SkyDrive: New Windows 8 Metro App

SkyDrive: New Windows 8 Metro App

SkyDrive is new and free cloud service provided by the Microsoft. SkyDrive Windows 8 Metro app merges the SkyDrive and Windows Live, Microsoft’s Web-Based synchronization service. SkyDrive is a free file hosting service which enables the Microsoft Windows users to store data on it instead of storing it in their local machines. It offers maximum of 25GB free space..

Users can also mark there stored data as Private, share them with contacts or Public. If a user is keeping all his files Private then no one else be able to view his uploaded files. If a user is sharing his files with his contacts then only the friends present in the contact list will able to view the files. But each friend has to login to their Windows Live Account to view the files shared by their friends. If anyone is sharing his files publically then everyone on the SkyDrive will able to view the files even without login to their Windows Live Account.

Windows 8 SkyDrive Metro App is a blessing for users who are fed up by file size restrictions of Gmail, Yahoo etc that a user encountered while sending email attachments i.e. now there is no need to send an e-mail with attachments, just share the folder or file with your friend, user can share any extension file be it an .exe file or even folders which was the major drawbacks in Gmail, Yahoo and many other E-mail services. It also allows the users to upload an individual 2GB file whereas maximum of 25MB file can be sent in Gmail, Yahoo.

SkyDrive is like dropbox but it has some advance features i.e It has 25GB storage space while in dropbox only 2GB storage space is available. SkyDrive allows its users to keep their files private or public but in drop box all the files uploaded are public which are visible to everyone.

Mike Torres (Group Program Manager at SkyDrive Apps) and Omar Shahine (Group Program Manager at SkyDrive.com) have said:-

“With the SkyDrive app, an early version of which will be available at Consumer Preview, we focused on two things: 1) designing a fast, fluid, touch-first version of SkyDrive that makes it quick, easy, and even fun to browse and access your files, and 2) making your SkyDrive available for use from any Metro style app via the file picker (open/save) and the new Share charm in Windows 8″.

Windows 8 SkyDrive Metro App shows all the documents and photos of the user that he has uploaded and it also shows all the photos placed in his photo library. It displays all the files and folders in the Metro Style. Folders are shown as Double width tiles where as files are shown as square tiles.