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Being the typical nerd that I am I sat down to the live stream of this years Google I/O developer conference much to the symbiotic enthusiasm of my family (not). Now there were lots of interesting things to report on but not all of them that we can try right away so imagine my joy when the announcement and simultaneous launch of Google Photos was given to the world.

Now we all have our preferred photo backup solution. I use OneDrive which I actually pay for but it does what it says on the tin and literally provides a space where you can drop your files to sync across your multiple devices but Google is bringing something different. Now this is not the first photo backup solution Google has brought to market. Previously Google + would automatically sync photos from your phone and tablet and you've always had Google Drive as an affordable OneDrive/Dropbox alternative for storing your files.

Photos breaks away from the apps that have come before it and concentrates on what you snap. You can access it via iOS, Android and the web but the one thing that sets it apart from its competitors is that you get unlimited photo storage for high quality images and video, you can however upload files in their original format but this will count towards your Google Drive storage which starts at free for 15GB and $1.99 for 100GB and so on but I've found that the high quality image format is good enough for what I use my images for.

Now a lot of sites have commented on what offering this service for free actually means for consumers. I'm sure that if you're reading this then you know that 'you' are Google's product in this business model and in the same way that they make money by scanning your emails then they'll surely be scanning your images for their own personal gain but if you're comfortable with that then this is a great service.

The app experience is pretty decent to across mobile devices and the web. Google intelligently sorts album based on meta data and does seem to arrange things into accurate collections. It also creates custom slideshows and videos so that you can enjoy your pics with ease.

You can edit, arrange and delete your files via any of the means available and these changes sync across all of your devices as well as many ways to share your snaps with friends and the world. You can also sequence images to make amusing animated GIFs (hello 1994).

It's early days but as a first iteration this is must have app if you're looking for a seamless backup solution for those treasured memories.

Get clicking!

Author

Paul Wright

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