The Cloud

U3A New Tech4 February 2013

Mike Hender

Download this information from:

hender.net/u3a NB: 13MB

Goals of Session

• Get a better understanding of this major technology shift and how it may affect our lives

• Get a sense of what’s real and what’s hype• Identify one or two areas of interest that you

could explore for yourself to get some immediate value

NB

Smartphones, tablets and eReaders are already deeply embedded in the Cloud so you should immediately see areas that you are already familiar with!

But what computers!

But what computers!

The Cloud – so what is it?

100GB500GB16GB

16GB3GB

The Cloud – so what is it?

100GB500GB16GB

YourB/UpYour

DocsYour

eBooksYour

emails

5GB – 200GB

50GB* 2GB 1GB 10GB 100GB

* Example sizes

1GB

YourDiary

1GB

YourContacts

10GB

YourMusic

YourPhotos

16GB3GB

The Cloud – so what is it?

100GB500GB16GB

YourB/UpYour

DocsYour

eBooksYour

emails

5GB – 200GB

50GB* 2GB 1GB 10GB 100GB

* Example sizes

1GB

YourDiary

1GB

YourContacts

MicrosoftGoogleApple

AmazonDropbox

10GB

YourMusic

YourPhotos

16GB3GB

The Cloud pulls ecosystems together

What use is all this to me?

• Store and share your photos and videos

• Store and stream your music and podcasts

• Send large files to friends• Backup all your valuable stuff• Play multi-user games

What use is all this to me?

• Subscribe to digital newspapers• Borrow, buy and read digital

books on any device• Have all your photos, music and

videos available wherever you are on all your gadgets

• Enjoy cloud services like iPlayer and Facebook

You can now keep in the Cloud

• Anything that you would previously have kept on your own:– PC hard disk– Video recorder– DVD player– CD library– Book shelf

• And this is one of the driving forces boosting Tablet computing

Value Add

• Some of this is simple storage (e.g. Dropbox)• Most have a ‘value add’ service attached

– Your music catalogued and ‘improved’– Your video with camera shake removed– Your photos indexed by who is in them– Your data automatically backed up and encrypted– Version history of your files– All your books available on any device– University courses– Social sharing services (commutes, bikes, etc.)

Store and share your photos and videos

I use:- Google Picasa to organise my photos- Google+ to store them in the Cloud- ‘Web Albums’ App to view on tablet

Store and share your photos and videos

Store and stream your music

• iTunes Match– All your music including your

CDs available on every device• Google Play

– Ditto• Amazon Cloud Player

– Ditto• Many more . . .

Send large files to family and friends

3 Examples:• YouTube and

Dropbox (videos)• Sky Drive (archeology)• Google Drive (photos)

Backup all your valuable stuffE.g. Carbonite

Play multi-user games

I don’t

Subscribe to digital newspapers

Books in the Cloud

Buy and read digital books on any device

Amazon Kindle example

KindleiPad

iPhone

Nexus 7 Android

PC or Mac

Borrow eBooks and Magazines from Amersham Library

http://buckinghamshire.lib.overdrive.com

Amersham Library Books

Amersham Library Magazines

Enjoy cloud services like Facebook . . .

. . . and iPlayer

So how safe is my stuff?

• Offsite• Encrypted• Supplier Reputation• Supplier Health• Mandated passwords• Must be connected to the internet

How do I get it?

• You probably have some of it already!

• Facebook, Gmail, Live Mail, Photo Stream, Kindle . . .

• Start with online Backup e.g. Carbonite

• Share your photos with Flickr, Facebook, G+, . . .

• Try Dropbox, Google Drive, Sky Drive to synch your gadgets

What will I need?

• Your normal email address• One of these accounts

– outlook.com, msn.com, hotmail.com – icloud.com– gmail.com

• An internet link• Your normal browser

How much does it cost?

• The first 2 to 5GB tend to be free• Office 365 bundles 20GB in subscription• Google Drive free for Google Docs and email• Dropbox ~ £5 per month

How difficult is it to use?

Not very if you can• Drag and Drop files on

a PC• Download apps on a PC

and/or Tablet/Phone

Apple App Store

Technology Hype Cycle

Gartner

Some

Caveats

Technology AdoptionSome

Caveats

Where can I get more information?

• Google Drive– http://support.google.com/drive/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=2424384

• Sky Drive– http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/skydrive/skydrive-help#skydrive-help=tab1

• Dropbox– https://www.dropbox.com/help

• SugarSync– https://sugarsync.custhelp.com/

What will I lose out on if I don't use it?

Clearly, this won’t cure world hunger or solve global warming (yet)

But,

It does offer some services that can open new horizons and make your life a little easier and more enjoyable particularly if you love to travel while staying in contact with friends and family

Sky DriveFree – 25GB

https://skydrive.live.com/?lc=2057 http://sdrv.ms/14wcUHj

The Times

Microsoft release Office 365 Home PremiumSTOP PRESS

Google DriveFree – 5GB

https://www.google.co.uk/

Dropbox£106/year – 100GB

https://www.dropbox.com/home

iCloud iTunes Photo Stream – Free UnlimitedFree – 5GB

https://www.icloud.com/#

SugarSync

www.sugarsync.com

Carbonite£30/year – Unlimited GB

https://account.carbonite.com/Computer/List

My costs

• Microsoft Sky Drive – Free – 25GB• Google Drive – Free – 5GB• iTunes Photo Stream – Free Unlimited• iCloud – Free – 5GB • Dropbox - £106/year – 100GB• iTunes Match - £22/year• Carbonite Backup - £30/year – Unlimited GB

Demo

End

Storage Offers