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Windows Live SkyDrive Wave 5 to get devices integration soon

Aug 30, 2011 6:52 am by damaster | 14 comments

The Windows Live team only recently updated SkyDrive to Wave 5 with a full UI revamp, new features, and performance improvements, and it seems like they’re only just getting started with a series of updates to come. Just last week from a Microsoft job posting we learnt that SkyDrive client applications for Windows, Windows Phone, iOS, Mac and Android are currently in development. LiveSide has now learnt that Microsoft has even more grand plans for Windows Live SkyDrive, and one of the new features coming soon to SkyDrive is devices integration.

Based on our information, SkyDrive will soon allow you to access and view files synced from each device via a single user interface on http://skydrive.live.com. Devices added to Windows Live will show up under a “Devices” section in the SkyDrive navigation panel (right below “Groups”), providing a single consistent interface to access all files stored on the cloud. We’re yet to find out whether this means each device added to Windows Live will be able to use the free 25GB of storage of SkyDrve, or still uses the 5GB “SkyDrive synced storage” for Windows Live Mesh. However, it does give us hope that the cloud storage system used for Windows Live Mesh with the one used SkyDrive might be merged sometime soon.

This information is consistent with previous comments from Mike Torres, Group Program Manager for SkyDrive Devices and Roaming, who acknowledged that features such as Windows Live Mesh integration are “top asks” for SkyDrive and that they are currently “hard at work on SkyDrive as we speak”. In fact, LiveSide understand that there are more big changes underway, addressing more of the “top asks” for SkyDrive from the wider community. So be sure and stay tuned at LiveSide as we bring you more news on SkyDrive and the rest of Windows Live. In the mean time, do let us know what are some of the “top asks” you have for Windows Live SkyDrive in the comments below!

This entry was posted in Featured, News and tagged Devices, Mesh, SkyDrive, Wave 5, Windows Live. Bookmark the permalink.

JT
I still hold out hope that SkyDrive is the delivery vehicle for Live Framework (http://blogs.msdn.com/b/liveframework/). Hoping…
http://doctorwhofan98.wordpress.com/ doctorwhofan98
Wow! Any time frame for this? I mean, you posted about Hotmail Calendar new reminders ages ago (and I know the post was removed) and said “soon” with no specific timeframe, and we’ve only just got the update. Please say that soon is actually soon.
Anonymous
music and video purchased from zune are stored in SkyDrive (and do not detract from your 25GB as long as your purchased it from Zune). Would allow playback of that content in the browser… or would stream it to a client app like zune on windows phone or zune on win7
- JT
  Oh yea, and what he said :) Definitely would like all of my Zune stuff to come down from SkyDrive.
  - http://twitter.com/bcwlk Brennen Wheelock
    That’s basically just a free Zune passport though. Streaming music from Zune or streaming it from a SkyDrive, it’s the same thing in the end. Don’t get me wrong though, having a dedicated music and/or video folder on SkyDrive that can integrate with your Zune account would be an awesome addition to allow streaming or accessing non-Zune bought music and video.
    - JT
      “That’s basically just a free Zune pass though”
      Maybe I should clarify. Any music that I own or have, in the past, rented from Zune should be instantly available via SkyDrive – I shouldn’t have to go “look” for it. Rented music should not use up my SkyDrive storage.
      The point is, I want SkyDrive to be the hub for this stuff and any SkyDrive apps should directly support streaming of that music.
      Oh, and video too … :)
      From a wider perspective – I can see SkyDrive becoming a kind of hub for online apps – music would be just another type of app. That would be cool.
      - Damaster – LiveSide.net
        Re: SkyDrive as hub for online apps.
        Thats what “Live Desktop” as part of Live Mesh beta used to be. It was envisaged as a desktop on the web. People could develop apps using Live Framework, and these apps could either be run on the Live Desktop (in the browser) or as an app on your actual desktop. Settings and save states all synced between the two.
      - Jamie
        John,
        I know, I was all over Live Desktop/Live Framework when it came out – blogged about it lots too. My big hope for Build is that it gets resurrected in some form.
      - Damaster – LiveSide.net
        Ahh – sorry Jamie didn’t recognise it was you :) Yup I agree, the way Win8 is going (settings sync, new app model…etc), if done right it’s the perfect chance for the resurrection of Live Framework. Let’s hope BUILD brings some good news.
Chris
If the EU will allow it.
http://www.facebook.com/nikhilj Nikhil Jain
MS working on WL W5 to make it completely seamless to access all of your personal files, anywhere and anytime, even if those files are spread across multiple devices
- Damaster – LiveSide.net
  Saw that too. But it referred to Windows Live Sync/Mesh, which does exactly that. So nothing new there…
http://www.facebook.com/emiliano.magliocca Emiliano Magliocca
I’d like a live skydrive/mesh app that full sync between phone, web and pc (sync also a folder like dropbox), grant the access to pc shared folders and libraries from browser and phone. sync favorites and rss with outlook and live hotmail and give the remote pc control from windosphone7 ;)
http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/6G3ZZJCHOLYP3S5CRCIHQ7WDSE MVIM
It would be nice if Office Web Apps on SkyDrive worked with webOS. It works great on my Windows 7 PCs and Windows Phone, but until Windows 8 tablet becomes a reality it would be nice to be able to use my HP Touchpad to work on Office documents through SkyDrive.