"GDrive" on the Way?

Google's long-rumored online storage project may be nearing completion.

The days of e-mailing files to yourself to access them from anywhere could soon be over when Google finally releases its online storage application, which could allow users to do more easily what Gmail users have already been doing for years – use Google as a hard drive. An article in Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal indicates that such a service could be only months away.

While many other companies, including competitor Microsoft, have already launched online data storage solutions, Google has lagged behind, possibly adding its signature touch to the feature. According to the Journal, Google will approach storage differently by integrating access directly into Windows, making a Google account just like another hard drive from the desktop.

Other details of the project, including what it will be called upon release and how much, if anything, it will cost, remain hazy. Internal documents have referred to it both as “My Stuff” and “GDrive,” and additional Gmail and Picasa storage ranges from $20 a year for an extra 10GB, to $500 for 400GB.

Upon release, the storage project will almost certainly integrate with Google’s other Web 2.0 apps, including Gmail, Google Documents and Picasa.