Some useful bits and bobs…
A more IT oriented update this time, recently I came across some utilities that are extremely useful… Especially if you like the idea of cloud computing and need to share documents and files with people. I came across them through Leo Laporte’s TWIT podcast network.
The first is called SkyDrive Explorer and is a Windows Explorer extension that allows access to SkyDrive (Microsofts free online storage provider) directly from Explorer. SkyDrive is extremely useful if you ever need to share files that are too large to email or can’t be sure if the recipients email providor is up to the task of a larger attachment. You can upload the file and share it with Windows Live! users privately, or open it up so no password is required for people without Windows Live! accounts. I recently used it to pass two audio recordings to our language advisor at OMFs Japanese Language Centre as they might have been too large to email.
I have used SkyDrive for a while for this kind of thing, it has bags of storage space (25GB for free!) and it’s drag and drop upload has often allowed large uploads. It also (recently) allows the download of an entire folder as a zip file, which is handy for downloading too.
SkyDrive Explorer is in development and currently is a beta, so whether there will be a charge for it in the future I don’t know. Depending on how it’s features develop, it could also make SkyDrive a viable target for online backup of essential docs and files…
The next one is Offisync, a plugin for Microsoft Office (2003 and 2007 only I am afraid). This appears as a toolbar in compatible applications (Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc) and allows direct interaction with Google Docs. Now Microsoft have their own service for sharing docs and so on (Office Live Workspace), but it doesn’t have online applications (yet…although apparently coming…) and I am not sure if it is as widely used as Google Docs. But this ability to directly open and save Google Docs via Office on my desktop is great, it might mean I begin to use Google Docs more. The only drawback is that it doesn’t facilitate allowing others to see the document without signing in. It allows for collaboration, but others must have a Google Docs account in order to sign in and view, to open it up for public viewing means going to Google Docs itself and sharing it out. Office Live Workspace is actually a little better in this regard. Perhaps when Office goes online it might be a real competitor to Google here.
Both potentially very useful little apps, both still in beta and free for now. I will be using them and if they are rubbish you’ll find out soon!
