Accessing PowerPoint on the Web and Mobile Devices (part 1) - Setting Up SkyDrive

Microsoft Office 2010 introduces web-based versions of its most popular applications, including PowerPoint, Word, Excel, and OneNote. To use the PowerPoint Web App, you need either Microsoft SharePoint 2010 (primarily for use in large organizations) or a Windows Live ID and a SkyDrive account (for use by anyone with web access).

With the Web App, you can view and edit PowerPoint presentations from any computer. It’s important to note, however, that the Web App’s editing features comprise just a small subset of the features available in the desktop version of PowerPoint. You should plan to perform only minor edits in the Web App.

This section focuses on accessing the Web App on SkyDrive with a Windows Live ID. Installing and deploying SharePoint is normally the domain of a corporate IT department, and someone from that department would set up your access rights to the Web App via SharePoint.

Setting Up SkyDrive

SkyDrive offers up to 25GB of free online storage that you can use to collaborate with colleagues anywhere in the world. SkyDrive is part of Windows Live and requires a Windows Live ID to access. If you have an existing account with another Windows Live application such as Hotmail or Messenger, you already have a Windows Live ID. If you don’t, you can sign up for a free Windows Live ID. Be aware that, as a web application, SkyDrive could change or include new features in the future.

To set up SkyDrive, go to http://skydrive.live.com (see Figure 1), click the Sign In link, and enter your Windows Live ID. If you don’t have an ID, sign up for a free account by clicking the Sign Up button.

Figure 1. Signing up for SkyDrive takes only a few minutes.

On SkyDrive (see Figure 2), you can

• Create new folders by selecting Folder from the New drop-down list. You can share folders with everyone (a public folder), only people in your network, or selected people you have provided access to. Alternatively, you can make your folder private so that only you can access it.
  
  
• Add files to your folders by clicking the Add Files link. From here, you can browse your computer and select the files you want to upload. You can upload files up to 50MB each. See “Adding Files to SkyDrive” below for more information.
  
  
• Open individual files by clicking a folder icon and then clicking the file’s icon.
  
  
• Create a new PowerPoint presentation by selecting PowerPoint Presentation from the New drop-down list. You can also choose to create a new Word, Excel, or OneNote file.
  
  
• View your available storage in the upper-right corner of the screen.
  
  

Figure 2. Upload up to 25GB of documents to share with your network.

Adding Files to SkyDrive

If you want to work with an existing PowerPoint presentation in the Web App, you must add it to SkyDrive. You can do this directly in SkyDrive or save it from within PowerPoint.

Adding an Existing File to SkyDrive

To add an existing file (such as a PowerPoint presentation) to SkyDrive, follow these steps:

1.	In the SkyDrive main window (refer to Figure 2), click the Add Files link.
2.	Select the folder where you want to store your presentation.
3.	Click the Select Documents from Your Computer link to access the Open dialog box, as shown in Figure 3. Figure 3. Select the file you want to upload to SkyDrive.
4.	Navigate to the file you want to upload, and click the Open button to return to SkyDrive. Remember that SkyDrive limits individual file size to 50MB.
5.	Click the Upload button to finish the upload process.

Creating New Presentations in SkyDrive

Another option is to create a new PowerPoint presentation directly in SkyDrive. You can edit this presentation in the Web App or download it later for use in the desktop version of PowerPoint.

Creating a New Presentation in SkyDrive

To create a new PowerPoint presentation in SkyDrive, follow these steps: