Skydrive in Windows 8.1: all improvements
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Those who have been able to try the Windows 8.1 consumer preview will have noticed that SkyDrive, Microsoft's cloud storage service, is now everywhereNow displayed as a separate drive on the Desktop, makes Office files easy to share, and is the default storage for your photos and videos.
Unlike what was seen in Windows 8, where SkyDrive was simply an application with Modern UI that didn't interact with the traditional desktop, Skydrive in Windows 8.1 offers a much experience more unified. Let's see what exactly has changed.
One of the first impressions when using SkyDrive in Windows 8.1 is that of being faced with an application with a much friendlier interface, along with with its modern File Explorer, which is especially manageable on mobile devices, since in general these tend to be affected by lacking an appropriate system with which to find your files. Technically, this update makes it easier to view your files from any device.
The interface for local storage basically consists of a set of rectangular boxes that correspond to different folders, such as Documents or Pictures.
You currently need to use the cut and paste tools at the bottom of the app to move files from one location to another .This is so since it has been thought that since this interface will also be used in tactical devices, the best thing to do is allow files to be moved in this way instead of forcing them to be dragged around the screen, although users of PCs with mouse and keyboard think differently.
Reduction of used storage space
One of the advantages of using SkyDrive in Windows 8.1 is that it only needs a small amount of storage space to show you what you have in the cloud , which allows you to have more free space for the rest of your content, something crucial especially on mobile devices. In fact, what you see in the Skydrive app is simply a reduced-quality icon representing your file, but the content of the file remains in the cloud until you try to open it.
The fact that SkyDrive is the default place to store all your photos and videos on Windows 8.1 devices and Windows Phone 8 mobiles (this can be turned off if desired), means you'll be able to access them from anywhere no matter what device you are using. However, if you want to view these photos in full resolution, then you will need to download them.
Even with this latest update to SkyDrive, you can create folders to make them available offline, whenever you're out of range from a Wi-Fi network, or mark especially large files so that they are only stored in the cloud and there is no copy on your device.
Microsoft has taken into account that users need to have the ability to share your Office files easily with your contacts, especially online It's time to collaborate on the projector or give presentations, which is why Office 365 now lets you store your files directly on SkyDrive. Once your Office files are in the cloud, you'll be able to share the link to the file, allow those you send it to to make changes, and even store different versions of the same file on SkyDrive.
This comes to solve a situation that occurred before the integration of SkyDrive and Office 365, where students, for example, had to use other alternatives to share their files because Microsoft did not facilitate this task . According to comments from the same company, some students used Office at the beginning of a project, but later they had to switch to using Google Docs to be able to work in groups, and finally remove it from Google Docs and put it back in Office once they had finished.
In Welcome to Windows 8 | Ten very practical uses of SkyDrive in Windows 8
