Work From the Cloud or Your Desktop with Microsoft Office 2010 and SkyDrive (Review)

I love working from the cloud. Being able to access my files no matter where I am makes it easier to work on the couch or at my favorite coffee shop. I've been using Google Docs for quite some time. It was easier to work from the cloud since I constantly switched working from my desktop to my laptop or netbook, especially since I only had Microsoft Office installed on my desktop. Microsoft Word and Excel files I received for work could be viewed and edited in Google Docs, but any special formatting didn't show up properly.

Now, I don't have to worry about compatibility between documents I receive in my email, thanks to SkyDrive, Microsoft's free online storage. With SkyDrive, I can work on a Microsoft Word file on my desktop, save it directly to SkyDrive and then access it from my laptop later. All my formatting is saved and remains consistent, no matter where I access my file. I can open and edit my document using Microsoft Office Web Apps or open it using Microsoft Office installed on my computer.

It's easy to share your files

With SkyDrive, I can create and edit Microsoft Word and Excel files. I can also create a PowerPoint presentation or a OneNote notebook. It was also very easy to share a file. In my recent post about nature walks on Tots2Tweens, I shared a  printable Nature Walk Scavenger Hunt List by linking directly to the file. My readers can just click on the PDF file and print it out.

As you can see, with SkyDrive you're not limited to MS Office documents. Not only can I upload PDF files to it, I can upload photos as well. Sharing photos with family and friends is just as easy. You can send them a link to view your photos. SkyDrive stores all your photos and files in the cloud without taking up a ton of space on your hard drive.

You can share files by emailing your friends the link

You can even upload video files and view them directly from your browser. I'm not a huge fan of Youtube, but I can see SkyDrive as a more private way of sharing video files. I can store my video files in the cloud and only share them if I so choose.

I still love my Google Docs. It's simple with no frills.

However, SkyDrive has convinced me to go back to MS Office. With Microsoft Word, I can do more fun things with my documents. I'll have access to templates like lists and letterheads and fun projects like notecards.   I can also print directly to PDFs. I have the option to save directly to my hard drive or to SkyDrive. If you have a Windows phone or an iPhone, you can download the SkyDrive app for easy access to your files.

I'm not ready to give up Google Docs yet, but I can see myself using both SkyDrive and Google Docs equally. You can do a lot more with SkyDrive, aside from what I've mentioned here. Check out how more than one person can view and edit the same Excel workbook at the same time.

Want to give SkyDrive a try? Sign up for free. Do you use the cloud for your documents? Which service do you use?

I received codes for Microsoft Office 2010 to facilitate this review. SkyDrive is free. As always, all geeky opinions are my own. 


Photos courtesy of Microsoft.