Microsoft renames online storage service
Live Skydrive offered as a beta
By Gregg Keizer, Computerworld | Published 10:16, 10 August 07
Microsoft has renamed its free online storage service as Windows Live Skydrive. The company has also relaunched the service as a beta preview open to anyone.
Formerly called Windows Live Folders – the name under which it briefly made a public appearance in mid-May before vanishing again into invite-only testing – the service requires users to log in with a Windows Live ID. Most people are familiar with Live ID from accessing Hotmail, now called Windows Live Mail, or using Windows Live Messenger for IM.
Skydrive's storage allowance is 500Mb. It lets users create and designate folders as private, public or public-but-invite-required; and can be accessed using either Internet Explorer (IE) or Firefox. New features or enhancements that debuted in the refresh include image thumbnails and file uploading using drag-and-drop. The latter, however, relies on an ActiveX control, and so can be done only when using IE when accessing Skydrive.
Not a backup service – it lacks the tools to automate file transfer from local PC to offsite server that, say, Mozy Online Backup provides – Skydrive limits individual uploaded files to 50Mb or less. Currently, the best is restricted to users in the US, the UK and India.
