Amazon has gained a step ahead of competitors Apple Inc. and Google when they introduced their locker services Cloud Drive and Cloud Player earlier today.
The Cloud Drive and Cloud Player services enable Amazon users and customers to store their music in the cloud and play it on any computer (Mac or PC) or any Android-powered mobile device. Users can either upload their own music library or save any mp3 purchases made on Amazon directly to their Amazon Cloud Drive for free.
Customers automatically get a FREE 5G Cloud Drive storage account and those who purchase an Amazon MP3 album will automatically get an upgraded 20GB Cloud Drive space (good for 1 year from date of purchase). Amazon MP3 purchases are saved directly to the Cloud Drive, stored for free and doesn’t count against the storage quota.
The Cloud Player for the Web enables customers to listen to the music stored on their Cloud Drive using any computer. It also allows users to manage their music files and playlists. Cloud Player for Web currently supports Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari for Mac, and Chrome. Cloud Player for Android is a mobile version of the Cloud Player for the web – so it basically does everything that the Cloud Player for the Web does on any Android-powered device like tablets and smartphones. Some notable features include ability to search and browse by artist, album or song, create playlists and dowload music directly from the Cloud Drive. The Cloud Player for Android is now bundled into the new version of the Amazon MP3 app.
Files uploaded to the Cloud Drive are securely stored on Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) and each individual file are uploaded in it’s original bit rate. Aside from music files, users can also upload and store other types of digital files like photos, videos and documents. If 5GB is not enough, customers have the option to purchase storage plans which start at $20/year for 20GB of storage.
Cloud Drive and Cloud Player services features:
| Cloud Drive | Cloud Player Web | Cloud Player Android | ||||
| Cost |
-5 GB: Free
-20 GB: Free for one year with purchase of MP3 album -Additional storage plans starting at $20 a year |
-Free |
-Free |
|||
| Storage |
-Digital Music
-Videos -Photos -Documents |
-N/A |
-N/A |
|||
| Format |
-Music: Any type of file
-Video: Any type of file
-Pictures: Any type of file -Documents: Any type of file |
-Music: MP3, AAC |
-Music: MP3, AAC |
|||
| Compatible
Devices |
-Macs
-PCs |
-Android Phones
-Android Tablets
-Macs -PCs |
-Android Phones
-Android Tablets |
|||
| Audio Quality |
-N/A |
-Original bit rate of your music file | -Original bit rate of your music file | |||
| Basic Features | -Upload, download, move, copy, delete, rename. |
-Upload, download, playback, playlist management |
-Upload, download, playback, playlist management | |||
I already have an Amazon Prime account so I don’t have to sign up but I haven’t uploaded any music or digital files nor have tried the Cloud Drive and Cloud Player services yet. Will try it out later and see how it works. Too bad they only have the mobile version on Android. I hope they also release an iOS version of the Cloud Player and I think they should if they really want to compete with iTunes. A desktop client would also be nice so users won’t have to login and navigate through Amazon’s website.
Anyone already signed up and using Amazon’s Cloud Drive and Cloud Player services? How do you like it so far? Are you using the free 5G account or did you purchase extra storage? If you’re not using Amazon’s Cloud Drive and Cloud Player services, which online service are you using to store your music and other digital files?
I take a look last night, it’s quite nice. 5GB of space for free and you can upload a single 2GB file.
Though it can not work as a music streaming service for me because I live outside the US and there are restrictions on the MP3s Amazon sells.
One thing that I really wish Amazon Cloud Drive had was the ability to share the files to your friends or contacts.
@Jhay – Yeah, it really is cool. I’m waiting for what Google and Apple has to offer in response to this service. Btw, I didn’t know that the Amazon Cloud Drive and Player aren’t available outside the US. That sucks!
Regarding file sharing, I don’t think they’d allow that coz if they did, some users will turn it into a P2P network. LOL
yet another reason to switch to android phones :p
@Jorge – Haha..I know! I’m kinda thinking about it, switching to an Android phone. Will wait until my contract is done and we’ll see. :D