You still access and manage files at the Cloud Drive Web site, but uploading has never been easier.
(Credit:
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)
Amazon announced today that its Cloud Drive storage apps (
Windows |
Mac)
are available for download, so I went ahead and downloaded the apps on
both my desktop machines to check them out. The service was already
available at the
Amazon Cloud Drive Web site, but with a dedicated app you get easy access for storing just about any type of file on the fly.
Click the icon to bring up a menu for quick access to the Web site, upload status, and a few other options.
(Credit:
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)
After a fairly easy setup (requiring my Amazon account log-in info), a
cloud-shaped icon was placed in my system tray (in the menu bar on the
Mac)
for easy access. Upon first launch, Amazon gives you a quick four-step
tour for how to use the Cloud Drive storage app. It shows how to store
documents, photos, and videos by either right-clicking a file and
choosing "Upload to Cloud Drive" or by dragging and dropping the file to
the icon. I found that the "Upload to Cloud Drive" contextual menu
option worked only on Windows right away. On my Mac, the icon showed up
in the menu bar, and I could drag-and-drop files, but I was only able to
use the right-click contextual menu item once I restarted my Mac.
There's little in the way of interface for the new app on either
platform beyond a few options in the pop-up menu from the cloud icon.
Managing and moving files to appropriate folders will still take place
on the Web site, but you can access the site easily from the pop-up menu
as well. You also have the option to choose your download folder for
files. On the site, the interface is highly intuitive so you shouldn't
have much trouble navigating to files and moving them to appropriate
folders.
The free Amazon Cloud Drive service, which has been out for some
time, comes with 5GB of storage space, but you can upgrade to get more
space with several tiered packages, with each tier working out to a
dollar a gigabyte. You can choose from 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, or 1,000GB
(so a 200GB-per-year subscription will run you $200, working out to
$16.75 per month). Most people will probably be able to get away with
using the free version, but it will require strict file management the
closer you get to your cap.
You'll need to restart to get the Mac contextual menu item shown here.
(Credit:
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)
In my tests, I drag-and-dropped files to the icon and also tried the
right-click to upload method, and both uploaded files quickly and
easily. The only improvement I might like to see is the ability to view
files already on the Cloud Drive from the contextual menu, but with the
Web site only a click away, it's hard to be annoyed that this feature
has been left out.
Is it worth your time? If you want to keep files in the cloud so you
have easy access from an icon on your computer desktop wherever you are,
Amazon Cloud Drive couldn't be easier to use. It's true the Cloud Drive
Web site is easily accessible, but for the convenience of drag-and-drop
and contextual menu file uploads, grabbing the free desktop app is a
no-brainer
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