Ubuntu One for Windows
![first-take.jpg](https://www.zdnet.com/a/img/resize/9867213f8914aba8765534f7059604ac4d6f8f7b/2014/07/22/2d3f98ad-1175-11e4-9732-00505685119a/first-take.jpg?auto=webp&fit=crop&frame=1&height=192&width=192)
If you've been checking the Ubuntu home page for news of Ubuntu 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot), which is released today, you will until recently have been confronted by a page promoting Ubuntu One for Windows — although the actual release was a couple of weeks ago at the end of September.
Ubuntu One is a synchronisation app for the eponymous cloud storage service that's provided by default with the Ubuntu OS. Under the Gnome desktop it appears under System/Preferences, while with Unity it has an icon in the launcher. Once you've set up an account you get 5GB of cloud storage for free (expansion to 20GB costs $3.99 a month), where you can share and synchronise files, photos, videos and music across multiple internet-connected devices.
![ubuntuone1.jpg](https://www.zdnet.com/a/img/resize/18373a6f988564c257cb04ae0e9a1276a8924e9f/2014/10/02/8f48aaca-4a11-11e4-b6a0-d4ae52e95e57/ubuntuone1.jpg?auto=webp&width=1280)
The Windows client offers the same functionality to Windows users, and once signed up all you have to do is choose a folder on your system to synchronise that contains less than the initial 5GB limit. A control dashboard has tabs for Folders, Devices, Settings and Account information.
The Ubuntu music streaming service is available for $3.99 a month subscription which includes 20GB of additional storage. Ubuntu 1 files and Ubuntu 1 music are available for Android and Ubuntu 1 music only for the iPhone.
Of course, Ubuntu One is not the only cloud storage service — competitors include Dropbox, SugarSync and Windows Live SkyDrive, for example. But making Ubuntu One cross-platform should help strengthen the Ubuntu brand.
Terry Relph-Knight