Google Drive for Team Projects

Google has introduced an evolution of Google Docs: Drive, a service that stores photos and videos in addition to documents. The new service will likely compete with both Dropbox for cloud storage and Microsoft's similar product, SkyDrive.

The advantages of Drive over Dropbox are clear: in Dropbox, users can only store files; they can't edit documents as they can in Google Docs and Drive. The tougher choice is between Google Drive and Microsoft SkyDrive. PCWorld compared the services in these articles:

• Four Reasons Google Wins Out
• Five Reasons Microsoft SkyDrive is Better Than Google Drive

For students, the decision may come down to ease of access (Drive doesn't require another login if they're already on Gmail) versus software (SkyDrive uses Microsoft files, which are more standard and feature rich than Google Docs). A minor issue for students is privacy. People have expressed concern over Drive's "terms of service," but the risks may be exaggerated, and I'm not too worried about my students' revealing trade secrets during their team projects.

Discussion Starters:

• What are the advantages of Google Drive over Google Docs?
• Which service would you prefer: Google Drive or Microsoft SkyDrive? Why?