of brains in that ecosystem up into the tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands. Comparable to Android app development."
New modules will be able to be printed. This opens up the door for at-home innovation and community-created creativity like we've never seen in the smartphone industry before.

One module could have a printed casing, but also a printed radio antenna, allowing the user to create connectivity to the carrier of their choice with only a file and the correct printer materials. You could also (even without printing yourself), hot-swap out a module to move your smartphone from one carrier to the other.
Another swapping opportunity comes in the containment of your data. Your identity - all of your settings and personal data - can be contained on one memory-based module that you can pull out easily. You can use this to switch between phones, to lend your phone to a friend, or whatever other odd bit you can think of.
Stay tuned as we continue to explore this environment through our Google Ara tag portal. We'll be following this one through the future - the long, expansive future, we hope!

Nokia's Android Phones Will Hurt Google, Not Microsoft

Nokia's Android Phones Will Hurt Google, Not Microsoft.

When the Finnish handset maker announced three handsets based on Nokia X software built on Android OS, many people saw it as a setback for Microsoft. Is Nokia trying to destroy the reputation of Microsoft's mobile platform before the 7.2 Billion dollar deal closes? The answer is a big "No". In fact, the Finns have taken Microsoft in confidence — otherwise you wouldn't have had Microsoft's fined tuned apps on Nokia X. Sure. Embracing Android just when the WP8 handsets have stared gaining momentum looks like a stupid move. However, if you look at the things closely, you'll realize that it's actually an incredibly bold (and somewhat risky) move from Stephen Elop, Nokia's CEO (soon to be the Head of Microsoft's Devices Business) to beat Google at its own game. No matter how weird it sounds, Android-powered Nokia handsets will be profitable to Nokia\Microsoft. Here's how:

Push WP Interface
The biggest strength of Microsoft’s platform is that it’s a completely fresh approach on smartphone interface. At the same time, it has also been the platform’s biggest issue. The tile based modern interface is unlike anything you see on the likes of Android and iOS. Because of this, users find the Windows Phone quite confusing. Well, a day or two is enough for anyone to get along with WP interface, but making the customer confident about that is the challenge Microsoft is facing now.

The solution: give customers Android devices with Windows Phone interface. That’s exactly what Nokia is doing. The company has replaced Android’s usual grid of icons, colourful app tiles. Even re-arranging these tiles is exactly like how it’s done on Windows Phone. The idea here that if a user gets used to the tile based interface, the person will eventually think about upgrading to Windows Phone platform that offers more responsive and dynamic tiles.

Slump Google's Revenue
Android being an open source software, is free for handset manufacturers. However, the search giant charges OEMs to licence its services including Play Store, Gmail, Maps, and Google Drive. Most manufacturers don't have software expertise and infrastructure to create and alternative for Google's offerings. So these companies end up paying certain amount of money to Google. On the other hand, Nokia is backed by Microsoft, who has an answer to every Google product. Since Nokia is going to be a subsidiary of Microsoft, it won't have to pay a dime. Moreover, in-app purchases will be powered by Nokia's own app repository. In short, Nokia X won't generate cash for Google.
The combination of Nokia and Android will definitely bite a big chunk of the smatphone market. Even if they grab 10-15 percent marketshare at the cost of conventional Android OEMs, it will result in millions of Android devices that don't generate revenue for Google.

Promote Microsoft Services
Lack of Google services on Nokia X is an opportunity for Microsoft to deliver its services to millions of new users. Bing traffic is already seeing an increase with the rising popularity of Windows Phone platform. With dirt-cheap Android phones from Nokia, the user base will at least double in no time. People who have bothered with OneDrive cloud service, will actually give it go and pit it against Google’s offering. Similarly, Outlook and Skype will give the Gmail and Hangouts a run for its money.

Microsoft seems to have realised that once you have the users, revenue follows. So the idea here is to make people get used to MS services, which will make the WP switch easier. The need of the hour for the company is making its services popular rather than hoping to make money out of Windows Phone licencing fees.

More Revenue For Nokia
After off-loading its Devices & Services business to Microsoft for around 7.2 Billion dollars, Nokia still retains HERE maps and NSN businesses. The Finnish company has to find avenues to bring in cash after selling its devices business. Windows Phone devices are powered by Nokia’s HERE maps. As they say more the merrier, Nokia can generate more revenue by introducing its offline sat nav expertise to wider audience. Since Google’s Play Music service doesn’t work in India yet, Nokia’s Mix Radio can be an instant hit among Android users.

OneDrive vs.Dropbox vs.Google Drive vs. Box

OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, and Box: Which cloud storage service is right for you?

Which cloud storage service is for you?

Microsoft gave its cloud storage service a makeover today, replacing the now-defunct SkyDrive with the shiny, new OneDrive. After a legal battle, Microsoft changed the name and used the opportunity to add a few new features to its cloud option.

Though not much about SkyDrive changes in the switch to OneDrive, we're taking this opportunity to outline the differences and give you a guide to the other popular cloud storage options out there. Whether you're unhappy with your current cloud service or have never dabbled in keeping your files in the cloud, this primer will help you get acquainted with the major (and some of the minor) players out there.




OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive)

First up is OneDrive, Microsoft's storage option. Those who use Windows 8 and 8.1 have OneDrive built into their operating system, where it shows up in the file explorer next to all of the files on your computer's hard drive. However, anyone can use it on the Web, by downloading a desktop app for Mac and earlier versions of Windows, or the OneDrive Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and Xbox apps.

You can store any kind of file in the service, including photos, video, and documents, and then access them from any of your Windows PCs or mobile devices. The service organizes your files by type for you, so it's easy to find what you need.

OneDrive's biggest strength is that it works closely with Microsoft Office apps, such as Word or PowerPoint, so when you launch one of those applications you'll see a list of recent documents, including those saved to OneDrive. If you have an Office 365 subscription and open a document saved in OneDrive, you can collaborate on it in real time with other people. You'll even be able to see the changes they make as they make them. With the launch of OneDrive, Microsoft updated its Android app to add automatic photo uploads, meaning that when you shoot a photo with your phone, it's automatically saved to OneDrive. That same feature has been available on iOS and Windows Phone for a while.

Microsoft is hoping that OneDrive will be the place where you store your photos, and the company is working on technology that will eventually sort all of the photos you take based on how important and meaningful they are. For instance, if you take a photo of your kids, a picture of a special meal, and a shot of your parking space so you can find your car later, OneDrive would be able to understand the importance of each picture, save the ones it thinks are the most useful, and trash the rest. That's still big-picture stuff for OneDrive, but it gives you an idea of the direction Microsoft is moving in.

Where it excels

OneDrive works seamlessly with Windows devices because it's baked into the Windows operating systems running on PCs, tablets, and Windows Phone. It's easy to open and edit files from OneDrive in Microsoft's other applications, such as Word or the Photos app. Since OneDrive is closely tied with Office, it's a good choice for anyone who uses Office frequently.

Where it falls flat

If you don't have all Windows devices, OneDrive doesn't have as much appeal. There are apps for other devices, but it's clear that OneDrive is really meant for the Windows set.

In order to use OneDrive, you must sign up for a Microsoft account, which gives you access to Outlook, Xbox Live, and other Microsoft services. Whether or not you want all those extras is up to you.

One last note; Microsoft has a stricter code of conduct for the files you upload to OneDrive than any other cloud service. You may not store any file that depicts any kind of nudity, or that incites, advocates, or expresses pornography or racism, to name a few. It's tough to say how vigorously Microsoft enforces these restrictions, but they are nonetheless part of the Terms of Service you agree to when you sign up to use OneDrive.

Best for: If you have a Windows PC, tablet, and phone, and need to get to your files from any device with little effort.




Dropbox

Dropbox is a favorite in the cloud storage world because it's reliable, easy to use, and a breeze to set up. Your files live in the cloud and you can get to them at any time from Dropbox's Web site, desktop applications for Mac, Windows, and Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, or compile your own), or the iOS, Android, BlackBerry, and Kindle Fire mobile apps.

You can store any kind of file in Dropbox, by either uploading to the Web site or adding it with the desktop apps. Those apps live in your file system so that you can easily move files from your computer to the cloud and vice versa by dragging and dropping them into your Dropbox folder. The service automatically and quickly syncs your files across all of your devices, so you can access everything, everywhere. There is no size limit on files you upload to Dropbox with the desktop or mobile apps, but larger files can take several hours to upload, depending on your connection speed.

Dropbox gets a lot of praise for its clean design, and rightfully so. Though I am not a fan of Dropbox's Web site because the design is very basic and it doesn't give you many options to view and organize your files, its mobile apps and desktop apps are beautiful and easy to navigate.

Dropbox gives its users plenty of opportunities to get extra storage to beef up the paltry 2GB you get when you sign up. If you participate in the quick Getting Started tutorial, you get 250MB. Turn on the automatic photo upload feature on any of the mobile apps to get 3GB of extra space (you can get only 3GB total, not per device). You can earn 500MB for each friend you refer to Dropbox who actually signs up for the service, up to 16 GB total, or 32 referrals. If you have a brand-new HTC or Samsung phone on select mobile carriers (T-Mobile and Sprint, to name a few) with the Dropbox app pre-installed, you can earn up to 48GB of additional storage for up to two years, depending on the device.

Where it excels

Dropbox's greatest strength is that it works equally well on PCs and Macs, Android and iOS. The service is so simple and elegantly designed, that it's easy for anyone to master. Its desktop applications seamlessly blend with your computer's file system.

Where it falls flat

In my experience, Dropbox's Web site design is one of the weakest of the cloud storage services. It's simple and clean, but you can't control the way your files are displayed. However, you do get many more sharing options on the Dropbox Web site, which almost makes up for the bare bones design.

Best for: Simple sharing when you use tons of different kinds of devices.


Google Drive

What started as just a handful of helpful online office tools called Google Docs, has transformed into Google Drive, a complete office suite with cloud storage. You get a little bit of everything with this service, including a word processor, spreadsheet application, and presentation builder, plus 5GB of storage space.

If you already have a Google account, you can already access Google Drive. You just have to head to drive.google.com and enable the service. You get 15GB of storage for anything you upload to Drive, including photos, videos, documents, Photoshop files and more. However, you have to share that 15GB with your Gmail account, photos you upload to Google+, and any documents you create in Google Drive.

While you can access any of your files from the Drive Web site, you can also download the Drive desktop app for Mac and PC to manage your files from your computer. You can organize all of your files in the desktop app, and they'll sync with the cloud so you can get to them anywhere.

Drive is built into Google's Web-based operating system Chromium, so if you have a Chromebook, Google Drive is your best cloud storage option. Like other cloud storage services, Drive has apps for iOS and Android, so you can manage your files from your phone.

Google Drive has the benefit of a built-in office suite, where you can edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, even if you created the document in another program. The service also a large collection of extras, such as third-party apps that can send faxes or sign documents.

What I like most about Google Drive is that you can drag and drop files into the Drive Web site and they'll be uploaded automatically. You can also preview attachments from Gmail in Google Drive, and save those files to your cloud.

Where it excels

Google Drive requires very little setup if you already have a Google account. What's more, if you use Gmail, it's easy to save attachments from your e-mail directly to Drive with just a few clicks.

Where it falls flat

While you can organize your files and photos in Google Drive, there's no way to automatically upload photos from your phone directly to the service. Instead, Google has an Auto Backup feature in the Google+ mobile apps, which sends your photos to your Google+ profile. I'd like for Google to create a central space where I can store and upload all of my files that combines the best of Google+'s photo editing features and Google Drive's document editing tools.

Best for: Google diehards, or anyone who wants a few office tools with their cloud storage.



Box

Anyone can sign up for a free individual account on Box, but the service's endless list of sharing and privacy features were built specifically for business and IT users. Beyond the basic cloud storage setup, where you can store just about any kind of file, Box lets you share files with colleagues, assign tasks, leave comments on someone's work, and get notifications when a file changes.

You can preview files from Box's Web site and even create basic text documents in Box. Like other cloud storage services, you can download a desktop app and sync your files between your hard drive and the cloud.

Box also gives you a lot of control over the privacy of your files. For example, you can decide who in your business can view and open specific folders and files, as well as who can edit and upload documents. You can even password-protect individual files and set expiration dates for shared folders.

Business users can also connect other apps, such as Salesforce and NetSuite, so that you can easily save documents to Box. There are also plug-ins for Microsoft Office and Adobe Lightroom that let you open and edit files saved to Box from those applications.

Where it excels

For business customers, Box is a great choice because it comes with so many tools for collaboration and file privacy control.

Where it falls flat

While anyone can sign up for a free individual account on Box, the service's endless list of sharing and privacy features can be lost on someone who's just using the service for personal storage. Because of all those features, it can feel overwhelming to navigate the Box Web site if you're only trying to manage a few files and folders.

Best for: Teams of employees working together on projects, and large companies that need a place to securely share documents with everyone.