Six months ago, we announced our last update to SkyDrive right here on the SkyDrive team blog. Although we've been pretty hush-hush since then, the team has been working diligently to bring you new features and improvements across SkyDrive and the rest of Windows Live based directly on your feedback.

While we work on the finishing touches, here's a taste of what's to come.

Even more free online storage
People are taking more photos than ever—50 billion in 2007—we figured you could use a little more storage space. How much? You told us you liked the last fivefold increase, so we're doing it again, bringing the grand total to 25 GB of free online storage.

More control over your online data
You asked us to make it easier to organize and download your files, so we're answering you with four key new features to address your needs:

• Download photos directly to your Windows Live Photo Gallery.
• Download as a .zip file. Download an entire folder in one compressed file (initially available only in the United States, Denmark, and Ireland).
• Move files between folders.
• Copy files to multiple folders.

Photos rule!
We love photos just as much as you do, that's why we've added over 20 new features, improvements, and tweaks to make photos pop on SkyDrive. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Bigger thumbnails. We've increased the display size your photos throughout the site.
• Order prints. Order prints of your photos right from SkyDrive.
• A gorgeous online slide show. Works with any browser, but works even better if you have Microsoft Silverlight installed.
• People tags. Tag your friends and family.

Sharing should be easy
We’ve dramatically renovated the sharing experience to make it easier to share the stuff you care about.

• Share your files and photos without requiring friends and family to use Windows Live ID
• Organize your contacts by category for easy repeat sharing, or share with your entire network or extended network.
• Share links to your favorite websites using Windows Live Toolbar. The links are stored on your SkyDrive.
• See what your friends have shared lately all in one place.

Plus much, much more
Hold tight, we're updating your SkyDrive sooner than you know it with dozens more improvements. Things like:

• Keep your Internet Explorer favorites in sync between computers, and access them anywhere from your SkyDrive.
• Make comments work the way you want them to with HTML, new comment options, and spam control.
• A complete overhaul of the look and feel to match the look and feel of Windows Live.
• More countries and regions: Arabia, China, Hong Kong, Israel, South Africa, Vietnam and 13 new languages: Basque, Catalan, Guajarati, Hindi, Indonesian, Kannada, Malay, Malayalam, Marathi, Serbian-Cyrillic, Tamil, Telugu, and Vietnamese.

When can you expect to see the changes? Soon. We’ll let you know the minute it’s available right here on the SkyDrive team blog.

You can also learn more about our new release at the Windows Live website.

- The SkyDrive Team