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

[Arthur]

This is essentially Microsoft's version of Dropbox, except you get more space for free. For more details check out the Building Windows 8 blog.

 

Downloads (Windows / Windows Phone / Mac OS X Lion / iOS)

 

We brought you the news earlier today that Microsoft was planning to release its SkyDrive for Windows app shortly and the company has now made the application available to download a little sooner than we expected. A preview copy of SkyDrive for Windows has been released for Windows 8, Windows 7, and Windows Vista users in 106 different languages worldwide. Microsoft has also provided a preview version for Mac OS X Lion users too, providing access to SkyDrive documents directly within Finder.

 

SkyDrive for Windows will allow users to drag-and-drop files (up to 2GB in size) to and from SkyDrive folders. Similar to Dropbox, all files and SkyDrive content will be managed in one central folder that syncs with Microsoft's online cloud storage. There is also a new fetching files option that allows SkyDrive desktop users to access, browser, and stream files from a remote PC running the latest preview of SkyDrive desktop — handy if you forgot to sync a particular file from your desktop PC while you away from your PC.

 

Combined with today's release of SkyDrive for Windows and OS X Lion, Microsoft also announced changes to its free and paid storage offerings. All new SkyDrive users will be offered 7GB of free space, a reduction from the usual 25GB of storage. Microsoft believes that 99.94 percent of SkyDrive customers use 7GB or less today, so most new customers will be unaffected. Existing users of SkyDrive who are using more than 4GB of space (as of April 1st) will automatically keep their 25GB of free space, while other existing users can simply opt-in to ensure they don't lose the allocation. (Source)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Bfmk6r4DVM

 

http://i.imgur.com/BXjb1.png

 

http://i.imgur.com/wiheF.png

Edited April 23, 2012 by Arthur

[CyberNerd]

It looks like they forgot the most popular phone platform !?!

 

I'll have to wait until next week for google drive.

[rich_tech]

Thanks, I have had it a while, ive just upgraded back up to the 25gb too, didnt realise they had brought that down.

[PiqueABoo]

::removes gladinet to try this one::

 

Post installation on Win7 is there any way to reconfig where it syncs i.e. move it from the default c:\users\\SkyDrive? Can't see it in the UI, but HKCU has a path I guess I could try pointing that elsewhere.. and oh look: HKCU implies it installed in and presumably runs out of C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Microsoft\SkyDrive.

[Dos_Box]

Cheers, I've just started to use it for storing RAW images on via the browser interface and the fact it has oodles more space than Dropbox is a bonus. Having it as a local synced resource is very handy.

[steve]

If you unlink via the settings you can change the folder it links to.

[Arthur]

Dropbox need to lower their prices for additional storage.

 

http://i.imgur.com/jG6dx.png

 

http://i.imgur.com/W10ku.png

[RabbieBurns]

Is there a way this can be implemented into a shared-PC environment.

 

From initial testing it creates a local folder which syncs to the skydrive. Great for me on my desktop.

 

But if for example I want all the students to have their skydrives mapped like this when they log in. Is there a way to make the app sync with their network folders or such?

[PiqueABoo]

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)

[gshaw]

Finally

[gshaw]

Is there a way this can be implemented into a shared-PC environment.

 

From initial testing it creates a local folder which syncs to the skydrive. Great for me on my desktop.

 

But if for example I want all the students to have their skydrives mapped like this when they log in. Is there a way to make the app sync with their network folders or such?

 

I doubt that somehow, will probably need an additional login but if it just sits in the local profile folder not such a disaster for now. Bear in mind you lose SkyDrive once you get transitioned to Office 365 anyway...

 

(Edit: see further comments on the next page for more info, you don't lose existing SkyDrives but new users on 365 won't get the feature in future)

Edited April 24, 2012 by gshaw

[Dos_Box]

*IMPORTANT*

If you are an existing SkyDrive user you will need to claim your 25GB, it is not given as a default upgrade. Go to your online SkyDrive account and look for the banner notice and follow the links to click the free upgrade button. From what I have read this may be a time limited offer so act quickly or else you may be stuck with 7GB.

Edited April 25, 2012 by Dos_Box

[woodham]

ive got no banner on my account

 

[SYNACK]

I had a banner on one but I had never used skydrive on one of my liveIDs and so that one had no banner.

[woodham]

thanks for reminding me ive just checked my non work account and the banner is there so ive activated that one.

 

[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

Edited April 24, 2012 by gshaw

[elsiegee40]

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