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Microsoft gets help to offer Gmail users better SkyDrive access

Microsoft is working with Attachments.me to make it easier for developers to integrate SkyDrive directly into their non-Microsoft-specific apps and sites.

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Mary Jo Foley
Mary Jo Foley has covered the tech industry for 30 years for a variety of publications, including ZDNet, eWeek and Baseline. She is the author of Microsoft 2.0: How Microsoft plans to stay relevant in the post-Gates era (John Wiley & Sons, 2008). She also is the cohost of the "Windows Weekly" podcast on the TWiT network.
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Mary Jo Foley

Microsoft and partner Attachments.me are trying to simplify the way Gmail users can use Microsoft's SkyDrive personal cloud-storage service.

Yesterday, Microsoft announced details of the partnership -- via which Google Gmail users can access SkyDrive files directly from their in-box, save e-mail attachments directly to SkyDrive, and share files directly from their SkyDrive. The new capabilities are provided via Attachment.me's Chrome extension.

 
Microsoft

What's happening behind the scenes enabling this scenario is an update to the SkyDrive software development kit (SDK). The SDK includes an application programming interface (API) that is similar to the file picker for Windows 8 apps that's already integrated with SkyDrive. The new API allows third-party sites/apps to integrate directly with the SkyDrive file picker. (The SDK update also removes all API restrictions related to photo resolution and content type.)

A post yesterday on the "Inside SkyDrive" blog details the new features in the SDK update. The updated SkyDrive SDK is available from the Microsoft Live Connect Developer Center.

Microsoft is continuing to encourage for developers to integrate SkyDrive directly with their apps. At the same time, Microsoft is also working to make SkyDrive a better multi-platform solution. Late last month, Microsoft delivered its SkyDrive for Android phone app.

This article originally appeared as "Microsoft and Attachments.me provide Gmail users with better SkyDrive access" on ZDNet.