Redmond, Washington — In a move to attract more users to its SkyDrive, software behemoth Microsoft is making it easier for Gmail users to be able to save their files to SkyDrive, courtesy Microsoft’s collaboration with Attachments.me.
On September 10, Microsoft revealed details of the partnership — via which Google Gmail users would be able to seamlessly access SkyDrive files directly from their inbox, save email attachments directly to SkyDrive and share files directly from their SkyDrive. The new capabilities are provided via Attachment.me’s Chrome extension.
Microsoft and Attachments.me are collaborating to simplify the way Gmail users can use Microsoft’s SkyDrive personal cloud-storage service. Upon installing the Chrome or Firefox extension, users can send and access SkyDrive files directly in Gmail.
Announcing via the Windows Blog, Microsoft urges users who prefer Gmail over Microsoft’s recently revamped Hotmail but would still like to use Microsoft’s Office Web Apps over Google Docs, to definitely give the extension a try. Now, users of the Chrome browser who have the Attachments.me extension enabled, would be able to send Gmail attachments to SkyDrive and also access and share SkyDrive files from the Gmail interface.
More so, it is also possible for users to create a filter to automatically save specific attachments to SkyDrive (For instance, “whenever John Doe sends me an attachment, save it to my “Files from John” folder in SkyDrive), Microsoft said in a blog post on Monday.
Besides, Attachments.me will save Gmail attachments to SkyDrive. Attachments.me also smoothly functions with other cloud storage services, including Box, Dropbox and Google Drive.
In fact, once the extension is inserted, users will be prompted to link their SkyDrive account with Gmail. After providing a series of approvals, users will receive a sample mail with an attachment from the team at Attachmnets.me. They can choose to take a quick tour to see how the feature works. Users can send their attachments to Dropbox, Google Drive or Box.
Users can access the ‘paper clip’ icon on the top right of the screen to search for attachments and set automatic filing rules.
This latest launch comes on the heels of the redesigned SkyDrive, and the software giant keen on leaving no stone unturned to get more developers to use the SkyDrive API. The SDK includes a application-programming interface (API) that is similar to the file picker for Windows 8 apps that’s already integrated with SkyDrive. The new API allows third-party sites/apps to integrate directly with the SkyDrive file picker. (The SDK update also removes all API restrictions related to photo resolution and content type.)
What is happening behind the scenes enabling this scenario is an update to the SkyDrive software development kit (SDK). This past weekend saw many teams make use of the services API for their projects at the TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon. The updated SkyDrive SDK is available from the Microsoft Live Connect Developer Center.
According to the company blog, the company emphasized Aniden’s David Chien, who incorporated SkyDrive into his Windows 8 app, Cliphoarder. Also, it uses Windows 8’s snap feature to let users “clip text and images out of any website and save them to your SkyDrive automatically.” The app is expected to arrive in the Windows Store before the official launch of Windows 8.
Going forward, The software maker is keenly continuing to encourage for developers to integrate SkyDrive directly with their apps. At the same time, Microsoft is also working to make SkyDrive a better multi-platform solution.
Besides, some other organizations that recently incorporated the SkyDrive API are GoodReader, Bookviser, Podio and RightSignature.
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