Google Drive can now host your Static Webpage

Google Drive has turned on a feature that lets the cloud storage service become a limited web host.

It's long been possible to allow others to access data stored in the service, which can produce a URL for files. The new tweak means it's possible to ask for a “Preview” of an HTML file stored in Google Drive. Doing so renders the page and produces a URL that, once copied and pasted, can be used by anyone to access the page.

The feature is sophisticated enough that a quick bit of coding produced this page, with a lengthy JavaScript and graphics stored in the same Google Drive folder appearing just as the code intends. We've not tested the promised ability to handle CSS.

The Cloud Storage provider's have not said how far the service will scale, but it seems unlikely that will be much of a problem given this is hardly a heavyweight hosting platform. Google's not alone in offering a simple service: Amazon Web Services allows users of its simple storage service to serve static HTML from the “buckets” it uses to contain files.

Amazon charges for the privilege of doing so. Google does not, unless one uses paid versions of its Apps.

In these days of widget-populated free blogging platforms and Facebook it is hard to imagine a stampede towards this new service. Developers, however, may appreciate the extra collaborative opportunities it presents.

Cloud Data Storage Providers that Offers Freemium Service

Probably you've got important documents, videos, music or other stuffs that needs to be shared across multiple devices, using cloud storage technology is for now the easiest option you've got and the number of people it are increasingly by day.

Cloud Storage has come to say and with so many cloud service providers, you may be wondering which one could be right for you. The list below will help you based on general summary of each popular cloud service.

First, let look at what cloud storage is for the benefit of those that don't know what it is. According to wikipedia

Cloud storage is a model of networked online storage where data is stored in virtualized pools of storage which are generally hosted by third parties. Hosting companies operate large data centers, and people who require their data to be hosted buy or lease storage capacity from them. The data center operators, in the background, virtualize the resources according to the requirements of the customer and expose them as storage pools, which the customers can themselves use to store files or data objects. Physically, the resource may span across multiple servers.The safety of the files depends upon the hosting websites.
Cloud storage services may be accessed through a web service application programming interface (API), a cloud storage gateway or through a Web-based user interface.

1. Mega

Mega is a cloud storage provider and successor to Megaupload. The website was launched on 19 January 2013 to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the seizure of Megaupload. After the Gabonese Republic denied the new company the domain name me.ga, Kim Dotcom, the don in-charge announced it would instead be registered in his adopted home of New Zealand under the domain name mega.co.nz.

Currently, free users will get 50 GB of free storage space and total bandwidth will be limited, from 1 to 8 TB per month, for paid accounts. Free account bandwidth is not currently disclosed.

2. SkyDrive

SkyDrive (officially Microsoft SkyDrive, previously Windows Live SkyDrive and Windows Live Folders) is a file hosting service that allows users to upload and sync files to a cloud storage and then access them from a Web browser or their local device. It is part of the Windows Live range of online services and allows users to keep the files private, share them with contacts, or make the files public. Publicly shared files do not require a Microsoft account to access.

The service offers 7 GB of free storage for new users. Additional storage is available for purchase. Users who signed up to SkyDrive prior to April 22, 2012 could opt-in for a limited time offer of 25 GB of free storage upgrade. The service is built using HTML5 technologies, and files up to 300 MB can be uploaded via drag and drop into the web browser, or up to 2 GB via the SkyDrive desktop application for Microsoft Windows and OS X.

3. Google Drive

Google Drive is a file storage and synchronization service by Google that was released on April 24, 2012. Google Drive is now the home of Google Docs, a suite of productivity applications, that offer collaborative editing on documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more. Rumors about Google Drive began circulating as early as March 2006.

Google Drive gives all users 5 GB of cloud storage to start with. A user can get additional storage, which is shared between Picasa and Google Drive, from 25 GB up to 16 TB through a paid monthly subscription plan ($2.49 US per month for 25 GB).

4. Box

Box Inc. (formerly Box.net) is an online file sharing and Cloud content management service for enterprise companies. The company has adopted a freemium business model, and provides 5 GB of free storage for personal accounts. A mobile version of the service is available for Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, iPad, WebOS, and Windows Phone devices. The company is based in Los Altos, California.

5. MediaFire

MediaFire is a free file and image hosting web site that started in 2005 and is located in Shenandoah, Texas, United States. MediaFire include 50 GB of cloud storage and a limit of 200 MB per file (250 GB of storage and 4GB of file size limit for Pro users and 1000 GB of storage and 10 GB of file size limit for Business users).MediaFire provides users with the ability to create image galleries from folders of images and view and share common document, presentation, and spreadsheet file types inside the web browser. MediaFire's free account service does not require download activity in order to preserve files, and is thus often suitable as a temporary or secondary backup solution although MediaFire does not officially support free data warehousing (long-term storage for inactive accounts).

How to stream your music from the cloud for free

Cloud storage is popping up everywhere lately, and businesses are scrambling to fill niches. While the Amazon Cloud Drive looks like a solid contender to take over the streaming-media territory, its cost (and potential legal issues) drive many users to look elsewhere. MiMedia, which started out as a cloud backup service, has added a simple media player to its 7GB of free storage to create a virtual MP3 player usable on any Web-enabled device. Here's how to get started:

1) Start a free account with MiMedia and install the application (currently Windows-only, with a Mac version promised for the near future) on a computer that has access to your music collection.

2) Set up the MiMedia application and tell it where to find the music you want to stream. (it's simpler if you keep it separate from the rest of your collection if it exceeds 7GB.)

Step 2: Choose music to back up to the cloud.

3) If you decided to go with one of MiMedia's paid plans offering more storage, you now have the option of getting a "shuttle drive" sent to you via priority mail that you fill up and then send back. Depending on your network setup, this may actually offer you better bandwidth, but only if you've got a pretty massive collection to stream.

4) Now you need to wait while MiMedia backs up your files to the cloud. Depending on your connection speed, network traffic, and any number of other factors, this is likely to take quite some time, so you may need to get back to work or take a walk or call it a night before proceeding. Seriously, a 7GB upload takes time for most of us.

5) Once it's up, just log in to your account on the MiMedia site from any Web-enabled device and navigate to "music," "photos," or "videos" to stream your media. The interface is slick and straightforward, and it's easy to find media based on tags or sorted lists. It's even easier to play files--just click the play symbol and your stream should start almost instantly. Controls are pretty stripped-down, but they do cover the essential basics like seek and shuffle.

Step 5: Play your music.

That's all there is to it! If this works for you, it may be worthwhile to subscribe and get more storage space; for less than half the cost of a 160GB iPod each year, you get 250GB of permanent cloud storage. If you trust your connectivity, that may be quite a deal.