Video: SkyDrive Photo and document syncing for Windows Phone Mango

In the video below, Microsoft highlights the skydrive integration of Windows Phone Mango. SkyDrive is basically cloud storage, of which you get 25GB

• Enjoy skydrive photo library on your phone – no cables or syncing required
• Photos taken on Windows Phone can also be uploaded automatically (web sized to save data) which can then be accessed on desktop or other devices
• Upload videos to skydrive – you can leave this uploading in the background.
• Can message friends with photos from skydrive
• Office documents also sync with skydrive.
• Autosyncing to onenote 2010 on the desktop
• Accessing office documents saved in skydrive from office hub.
• Edit and save documents on skydrive
• You don’t have to know where the documents are – just know you have access to it on your phone (oh the annoying times I thought I have saved a file to memory stick or emailed it to myself only to find myself at the uni printers with missing emails and missing documents)
• See documents shared with you on sky drive from friends/family
• Opening of multiple documents. Follow a presentation, type up a note…etc.
• Presentation – has all the animations (already present in current WP7, very nice. I think Symbian version is static and looks plain. Would be good mixed with TV-out. There must be a way since they keep doing demoes over a big screen for WP)

The only concern I have with automatic uploading/downloading services such as these is possible effect on battery life. And that no connection = no files (well no documents – pictures would have been synced and already on your phone? Or does it do the facebook way where the pictures have to be downloaded? I’m not sure. ) Alternatively if you did want skydrive files offline, just choose “save to phone”.

here’s a live demo via WinRumors

Now I’m sure you’ll note Apple has something quite similar where pictures in one device is synced everywhere else. As noted by the top youtube comment:

ios 5 copied these features two days ago!

Is it right that those things uploaded in iCloud only last 30 days? It’s also 5GB? I think with skydrive you get to keep them on skydrive indefinitely until you decide to remove them.

I think about a year ago, Iain Wallace demoed this happening with a Nokia N900 where photos taken on your phone would be synced with the laptop and vice versa. He’s made actually quite a few cool things (IR remote helicopter, flash trigger, the stop motion lapse app and he’s got a “crazy ideas” folder which includes stuff that iOS and Windows are making as features today) which is why folks need to pay attention to what this guy does.

I hope Microsoft learn how to show Mango off in fall when it’s ready. It’s not just about having features, it’s about letting the consumer attach themselves emotionally to how they could see themselves using these features. That’s another post.

via Engadget

Speaking of engadget. An interesting comment:

2007: “iPhone is too little, too late”
2009: “Android is too little, too late”
2011: “Windows Phone is too little, too late”

Cheers Hague Media

Category: Windows Phone