14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has just launched a new version of the Photos app for Windows 8.1 that comes with OneDrive branding instead of SkyDrive, as the company has recently renamed its cloud-based storage to resolve a trademark dispute in the United Kingdom.
The new application doesn’t bring any other major changes, but instead it comes with the same feature package as before, which means that it allows users to easily manage their photos without even leaving the Modern UI.
If you remember, the Photos app had many more features in Windows 8, but the software giant decided to remove some of them in Windows 8.1, claiming that the Windows Store has many more apps available for download, which means that the removed options can very well be found in some other downloadable tools out there.
“Now there are many apps in the store that offer ways to view photos on other services and soon there will even be a Facebook app from Facebook,” a Microsoft employee said in mid-2013.
Both Facebook and Flickr support have been removed from the Photos app, but users can always download the official Facebook clients to get in touch with friends and post messages on their walls. No Flickr application is available for the time being, but Microsoft has promised that more high-quality tools would arrive in the store in the coming months, so chances are that such a client would also be released for download.
Microsoft, on the other hand, says that the Photos app is the right choice for all those who have already made the move to Windows 8.1, especially because it now provides one-click access to content stored in the cloud in your OneDrive account.
At the same time, the Photos apps is specifically optimized for the touch, but has the right options to be used on the desktop as well with the traditional mouse and keyboard configuration.
“With the Photos app in Windows 8.1, you can edit photos both stored on your computer as well as photos stored in SkyDrive through one seamless experience. The Windows 8.1 Photos app gives you beautiful full screen photo viewing and editing across all your Windows apps and the desktop,” the company continued.
Of course, the updated Photos app is available for x86, x64, and ARM configurations, so you can download it regardless of whether you are now using a desktop computer or a tablet running Windows 8.1.