I’ve missed having SkyDrive’s sync app on a tablet
Two days ago, I received a brand new Acer Iconia W510 Windows 8 tablet. Since then, I’ve come to realize just how much I’ve missed SkyDrive’s sync app (more formally known as SkyDrive for Windows desktop). Now, don’t get me wrong, I can live without it if necessary. But thanks to the Iconia W510’s Intel Atom Clover Trail processor, it’s possible to install desktop applications like this one, making things so much more convenient.
With the exception of a few videos and large installers, all of my documents, photos, music, videos, and other miscellaneous files are stored up on Microsoft’s cloud storage service. It works extremely well, allowing me to access my files from anywhere. It’s even integrated directly into Office! Everything is synced with my primary desktop PC, so I have access to all of my files in the rare occasion that I’m offline. The same, however, cannot be said for my Windows RT tablets. While Office documents are accessible directly from the “recent” section of each application, I have to open up the SkyDrive app and download any other files I might need. This also means that if I’m on an airplane without WiFi, for example, I have to download files I’ll need ahead of time and remember to upload them once I regain access to the internet.
However, on a full Windows 8 tablet like the Acer Iconia W510, I can simply install the SkyDrive for Windows desktop application and get access to all of my files at any time. Of course, the device’s 64GB SSD isn’t nearly enough room for all of my files, so I decided to use the application’s selective sync feature – introduced late last year – to only sync files in the root directory and in my documents folder. Best of all, it works like a charm. I was worried that installing the application and letting it run in the background would shorten the battery life dramatically, but I haven’t noticed much of a performance impact so far.
So while I don’t need SkyDrive for Windows desktop on a tablet, it certainly makes things much more convenient. Hopefully, Microsoft will add a special Windows RT version of the application to all devices in a future firmware update, just like it has done with Office Home & Student 2013 RT. If you haven’t already downloaded the SkyDrive for Windows desktop application, I highly recommend it.
The Acer Iconia W510 tablet was provided to me, by Intel, as part of the company’s #IntelTablets #TabletCrew program, and I am also part of the SkyDrive Insider program.
