Hasta La Gadget!

Microsoft teased it was adding new functionality to SkyDrive, and it seems web-based music streaming may be the first of those enhancements, if code spotted in the site is anything to go by. References to a music player based in SkyDrive, as well as leaked player controls from an internal testing version, have been spotted by LiveSide, though there’s no telling whether it will also be integrated with Xbox Music.

Microsoft had previously said that it would be adding a cloud storage system to Xbox Music, mimicking the Amazon Cloud Player and Google Play Music functionality. However, it was unclear what relationship that might have to SkyDrive it would have, or whether Microsoft would keep the services separate.

“Available in the coming year, a scan-and-match feature will take you beyond the 30 million tracks globally offered through Xbox Music. It will add all the music you own to your Xbox Music cloud catalog, including music acquired through other services. This means you can add almost any content you have to your personal Xbox Music collection, even if it’s not available in the Xbox Music catalog” Microsoft

The music player reference discovered in the SkyDrive site code, however, and the resource images for the player hint that Microsoft plans to pull the two closer together. That would allow subscribers to Xbox Music to augment the standard catalog with their own tracks, including niche music that might be missing from the service.

When, exactly, Microsoft will roll out the cloud-based system is unclear, with the only schedule attached to a cloud player being “in the coming year” from the statement back in October. It’s also uncertain which platforms the streaming will be supported on, though Microsoft currently has file-access apps for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone.

[via Engadget]

SkyDrive cloud music streaming tipped incoming is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

After the introduction of new APIs last year, Microsoft has released SkyDrive SDKs for almost every major platform including Windows 8, JavaScript Web library, Android and iOS. Now the cloud service has opened its doors to more of Microsoft’s own with new SDKs for .NET and of course, Windows Phone 8. To entice even more developers to its side, the team at SkyDrive also integrated with services like IFTTT (If This Then That), which lets you customize action triggers between different web services, DocuSign, an electronic signature site and SoundGecko, a text-to-audio transcription service. It’ll likely take a lot of work for SkyDrive to win over fans of Dropbox and Box.net, but opening up its doors to developers is a step in the right direction.

Filed under: Internet, Software, Microsoft

Microsoft announces SkyDrive SDKs for .NET and Windows Phone 8, highlights web integration originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Nov 2012 07:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft’s SkyDrive is now one of the centerpieces of the company’s desktop and mobile platforms, but its relative newness has denied us some of the fine-grained control we’ve taken for granted from services like Dropbox. The cloud storage service just resolved two of those common power user gripes in one fell swoop through an update to the desktop client. To start, it’s at last possible to limit SkyDrive syncing on Macs and Windows PCs just to specific folders — that poor tablet won’t reach its breaking point when someone creates a 5GB home video on the family desktop. Windows users alone see the second update, which integrates SkyDrive with right-click contextual menus for much faster sharing. Mobile customers aren’t left out with the refresh, either. Both Android and Windows Phone 8 SkyDrive users get a long-due file search as well as the option to shrink photos when they go online. Updates for the four update platforms are available at the source link, although they should push out on their own over the next two days for those who aren’t in a hurry.

Continue reading SkyDrive gains selective syncing and right-click sharing on the desktop, searching on mobile (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software, Microsoft

SkyDrive gains selective syncing and right-click sharing on the desktop, searching on mobile (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Nov 2012 14:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We did it folks – we made it through another election, which means that we finally get a break from those endless political ads. It won’t be long before those ads are playing all over the place again, so savor the moment while you can. We found out today that President Obama set Twitter records with that a tweet that was shared more 600,000 times, and Apple was hit with a hefty fine in a case over patents related to FaceTime. Foxconn is saying that it’s still having issues keeping up with iPhone 5 production, and Pixar has named a new building after Steve Jobs.

We had a couple of quarterly reports land this afternoon, with both Activision and Qualcomm looking great as they charge into Q4 2012. Apple executive Eddy Cue has joined Ferrari’s board of directors, while AT&T is putting up a whopping $14 billion to boost its LTE and U-Verse services. There were rumors of an iPad Mini 2 with Retina Display floating around today, and ZTE was spotted teasing a new Windows Phone 8 device with a massive 5.9-inch screen.

Gearbox has squashed a nasty exploit in Borderlands 2 with a new patch, and we learned that Kim Dotcom’s new website has been killed before it even got off the ground. AT&T has revealed off-contract pricing for the Nokia Lumia 920 and 820, and Time Warner Cable is trying to lure new customers in by giving away free Xbox 360s. We got to see Nintendo President Satoru Iwata unbox the Wii U, found out which features will be on the Wii U from launch day, and were even told that the Wii U will allow for 12 user accounts per console.

Verizon is waiving voice and text fees for those who were hit hard by Hurricane Sandy, and Microsoft has released its SkyDrive app for Windows Phone 8. A new Sandvine report gives us an idea of just how popular Netflix is in North America, and Yahoo has hired a former National Geographic photographer to head up Flickr. A*STAR has revealed a new hybrid disk drive that’s only 5mm-thick, and DC Comics are now available digitally through iOS, Kindle, and NOOK devices.

Finally tonight, Don Reisinger asks if Apple actually helps its competitors, we take a closer look at Qualcomm Halo, and Chris Davis gives us his review of the Phillips hue lightbulb. That does it for tonight’s edition of the Evening Wrap-Up, enjoy the rest of your night everyone!

SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: November 7, 2012 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you’re planning on picking up a Windows Phone 8 handset, then good news, as you’ll have a new version of SkyDrive waiting for you in the Windows Phone Store. Released today, the most important feature this bad boy is touting is support for Windows Phone 8. It also has a few more features worth talking about, so read on to find out more.

In version 3.0, users now have the ability to search through their SkyDrive folders and files on their handset. There are also new size settings to choose from when downloading and uploading images, which should be a nice feature for those who use SkyDrive primarily for storing photos. Microsoft has also updated the visuals and icons in the app, so SkyDrive is getting something of a visual overhaul in version 3.0.

Those features listed above are it as far as the update is concerned, so version 3.0 is a little light on notable additions. That’s okay though, because the big feature – support for Windows Phone 8 – is included in this update, so there’s plenty to get excited about in that respect. SkyDrive on mobile phones already lets you manage your files, upload video from your phone, access all of your SkyDrive content, and share the files you’ve stored in your SkyDrive account, so most of the big features were there to begin with anyway.

So, SkyDrive seems like a pretty handy app for those with go with Windows Phone as their mobile OS of choice. The new version of SkyDrive is available now on the Windows Phone Store [download link]. To make things even more awesome, it’s free, so with Window Phone 8 support and no payment required, things can’t get much better for SkyDrive users.

SkyDrive app arrives on Windows Phone 8 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.