Amazon Cloud Drive and Cloud Player launch
Amazon have beat Apple to the digital-streaming punch by announcing the launch of three new cloud-based services in the shape of the Amazon Cloud Drive, the Cloud Player for the web and the Cloud Player for Android phones.
The Amazon Cloud Drive acts as a digital locker for your files, storing music in MP3 and AAC formats, photos, videos and documents in the cloud. 5GB of storage is offered for free, jumping to 20GB if you purchase a single track from Amazon’s music store. Furthe storage options begin from $20 a year, with Amazon-bought tracks not using up any storage space at all on the Cloud Drive.
The two players, for Androidp phones, PCs and Macs, will let you stream any of the music you’ve stored on the Cloud Drive. Tracks will play at the bitrate you uploaded them in, with the palyers themselves offering controls to upload and download tracks, as well as managing playlists. The Android version also comes with the Amazon MP3 app, allowing you to purchase new tracks from Amazon’s digital music store.
“We’re excited to take this leap forward in the digital experience,” said Bill Carr, vice president of Movies and Music at Amazon. “The launch of Cloud Drive, Cloud Player for Web and Cloud Player for Android eliminates the need for constant software updates as well as the use of thumb drives and cables to move and manage music.”
“Our customers have told us they don’t want to download music to their work computers or phones because they find it hard to move music around to different devices.
“Now, whether at work, home, or on the go, customers can buy music from Amazon MP3, store it in the cloud and play it anywhere.”
Though it’s currently only a US-specific service, we’re expecting to hear news on a worldwide launch soon. American readers can give the service a try by clicking here.
