Microsoft said to be planning a range of new features for SkyDrive

Microsoft has been reported to be planning numerous new features for its popular cloud storage service, SkyDrive. LiveSide has published a handful of new features that we can expect to see in a future update. We're talking about shared lists, folder mounting and Windows hardware settings backup management. Sounds interesting, right?

Shared lists

For the time being, consumers can share files and folders via email, direct links and through social media. Any folders and files shared with your account are displayed for access, but this is set to be refreshed soon. The issue being it can prove to be rather difficult to find a particular file present on another SkyDrive account. Microsoft is believed to be addressing this by introducing a concept called "shared lists."

The feature will enable users to select up to 100 files and bundle them in a customised list, which can then be shared with others. This isn't to replace the current sharing functionality, but to compliment it with a way to manage folders and files for other people to access more conveniently.

Folder Mounting

A popular complaint with SkyDrive is how the desktop client fails to synchronise any files and folders that are shared with you. This makes offline access to other SkyDrive content impossible. Microsoft is set to allow users to mount folders to their own SkyDrive. This will enable SkyDrive clients to automatically pull down said content when synchronising. 

It's not confirmed whether mounted folders and files from other users will count towards your storage total, but it's understood that they can be removed at any time.

Device Settings Backup

A new settings page is believed to be on the way for SkyDrive, which will enable those who own a Windows 8.1 or Windows Phone 8 product to manage their backed up device settings, but it's not known exactly what this would cover.

It's worth noting that these features could well change before being made available to the public, but we're rather excited by what's been published. What would you like to see added to SkyDrive?

Source: LiveSide