Google has used its I/O keynote to launch a new cloud-based storage service for your images and videos, Google Photos.
Having been teased in recent weeks, Google Photos is now not only official, but already available for use, with the search giant confirming its innovative Dropbox rival will launch immediately.
Offering unlimited, fee-free image storage, Google Photos is available across all of your connected devices and offers seamless image storage, cataloguing, and sharing options.
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“First, we wanted a home for all your photos and videos. A private place to keep a lifetime of memories, available from any device. We wanted it to be fast, intuitive and beautiful.
Further detailing the idea behind Photos, he added: “Second, we wanted to help you organise and bring your moments to life. An app that takes the work out of photos and lets you focus on making memories, not managing them.
“Third, make it easy to share and save what matters. Sharing should be simple and reliable, and when you’re on the receiving end, it should be simply to hold on the photos and videos you care about.”
So, how does Google Photos work? Well, quite simply. The app-based service will access all of your device-shot images and videos, instantly backing them up to the cloud service.
From there, you will be able to log in to any device, accessing your categorised images.
What’s more, to make it easier to sift through years of images, you can pinch to zoom in and out of a date-based image timeline, or make use of Google’s Machine Learning search algorithms to pick out certain memories.
For example, typing ‘snow’ or ‘beach’ into the image search, will bring up those winter/summer holiday snaps of years gone by, all with little leg work.
Add ‘snow in Canada’ and image geotagging kicks in to further narrow down the target shots.
Content won’t be stripped back either, with Google confirming most memories will be stored in their original form.
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Amazingly, this unlimited storage won’t cost you a penny – although you might have to sell your soul to Google.
“When we say this a home for all of your photos and videos, we want everyone to be able to safely back up and store a lifetime of memories,” Sabharwal explained. “That’s why we are announcing, with Google Photos, that you can now back-up and store unlimited high quality photos and videos for free.”
Google Photos will launch later today, May 28, with the service originally landing on iOS, web and, of course, Android.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
