It all started last week with Dropbox alerting me of a drop in storage space due to an HTC Dropbox promotion expiring. This meant I was going to lose all the storage space I had thoughts was for a lifetime and enough to manage with.
So I decided to take some action. Using my Macbook Pro and the Chrome web browser I was able to copy files straight from Dropbox to Google Drive. I got carried away and ended up moving all my photos to Google Drive. I still have to double check to see if there any other files, photos and documents left that need copying, but I do not believe that there is much more to transfer.
I was initially only going to move enough files to be under the lower Dropbox limit, but once I could see how Google Drive functioned with a neat file structure, and decent sized photo thumbnails I was sold. At some point in 2014, I uploaded my entire music collection to Google Play music. And then it dawned on me.
Everything I have is on Google’s cloud. And it all works. I still have a few items on Dropbox for specific apps. Heck, I even have other cloud services like OneDrive from Microsoft.
But here is the icing on the cake for me. My MacBook Prop is dying. I cannot see the point of spending the amount of money I did 5 to 6 years ago on a replacement when I don’t use all its features and its very expensive.
I will simply get a Chromebook which will cost a fraction of a macbook. My investigations in to this type of device have come to the conclusion that a Chromebook is a simple efficient piece of hardware, Google biased but will still do everything I require.
And should I get another Apple iOS device in the future, all the Google apps are available on the iPhone or iPad.
And now with any new android phone, it takes just one login to have access to my world.
So what do you think?
Gavin's Gadgets & Photography 
Gavin i had a similar email from Dropbox about loss of HTC promotion. So did the same as you. It appears i have 100gb of Drive space, not sure where i got that from.
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You get 100gb on Drive when you activate a Chromebook. Or at least I did when I got my HP Chromebook last summer.
I used it a lot, until I got a MacBook Pro and found out you can run Chrome apps on the Pro, including the Chrome store. Best of both worlds, plus the capability of Windows on one device. Amazing!
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Was there anything on the chromebook you couldn’t do?
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Hi,
I’ve been pleased with my change over to android and the drive storage. I have all my music and documents on it. I like the way it works, It duplicates OneDrive because I’m so scared of losing things😁
I too have sold my soul to Google. Now I’m looking at android phones to match my shiny new tablet. I am thinking M9😊
I still have my 620, this is now my back up phone. I hardly ever use the laptop now. Only to load my DSLR into. Great reviews and articles😁
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Thanks Julie ☺☺
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Gavin, If you can answer a few questions please… Is the Drive storage permanent, and what was the limit? Also, on Dropbox, I have the option of syncing my PC to it. Is the same option available on Drive? I love your blog by the by. Thanks!
Lee
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Hi Lee. The storage is temporary but the actual cost when it expires is minimal and likely to drop in cost by that time. Yes you can get Drive for Mac which is like Dropbox. I would assume Google has same for PC too.
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Glad you like my blog too ☺
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I really must try to use a Chromebook as a day to day device. My reservation has been Photoshop and the other desktop grade Applications. But they are only needed at specific times. So are you using a Chromebook most of the time?
How did your Google Drive experience work out during the last year?
Thanks for your site.
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Hi Paul. The CB works great for nearly everything. I have Adobe Lightroom for raw camera work. And another pro photography app. They are all I need a computer for. Even then their use dwindles as times moves on.
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