14 DAY TRIAL // SkyDrive will be deeply integrated into Windows 8, but will also have a lot of new features to offer users of older flavors of Windows as well. There will be a desktop SkyDrive application coming soon, so offering access to files in the cloud will be easy for any user of Windows 8, Windows 7 or Windows Vista.
SkyDrive for desktop will also enable users to upload files of up to 2GB using Windows Explorer. This is one of the features that many users have been asking for years.
Microsoft will bring SkyDrive on every Windows 8 desktop via Windows Explorer, while also offering it as an option through desktop apps like Office.
Users will benefit from features like drag-and-drop upload and download, offline access, and great management capabilities courtesy of Windows Explorer.
“To start, we took what we learned from Mesh and FolderShare/Sync and built a very simple, highly efficient app,” Mike Torres and Omar Shahine, group program managers for SkyDrive, explain in a recent blog post.
“This app will be available with an installer that’s less than 5MB and that takes about 10 seconds to install. You’ll only need to install it once per PC, as SkyDrive will always keep itself up-to-date.”
The application will start syncing to a folder of user’s choice. Files updated on the PC will be automatically uploaded to the cloud and the other way around.
“There’s very little to manage or control and you won’t be bugged with pop-ups or dialog boxes. You won’t even need to know it’s running, as we’ve also spent a lot of time on network efficiency and overall performance,” the two developers explain.
Through keeping files synced at all times, SkyDrive for desktop will also provide users with the possibility to easily move documents from a computer to another trough the cloud. However, there will be no PC-to-PC syncing via SkyDrive.
“You can also turn your entire PC into your own private cloud, and use its terabytes of local storage to easily access, browse, and stream your files from anywhere by simply fetching them from SkyDrive.com,” said developers explain.
Microsoft also plans the release of a SkyDrive Metro Style application for Windows 8. The app will be available in the upcoming Windows 8 Consumer Preview set to debut next week, and more info on its capabilities will emerge at that time.