Cloud/services consolidation

[Megatomic]

Guys, I'm sorry if this is the wrong forum to ask in, but my issue is fairly broad. Here it is: I have an iPhone 4S with the obligatory iCloud universe of services. I also have a Sony Vaio Tap 20 (windows 8.1) with the matching Skydrive universe of services that began when I had a Windows Phone device last year. Add to this the all-encompassing suite of Google products I am deeply entrenched in (just like everyone else is).

All 3 can stand on their own merits, but my issue is this: my "crap" is spread all over the internet as a result and I wonder if someday that it will become "unmanageable". Is there any merit in consolidating everything into one provider's suite of products? If so, which one should I consider as superior to the others and why? Seems like doing this sooner than later would make the transition easier overall.

At this point I'm unsure about which phone I'll have this time next year. I'm looking at the MotoX or a new iPhone so I can't decide based on which phone I'm going to be using. The Tap 20 is sure to continue to be my home PC/tablet if that helps at all.

Thanks in advance for any advice and/or opinions.

See post #6 in this thread for the update.

 

[JAG87]

No not really, in fact I'd argue that what you're doing is better than keeping all your eggs in one basket.

I am all Apple for devices, and yet I use services from all three providers you listed. iCloud can do a lot of things well and maybe even more seamlessly than the other two, but there are also other things that it doesn't do at all. i.e. icloud/photostream is a useless joke compared to skydrive's photo, video but most importantly...file management.

Sure, you can primarily subscribe to one ecosystem, but don't limit yourself if it doesn't suit your needs, especially when both iOS and Android give you access to practically everything (sorry, can't say the same for WP8...). Explore what each service provider offers and pick what's best for you.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

I stick to Drive for most of my needs and was using Box for stuff I wanted to keep separate. I might be moving to Dropbox simply because it has two factor authentication via TOTP. Once Box adds that, I'd prefer Box simply because it's a solid enterprise solution with far more space than I could ever need.

 

[Megatomic]

Ecosystem, THAT'S the word I was struggling to come up with but couldn't. Thanks JAG87, and thanks to you both for your replies. Dropbox is one I am not using now, I shall check it out.

 

[lopri]

I had a similar thought in the past. I've decided to set up a personal cloud and been looking into solutions. I have been too lazy to actually pull the trigger yet.

 

[Megatomic]

Well guys, I decided to settle upon the apps and services that Google provides. To that end I opted for a Moto X phone when my new employer asked me which device (I could have chosen ANY phone btw) I wanted to use for mobile connectivity. I had been suffering from major phone lust for the Moto X since it's debut.

One comment to sum up my thoughts about the Moto X - LOVE IT. It's so much more and better than my iPhone4S ever was.

Anyways, with the acquisition of the Moto X, I was offered an additional 50GB of cloud storage by Google which I hastily accepted. I then uploaded my entire digital picture collection and my cache of important electronic documents to Google Drive. It was a piece of cake to share my photo collection with my friends and family whilst keeping my documents private to just me.

I am currently in the process of learning about/integrating other Google services. I haven't messed with QuickOffice much yet but it looks promising. Google+, I'm not sure about. It seems like a good product, but it's not used much by me or by friends/family. Hangouts though, I really want to get that going. I like the concept, and the features included with it are valuable to me.

My wife is in the process of acquiring her own Moto X (she'll get hers through the Builder deal). She's not nearly the nerd I am, but she's noticed the features and thinks she'd like to use them also. Once she has a phone she likes using I'll lead her to start using Google services, too.

So, that's where I'm at now. Is there a service or feature that I just HAVE TO integrate into my life that I may not have considered yet? Help a n00b out. TIA.