Amazon's Cloud Drive mobile apps were finally released. The new apps will allow users of Amazon's online storage service to view all their files on Android or iOS. However, this is not yet an Amazon complete cloud storage solution, editing and uploaded features are missing from the new Cloud Drive mobile apps from Amazon.
The new Amazon Cloud Drive apps will allow mobile users to preview documents and photos, view files and folders, play music and videos, and share their files to other apps. The suite of apps has an emphasis on productivity and it is intended as an all-purpose complement to the Amazon's previous music and photo specific apps.
The Cloud Drive app contains three folders for videos, pictures and documents. While the Pictures folder has by default a section for "Fire Camera", the Videos folder does not. The Android and iOS versions of Cloud Drive apps are similarly laid out, which is helpful for those users who utilize both platforms. The user interface is plain and straightforward, and updating the app will be easier.
Cloud Drive from Amazon competes with other online storage services as Google Drive, Dropbox, and Microsoft OneDrive. However, Amazon's Cloud Drive offers the cheapest unlimited storage plan from them all, at only $60 per year. Another plan option offers 5GB storage for all files and unlimited photo storage for $12 per year. Subscribers of Amazon Prime can even get this plan for free.
While Amazon's online storage service is the most competitive in terms of price, it's just not as competitive on features. For example, the only way to add files from a computer to cloud storage is through a drag-and-drop interface, since Amazon doesn't offer a desktop sync app. This is not convenient for users who intend to automatically make their photos, music files or documents through the cloud.
Amazon's new Cloud Drive mobile apps come with even more limited features. They don't offer the possibility to edit files, move them around or upload new ones. By using the sync feature in Amazon's Photos app, users can still upload their photos, but syncing or editing a document is not possible yet from tablets or phones.
Providing tie-ins to the company's other services and devices, and coming at low prices, the new online storage apps from Amazon are a sign that the company is planning to position itself on this market more seriously. We hope that Amazon plans to invest soon in developing mobile apps with compete set of features. This is important matter for the future success of Amazon on the online storage market. With extended functionality Amazon's Cloud Drive could become a killer app.
