Google Charges for Extra Storage Space

Users can now add storage to the already hefty allotments they get with Gmail and Picasa – for a price.

After shaking up the world of free e-mail services by offering 1GB of free storage when Gmail first debuted in 2004, and constantly boosting that number to the present 2.8GB, Google has finally drawn the line and announced paid-for storage. While the company will still offer a slowing growing chunk of free storage to all users, as of last Thursday, the biggest space hogs have the option of purchasing more.

Google now sells storage plans ranging from 6GB for $20 per year to 250GB for $500 per year. All of the purchased space is also accessible through Picasa, Google’s picture-sharing service that gives users a free 1GB to start out.

Gmail was one of the first free e-mail services to offer such high storage capacities for its users, setting the bar for older services that would later follow its lead to compete. Yahoo now offers unlimited storage for its e-mail clients, and MSN Hotmail offers 2GB.