SkyDrive

Microsoft is targeting a host of improvements for SkyDrive, potentially giving iCloud and similar services some healthy competition.

The next version, dubbed SkyDrive Wave 5, could lead the way, with several features revealed by blogging site LiveSide.net.

Tipped off about "new features that are said to be coming to SkyDrive soon," the site detailed such items as support for the OpenDocument format and the ability to store and manage BitLocker recovery keys on SkyDrive.

A new URL-shortening service will provide links to your shared files, while you'll be able to share those files directly with your … Read more

SkyDrive, Microsoft's cloud storage product, will be getting a Metro-style app with Windows 8, the company announced today.

Also coming for SkyDrive will be a desktop app for Internet Explorer and the ability to fetch remote files from the Web, the software giant revealed on its Building Window 8 blog.

Microsoft intends for SkyDrive to "evolve with Windows 8 from a website today into a true device cloud for Windows customers," Mike Torres and Omar Shahine, group program managers for SkyDrive, wrote in the post. "With Windows 8, we wanted to make sure that your files … Read more

The next beta of Windows 8 will apparently give us a healthy dose of Metro apps, whether we want them or not.

Microsoft plans to release the Windows 8 Consumer Preview--basically, a pre-release version of the new OS available to anyone who wants to download it--on February 29. Microsoft is reportedly finalizing the Metro apps that will be bundled with the new OS. Citing "sources familiar with Microsoft's plans," the Verge revealed the current list as:

These are just the apps known so far, so there could … Read more

Microsoft is bringing its Internet storage service, SkyDrive, to iTunes, as well as to the Windows Phone marketplace.

The free app, launched today, lets users tap into their Web repository to retrieve documents, notes, photos, and videos. SkyDrive is one of a growing list of apps from Microsoft to make their way into the iTunes Store, including Bing, Messenger, and OneNote, which was launched as an iPad app yesterday.

"We believe you should have access to your personal content no matter which device you use," wrote Mike Torres, group program manager of Microsoft's SkyDrive Devices and Roaming … Read more

Microsoft's versatile note-taking app OneNote is the first Office software to make its debut on the iPad.

Already out there as an iPhone app, the latest 1.3 update to OneNote, released yesterday, optimizes it for the tablet's bigger screen real estate.

Though it's part of certain versions of Microsoft Office, OneNote is probably the least understood application in the midst of Word, Excel, Outlook, and Access.

In the desktop version, it's basically a note taker and to-do list, but one designed to capture free-form notes and ideas as text, images, tables, bullet points, and other … Read more

Microsoft SkyDrive users will find some much-needed enhancements the next time they log onto the cloud-based storage site.

As part of an ongoing effort to improve SkyDrive, Microsoft yesterday revealed a series of tweaks designed to make the site more efficient and user-friendly. Described in a blog posted yesterday and seen in the video below, the changes focus mostly on sharing and file management.

Admitting that sharing folders and files on SkyDrive has been difficult and unreliable in the past, Microsoft has simplified the ability to share. Instead of setting up specific folders for sharing, you can now share individual … Read more

Microsoft's SkyDrive online service has been too limited and complex for many users, admits the company, but improvements are on the way.

Relying more on the cloud to store, sync, and manage both files and devices, people have increasingly run into obstacles with today's online services, says Omar Shahine, a group program manager for SkyDrive, in a recent blog. Though Shahine pointed to limitations in several cloud services, such as Dropbox, Google Docs, and iCloud, he didn't spare his company's own products.

"We sometimes hear from customers who want to use SkyDrive in key scenarios … Read more

Windows 8 will let users more easily and seemlessly bridge the gap between online and offline by directly tapping into Microsoft's Windows Live service.

In an Inside Windows Live blog posted yesterday, Chris Jones, vice president for Windows Live engineering, shared some of the features and benefits of the new Windows Live integration in Microsoft's upcoming OS.

Right off the bat, Windows 8 prompts you to log in with your Windows Live ID. If you allow it to do so, Windows Live can then automatically store your Windows profile, settings, and other key files in the cloud. This gives you the ability to synchronize those settings with any Windows 8 PC in which you're logged in, ensuring that you retain the same preferences from one PC to another. Microsoft is also promising the same synchronization between PCs and mobile devices running Windows Phone 7.

Windows 8 will also integrate more smoothly with SkyDrive, Microsoft's online storage site. Documents, photos, and other files that you create locally can be saved to SkyDrive, accessed from any PC, and even shared with other people that you designate. Microsoft will reportedly still limit SkyDrive users to 25 gigabytes of space for most files but offer unlimited storage for photos or Office documents.… Read more

Windows 8 will come with Windows Live SkyDrive built in, giving people quicker, easier access to their online files.

Tweaking its SkyDrive Web site this week, Microsoft has unveiled a couple of demos to try to show just how Windows 8 and SkyDrive will play together.

Access to SkyDrive will be directly integrated into the new operating system, requiring you to sign up for a Windows Live account if you don't already have one. From there, you'll be able to upload and download your files directly between SkyDrive and Windows. Access to SkyDrive should be even faster and … Read more