Cloud Storage Challenge

I've made it known that whilst I'm not a complete cloud-o-phobe, that nor am I entirely convinced that I would ever find a need for it, at least presently. Well, that's all about to change. I've just began my third year at Uni and thought I'd try something different for a change - that is, to upload all my readings and notes on the cloud, and do my best to depend on it throughout the semester.

I've always had troubles with carrying around and sorting notes. Sometimes I would print them out in their entirety - equating to roughly 50 pages on average for each subject and each lesson, or transfer the documents and PDFs to the N7's internal storage, to read whilst I'm travelling. On rare occasions where I needed documents with me on all my devices, I would then turn to Google Drive.

It seems illogical, given the ease with which one can now store files on the cloud and have them accessible for all connected devices, but Google Drive is usually a last resort option - which I now realise is wrong. Google Drive is not intended to be a last resort, rather a go-to service for quickly managing and sharing files you need with you, wherever you are.

I suppose I've never trusted the idea that files would be with me wherever I was if I didn't have access to them on anything other than internal storage. Sure, Google may have added the ability to make files available offline, but I've tried it out on Drive and Play Books, and the annoying thumbnail hasn't always worked to my favour. Despite this however, I believe now is a better time than ever to start my transition to what will surely be the global standard for storage in the future.

All organised and ready - colour coded folders will
correspond with colour-coded Google Calendar reminders

My challenge will involve uploading and putting readings and notes in weekly organised sub-folders under each subject folder. Because of my 1GB monthly data allowance, which I use mostly for reading articles online, or Google+, for my phone - I'll be making important files available offline, unless connected to WiFi. Other than that, all other devices including tablets, computers and laptops, which all use WiFi will be relying on a direct connection to servers at Google, holding my files.

I'll be interested firstly with reliability of the service, particularly downloading files on my phone with my carrier's terrible coverage, and whether I'll be having troubles out and about with signal loss. I also want to consider whether my overall experience by the end of this challenge would mean I'd continue to use the service, and largely that will come down to storage, and the amount of space I'd have left after a heavy semester of using nothing but the service.

I'll be sure to keep a log of how my experiences are going, and it'll be useful for myself in deciding whether or not to make the seemingly unnecessary switch. Wish me luck!

On a side note: this decision to challenge myself comes after purchasing a Chromebook from the States, and realising that using the 16GB SSD defeats the purpose of the 100GB of Drive storage offered by Google for Chromebook users. The Chromebook will be mentioned in these logs frequently, and since Chrome OS is the epitome of a cloud-based OS - it should be a match made in heaven, right?