I think that SkyDrive is one of the best free services out there that many of you aren’t using, as it delivers 25 GB of free storage for your computer or your Windows Phone handset. Microsoft has detailed its plans for SkyDrive with Windows 8 and this looks to be a highly-credible competitor to Apple’s iCloud.
What is SkyDrive? It’s a free online storage service that has become deeply integrated into some Microsoft platforms and it will also have deep hooks into Windows 8. The company describes it as, “We think what people want in personal cloud storage is a single drive that’s available across all of their devices, tailored to the experiences they’re using, providing instant, secure, and private access to their files, and sharing files and folders with people they choose … Rather than using a patchwork of services, people can use one service to connect to their files – with no compromises. No copying files from one cloud to another just to share or collaborate. No converting files or having to switch to new apps. No searching across different storage areas to find files.”
Because it’s baked into Windows 8, that means app developers will be able to tie in SkyDrive in their apps. Basically, if your Metro-style app for Windows 8 has the ability to open or save documents and photos, you’ll be able to tap into SkyDrive. We detailed the “charm” to share documents when we looked at Windows 8 and you’ll soon be able to share via messages and SkyDrive. The advantages to sharing with SkyDrive is that you won’t be limited to attachment limits like you would on e-mail.
This is very neat on desktops and laptop machines but I believe this type of cloud storage will be incredibly important as we see Windows 8 come to tablets that are trying to take on the iPad.
Microsoft delivers a ton of details for developers and consumers on its blog, so go ahead and check out the via link below for some more details on SkyDrive. Also, be sure to check out our Cloud Comparison story to see how Apple, Google and Microsoft approach cloud storage and cloud computing.
[Via Microsoft]
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