Google entered the consumer cloud storage market yesterday, as the west coast tech giant announced its new Google Drive service - offering up to 16TB of cloud storage to average Joes like you and I.

Cloud storage is hot stuff, and not just because one of the world's most annoying men is an investor: it's already become a cornerstone for how we consume technology and content as individuals.

Through cloud storage users can back up photos, videos, and documents, and have them synched to every device without so much as a click. It increases productivity in offices, removes the hassle from sharing files, and provides piece of mind to anyone with a large photo collection (I couldn't have made it through a six month break abroad last year without Dropbox keeping my photos safe).

But Google are late to the party and they're up against some stiff competition - so if you're making your first steps in the world of cloud storage this Guardian article is a great place to begin. I wish I'd read it before splashing out on a Dropbox upgrade - for generic storage needs like mine they recommend heading straight for Microsoft's SkyDrive.