Google races Microsoft into the clouds

People won't store very much data on their computers if Google has its way. The company is working on a new data storage service that lets users store virtually all of their information on the web, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

Dubbed "cloud" computing, both Microsoft and Google have been racing to rollout applications that allow for heavy amounts of web-based storage and activity.

While Google would not comment specifically on its recent developments, it did confirm that users would soon be able to store a range of files, including video and audio, on Google-owned servers. The move is an extension of free storage already offered with GMail, however, Google said it would likely sell storage space beyond an initial allotment.

Microsoft and Google have been battling for position in the looming cloud war as a way to attract users and use that data for ad serving.