New SkyDrive update to bring BitLocker key management and URL shortening

Ron

Screenshots recently leaked revealing support for paid storage for SkyDrive, as well as desktop client support for Windows and Mac. Now, we learn that there are more features to be added to the upcoming SkyDrive update.

Just recently, we learned about SkyDrive having a new paid storage plan as well as a desktop client for Windows and Mac. The guys over at LiveSide have revealed that the upcoming SkyDrive Wave 5 M3 (version 16.3) is set to bring several new features on top of the paid storage plans and desktop client.

SkyDrive will have BitLocker key management which will allow Windows 8 users to save BitLocker recovery keys onto SkyDrive and allow the retrieval of these keys using a trusted computer or via email/SMS. SkyDrive will also support the OpenDocument format, such as those ending in .odt, .odp, and .ods. Those looking for a built in URL shortening service in SkyDrive will be happy to hear that there will be a “Shorten” button when sharing a link and a shortened URL will be generated. The new SkyDrive update also brings a direct share to social services that allow you to share files and folders to social networks such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and LinkedIn. SkyDrive will also see a file size limit increase from 100MB to 300MB, which matches Dropbox’s limit.

On the other side of the fence, Google is reportedly working on launching its very own cloud-storage service similar to Dropbox and Microsoft’s SkyDrive. The new service, called Drive, is the company’s response to other cloud based file storage services that allow access from multiple devices