Windows Live Folders Becomes Live SkyDrive

Call it the code name shuffle. Microsoft's long-rumored online storage offering has been in beta for a little while, but it's changed names so many times it's hard to keep up. Originally code-named Live Drive, it became Live Folders and today got its final name, Windows Live SkyDrive.Microsoft's Live strategy has been confusing to some who still wonder what, exactly, is Live versus not-Live in Microsoft's array of online services. The recent name parade for SkyDrive can't necessarily help things. It's like Windows Blackcomb, which became Vienna and now Windows 7.

Still, SkyDrive seems a more apt and powerful name than Folders. It emphasizes Microsoft's vision of the Internet as some sort of out-there "cloud" and the utility computing services like SkyDrive that will most likely make up the company's set of so-called Cloud Infrastructure Services as the company's online strategy begins to settle out. Drive also is a more apt term than Folders is; it's reminiscent of a computer's hard drive rather than just a subset of directories or folders in which to put stuff.

Along with the name change, Microsoft also is releasing a few updates to SkyDrive today, especially in the user interface. For example, there's now a thumbnails view and the ability to drag and drop uploads, even multiple files. There also are new preview controls and an area that shows other recently visited folders of other users (SkyDrive has some collaborative features that allow users to share files and folders with one another).