Microsoft's strategy is long-term clearly - to not support the old products and seek to offer new products. The SkyDrive does not run under the Windows XP or older system for this reason. Only Windows 7 and newer versions are supported (the local client of course, not the web interface).
However, the users of Apple Mac OS X, also owners of smartphones with the iOS and the Windows Phone can use a special mobile application for usage the Microsoft SkyDrive.
But not all changes are good. If you think that a disc space of web storage is the same like in Windows Mesh, you are wrong. This was decreased from 25 GB to 7 GB (free version) and it is valid for all newly registered persons. The old users have to confirm the previous settings from Windows Live Mesh to maintain the old capacity of web storage (25 GB).
You can also buy more disc space for annual fees - 20 GB / $4.5, 50 GB / $24 and 100 GB / $48. These prices are more friendly than in case of competing Google Drive. However, 7 GB disc space is more than Google Drive´s 5 GB or Dropbox´s 2 GB. Even the Microsoft Company flaunts this comparison on its website http://windows.microsoft.com/en-HK/skydrive/compare
Registration, installation of local client and synchronization
Registration on website skydrive.live.com doesn´t take more than a few minutes or you can use existing account for Hotmail, communication software Messenger or account for service Xbox LIVE.
After successful login, you will see very clear web environment. There you can find uploaded files and folders or you can edit documents online, this all thanks to integration with cloud Office. That means you can create or edit Microsoft Office´s documents almost as easily as by using the traditional on-premise Microsoft Office on your computer
The Microsoft SkyDrive provides support of HTML5 and thus a user can take a full advantage of modern web browsers. You are able to upload the files very convenient - just drag a file from a local folder to a current web browser's window. It is not complicated way like manual selection of a path. It is funny, that Microsoft Internet Explorer has not supported this feature yet.
The local client for operating system Microsoft Windows has only 5 MB and can be used for synchronization of folders and files between your computer and cloud storage. Of course that not only Microsoft Windows OS is supported. You are able to download free SkyDrive app on your WindowsPhone, iPhone, or iPad. On Android phones or others just use the web browser to sign in to the SkyDrive.com.
Microsoft Company has understood the current trend to simplify everything for very easy use by customers. After a successful login you are able to select a folder which has to be synchronized and local client will take care of it. For example: if you save any file into a local folder, the file will be automatically uploaded onto cloud storage. And of course vice versa.
Unfortunately, there is one disadvantage compared to the previous application Windows Live Mesh - a created folder is called “SkyDrive” and there is no way how to change it, or how to synchronize any other folder from your computer. Only folders in “SkyDrive” folder are synchronized - you have to create a tree structure with mentioned “SkyDrive” folder as a root.
What we liked:
- price
- possibility of use HTML5 features
- SkyDrive application is available also for Windows Phone, iPhone or iPad
What we didn´t like:
- capacity of cloud storage
- only one folder on a computer is synchronized with cloud storage. There is no possibility to change it.