Google has announced plans to launch a new cloud-based system called Google Drive.
Search engine giant Google has announced plans to unveil its new cloud-based electronic document storage product, Google Drive.
Although no definitive date has been set for the release, Google is thought to be planning to officially launch the product within a matter of "weeks or months", according to the Wall Street Journal.
The service will allow users to store their data on Google’s servers and access their stored information from multiple devices at any location where there is an active internet connection.
Users would also be able to share large files and take advantage of integration with a range of Google’s other services, such as Gmail, Google Docs and the social networking site Google Plus.
If a user wants to share a large resolution photo that is too big to be uploaded via email for example, with Google Drive, they will be able to simply send a link to friends and family, who will be able to download the file instantly or view it at a later time.
Google Drive is expected to be available free of charge for most Google customers unless they require a huge amount of secure online document storage, in which case they will have to pay.
Google has not yet specified how much it will charge for the extra space offered by its electronic document storage solution, but it is thought that it could be comparable to the prices offered by rival Dropbox, which charges up to $200 (£127) a year for 100GB worth of space.
As well as Dropbox, Google Drive will be competing with Microsoft’s similar cloud-based electronic document storage solution, SkyDrive.
SkyDrive gives Microsoft customers 25GB of free data storage and allows users to upload documents and multimedia files such as photos and music directly onto a cloud-based system and carry around their personal libraries on their Windows phones.