Microsoft updates SkyDrive

BANGALORE, INDIA: Microsoft announced that it is moving cloud storage platform SkyDrive from preview stage and will make it available for users along with new updates and Windows 8 look and feel.

The company updated SkyDrive with a new web design, new apps for PCs, Macs, Android devices, and with improved developer offerings.

"With these updates and continued improvements to our back-end infrastructure, we’re excited to leave preview and unlock new possibilities for a billion customers with the upcoming releases of Windows 8, the new Office, and tons of devices and apps that connect to SkyDrive," wrote Omar Shahine and Mike Torres, group program managers for SkyDrive in the latest post on the Microsoft blog.

The new features are:

SkyDrive.com - New, modern design for desktop and tablet browsers with instant search, contextual toolbar, thumbnail multi-select, drag-and-drop organization, and HTML5 sorting

SkyDrive for Windows desktop & OS X - Faster uploads for people around the world and tons of bug and performance improvements under the hood

SkyDrive for Android - A new app that lets you access, upload and share from Android phones

SkyDrive for developers — Apps built using our SkyDrive API can now store or access any type of file in a person’s SkyDrive, plus there's a new, easy-to-use file picker API for websites (similar to file picker for Windows 8 apps)

"With the update to SkyDrive.com that's rolling out over the next 24 hours, we've taken the same DNA from the SkyDrive Windows 8 app and brought that to the web. We've updated nearly 100% of the SkyDrive UI to provide a fast and fluid web experience on all browsers and devices," the post adds.