Updated APIs for SkyDrive-Enabled Windows 8 and Windows Phone Apps

Only a few weeks ago, Microsoft announced a major SkyDrive revamp, with new features and improvements for users to take advantage of, and it seems that the company has something in store for application developers as well.

The company has announced a new set of APIs available for those application builders who would like to include SkyDrive access with their software.

Some of the enhancements that Microsoft prepared for developers include the option for applications to “fully access, upload and share documents, photos and videos from a user’s cloud storage in SkyDrive.”

Thus, software built for the upcoming Windows 8 platform will land in the Windows Store with SkyDrive support, while also taking advantage of the new Live SDK and of other tools that Microsoft preps for devs.

“With the integration into Windows Phone and Windows 8, SkyDrive is a key part of your “device cloud,” letting you work and play easily across your PC and phone,” Dare Obasanjo, lead program manager, Live Connect Platform, notes in a blog post.

“SkyDrive also works with apps like Microsoft Office and OneNote so you can organize, collaborate and share from anywhere. We believe that the most value for our customers comes when more people and more apps can connect to the cloud from most available devices.”

The recent changes in the APIs will offer access to SkyDrive to any user on any platform, and not only to Windows 8 or Windows Phone owners.

All that it required is a Windows Live ID, and free cloud storage in SkyDrive is available for people who want access to their documents and photos whenever they go.

Dare Obasanjo provided additional details on the manner in which applications can be packed with access to SkyDrive in this post on the Windows Team Blog. Code samples are available there as well.

“We’re really encouraged by the enthusiasm we’ve seen for SkyDrive, both from users and developers who’ve talked to us about what they want from our platform. With the availability of the APIs, we’d love to see the innovative ways people incorporate SkyDrive into their mobile apps, devices and websites,” Obasanjo concludes.

Windows 8 Developer Preview Build 8102 M3 is available for download here.

The Live SDK can be downloaded via this link.

The Windows Phone SDK is available here.