"Something else to worry our readers about," comments David Passell as he forwards this URL to us. At the end of the article click on “How to secure your computer and online accounts” for 10 actions to consider for your protection.
Might Want to Delete Old iCloud Backups
"If you'd want to delete old iCloud backups to free up more storage space on your iPhone or iPad, take a read on this article," Jim Hamm informs us.
"Looking at my iPhone 6 I saw that 462 MB of data was stored there from my old iPhone 5. I didn't really need that backup anymore, so I could have freed up this storage space if I'd needed/wanted to.
Jim Hamm goes on to say, "Also, as you scroll down the list of apps you have on your device you can stop any of them from being included in future iCloud updates, should you want to. Since I have plenty of storage space available I let them all continue to be included in future updates. But this is good to remember if, in the future, I start running tight on iCloud storage space."
iCloud Files Gone? Forever?
This link prompted Jim Hamm's remark, "I'm not sure I understand all this, but what I do understand I don't like the sound of." See for yourself here.
Google May Have Won the Cloud Wars
Here's that word FREE. "For the storage of your photos, Google Photos is free, has unlimited storage, and is available on iOS devices. What's not to like about this scenario?" asks Jim Hamm. See http://bgr.com/2015/05/28/google-may-have-just-won-the-cloud-wars-with-google-photos/ and take a look at this article, dated 5-28-15: http://bgr.com/tag/google-io-2015/
Beat Storage Devices: USB Flash to RAID
David Passell relates this helpful info: "While the cloud has appeared just in time to offer free and easy access to gigabytes of storage space, some people like to keep their data close to hand. Here are some of the best storage devices money can buy that will help you keep your data safe." http://www.zdnet.com/best-storage-devices-from-usb-flash-drives-to-raid-units-7000023992/
Box Cloud Storage
On the lookout for helpful info, Jim Hamm writes, "Here is an article describing a problem with the cloud-storage company, Box -- it's losing money big time. Now it's going to do an IPO, but looking at the numbers and the huge losses, why would anyone want to buy this stock? Not me.
"If one wants to store their data, pictures, etc., in the cloud, be sure you are comfortable that the company is going to be around so you can access your data later on. This is the reason I'm more comfortable backing my 'stuff' up to my own external hard drive."
"If one wants to store their data, pictures, etc., in the cloud, be sure you are comfortable that the company is going to be around so you can access your data later on. This is the reason I'm more comfortable backing my 'stuff' up to my own external hard drive."
Google Drive Cuts Your Costs
"Like to store your 'stuff' in the Cloud? Google Drive has just cut their Cloud storage costs. Here's the article," Jim Hamm says.
Box App for iPhone & iPad
Here's that word, FREE, as Prez Art Gorski tells about an app named Box. "Box is an alternative to DropBox for storing files in the 'cloud.' They’ve just released new iPhone and iPad apps and, if you install one of these and sign up now, you’ll get 50GB of free on-line storage." http://blog.box.com/2014/01/get-the-all-new-box-for-iphone-and-ipad-50bg-free/
Storage Security?
Yes, we're still concerned about storage security. Jim Hamm writes, "For your possible interest, here is an article about storage security -- or lack thereof -- in the cloud. For reasons mentioned in the article, I don't, and wouldn't, store passwords in the cloud. I wouldn't even use a Password Manager to store passwords in the cloud."
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9241553/No_your_data_isn_t_secure_in_the_cloud?taxonomyId=223&pageNumber=1
More Storage -- FREE
That word gets our attention: FREE! Jim Hamm notifies us, "If you use Gmail for your email client, here's good news: you've now got 15GB of storage -- up from 10GB previously."
There's some Unified Cloud Storage for FREE across Google Drive, Gmail and Google+Photos. After the first 15GB the upgrade plan starts at only $4.99 a month for 100GB. The next couple of weeks brings the staged roll out.
Cloud: Pro & Con
Here's a risk that Jim Hamm describes, "Storing 'stuff' in the Cloud has its advantages, but also a real risk, too. Take a read on this article where Google just shut an individual off from his Cloud storage. He hadn't done anything wrong to violate any of Google's policies, but someone or something at Google thought he had."
(Scroll down and consider the logic of those 95 comments already posted on that site.)
"Trying to contact someone at Google to find out why this happened is a lost cause. Fortunately, this guy had friends that worked at Google and they ultimately were able to help him. But thee and me? I think we'd be out of luck if Google shoved us off the Cloud.
"Which brings me to Gmail. For quite some time I've used Google's web-based Gmail for all my email storage. i no longer download anything to my computers or iPad -- I do everything online. What if Google suddenly shut me off from my Gmail account? All of my emails -- both read and unread -- are stored there, not on my computer. Not a pleasant thought to contemplate. I'd survive, but what a pain.
Here's Jim's conclusion, "I would never store anything of value in the Cloud. I much prefer an external hard drive for my extra storage. Could something like this happen with a Microsoft or Apple Cloud storage? I'd guess it's possible. Just something for you to think about when you use the Cloud."
More Options for Cloud Storage
"Several options to store items in the Cloud have become available recently, and Amazon offers another one." See the article here. Jim Hamm passes along these details. "You can get 5 GB free, and Amazon even has a desktop app available. One good use of Cloud storage, as an example, is to store pictures that you want to keep in a couple — or more — of Cloud locations. This way, you've always got a backup of those important pictures you don't want to lose — and free up storage space on the disk in your computer."
Half-Baked Cloud: Read This
"Before you sign up for the new Google Drive," Prez Art Gorski gets our attention, "have a look at this review." Three paragraphs down you'll find a privacy warning spelled out.
Want Lots More FREE Storage?
Jim Hamm immediately gets our attention with, "Would you like 7GB of free storage?" There's that word FREE. He goes on to suggest, "Take a look at Microsoft's SkyDrive, which is explained in the following article. I just set it up, and it functions just like Dropbox, only with a lot more storage:
"Or, you could consider the new Google Drive, which offers 5GB of free storage. See here.
"Or, set them both up. Coupled with Apple's iCloud free storage of 5GB, you now have 17GB of free 'Cloud' storage available. What's not to like about this? Of course, it might be a bit confusing remembering what you've got stored where....(grin)...." Jim
Google Drive vs. The Rest of Them
"With interest in the Cloud increasing with more competing services, this article may interest our members," remarks David Passell. "I don't see any mention of Apple's service (iCloud??? don't even remember what it's called). We use Dropbox." The article compares Google Drive, SkyDrive, DropBox, Box, and SugarSync.