Microsoft releases SkyDrive application for Windows, Windows Phone, Mac OS X and iOS

[penfold]

Just checked my non work account also and get the upgrade too

[CyberNerd]

My feeling, not based on facts, is that you're just not going to be able to integrate this into your shiny school system.. the issue is whether you can/do allow this and Google's which is allegedly along next week (note this Skydrive one is called a "preview copy" as opposed to RTM and one imagines this has been rushed out of the door)

I can confirm that Google have just upgraded our domain Google apps storage to 5GB per user - giving us 11TB of space available for non-google documents. Presumably this is a forerunner to google drive for domain users.

[SYNACK]

I can confirm that Google have just upgraded our domain Google apps storage to 5GB per user - giving us 11TB of space available for non-google documents. Presumably this is a forerunner to google drive for domain users.

Yay competition, isn't it nice how the *all* push each other along to give out better stuff.

[CyberNerd]

Yay competition, isn't it nice how the *all* push each other along to give out better stuff.

yes, compare to the dark old days of IE6 dominance/stagnation

[SYNACK]

yes, compare to the dark old days of IE6 dominance/stagnation

And the days before that of browsers costing money and standards being more fluid than HTML5 is now. Its all just cycles of the same old stuff with different characters and slightly different backdrops decorated by newer and higher paid marketing departments.

Anyhow, BTT yay more free storage for everyone.

[Arthur]

yay more free storage for everyone.

With a 25GB SkyDrive account, you could even stick your 2GB Dropbox and 5GB Google Drive folders into it and still have plenty of room left over for other things.

[PiqueABoo]

Bear in mind you lose SkyDrive once you get transitioned to Office 365 anyway...

Is that stated authoritatively and clearly somewhere? Not saying it's wrong, but I thought existing WLIDs would persist independently after transition and keep their SkyDrives i.e. that it's just new users don't get WLIDs and hence skydrive etc once you're on office 365. Too optimistic?

[localzuk]

Dropbox need to lower their prices for additional storage.

Yup, they definitely do, especially considering the cost of storage in the first place. If the Pro 100 was, say £50 a year, I probably would've signed up to it by now, but as it stands, it just isn't as cheap as me buying a NAS...

[gshaw]

Is that stated authoritatively and clearly somewhere? Not saying it's wrong, but I thought existing WLIDs would persist independently after transition and keep their SkyDrives i.e. that it's just new users don't get WLIDs and hence skydrive etc once you're on office 365. Too optimistic?

Yes you're correct, existing users keep their LiveID as a separate entity but new ones don't get the service at all. Given the choice of inconsistent provision or none at all I'd go for the latter option and stop advertising SkyDrive to students on 365 but you don't lose what you already have data-wise.

That's what I was getting at above but maybe the phrasing wasn't the clearest

[elsiegee40]

Google starting to fight back? BBC News - Google Drive to offer free storage in the cloud

[Dos_Box]

I've just been doing some looking up and have found that as Microsoft are a signatory to the Safe Harbour agreement it should be fine for you users to use this free storage in much the same way as they do with DropBox. Unless anyone knows differant?

[MYK-IT]

Email received regarding this:

Good Morning,

In an effort to keep you -our valued schools contacts- up to date, I wanted to draw your attention to the following update relating to SkyDrive:

1. Why is the storage limit changing?

When designing the new SkyDrive, we wanted to create personal cloud storage that was both powerful and that had enough storage to meet the needs of most people—for free. The new SkyDrive offers 7 GB of storage. That’s enough for 20,000 Office docs or 7,000 photos. And unlike before, you can upload big files (up to 2 GB) and automatically sync files or entire folders to SkyDrive right from your PC.

We also wanted to offer additional storage options for people who needed more, without applying a single limit to everyone. So we now offer affordable plans to add up to 100 GB of additional storage to SkyDrive.

2. What are the new features?

SkyDrive for PC or Mac: Install SkyDrive on your computer and you can access files in your SkyDrive right from your desktop—online or offline. Files in your SkyDrive folder are automatically kept up to date across your PCs and Macs. Available for Windows 8 Consumer Preview, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Mac OS X Lion.
Apps for Windows Phone, iPhone, and iPad: Get to your files while you’re on the go with the new SkyDrive for iPad app and updated apps for Windows Phone and iPhone. And of course you can still go to SkyDrive.com from your phone’s browser.

Fetch files: Forgot to put a file in your SkyDrive folder? You can access any file stored on your PC running Windows from SkyDrive.com.
Increased upload sizes: Now you can upload and share files up to 2 GB.

3. What happens if I don’t upgrade my storage? Will I lose my stuff?

No. In the new SkyDrive, everyone gets 7 GB of free storage. If you were using close to this amount before the latest update, we’ve automatically upgraded your storage already . You can always see how much storage you have by signing into SkyDrive and checking the storage meter.

4. Where can I go to learn more?

You can get more information about SkyDrive on our website. If you have any questions, you can get answers in the SkyDrive forum

Best Regards

Andy Downs & Sean O’Shea
Microsoft Schools North Team.

[ste1988]

just restored to 25gb, going home to install across all pc's and mobile devices, except my android phone

Currently using live mesh to sync, but if you have a look it seems microsoft have three very similar products

Had to read this to see what the differences were; Windows Live Sync vs. Live Mesh vs. SkyDrive: Which is Right for You?

[jamesfed]

just restored to 25gb, going home to install across all pc's and mobile devices, except my android phone

Currently using live mesh to sync, but if you have a look it seems microsoft have three very similar products

Had to read this to see what the differences were; Windows Live Sync vs. Live Mesh vs. SkyDrive: Which is Right for You?

That article is olllld - Mesh and Sync are now all part of the same thing, I can imagine everything will come under SkyDrive pretty soon.

[Arthur]

except my android phone

Microsoft recommends the Browser or Cloud Explorer SkyDrive apps for Android...

https://apps.live.com/skydrive/allapps