3 screens and a cloud (Or how do you get on with your MS account)

[Bobvfr]

We have plenty of forums for devices that make up the 3 screens, we do have a OneDrive section, but that isn't really the same as "The cloud" (Although very much related).

But in our day to day interaction with our desktops, tablets and phones we have one overriding relationship going on and that is with our MS account.

I used to be very sceptical about signing up for stuff, but when I got to 8.1 I must have had a epiphany moment or maybe better still a "Sod it" moment and I just gave in, and I have to say it has changed how I interact with computers and I have to say for the better.

When I say the "Sod it" moment I mean they basic idea of accepting that I trust Microsoft (Or other company if you aren't a fan of MS) to not pry on or otherwise use your personal data.

So I set up a Hotmail email address and signed up with my MS account. Long story short with 8.1 and now even better with 10 I have almost total integration across my devices so I really have to choose devices on how I can interact with my account rather than the data on each individual device.

This has actually led over the last year to me getting rid of devices, my laptop was first to go and now my smaller tablet, My desktop was always more powerful and expandable than my laptop, and the SP3 beat it for just about everything, and my SP3 and 950XL put the squeeze on the Stream 7. I still have an Xbox One as well so 4 devices using the single account, I don't plan anymore changes for some time but who knows.

I love that for example: Last week I bought a 950XL to replace my 1520, of course once I log in with my MS account my contacts come across (I haven't had to save anything to or from a sim card for ages now), but things like my phones password for mobile hotspot and my early morning alarm was in place and waiting. So it only takes an hour or so to have an almost exact copy of your data and settings on a new device, and over the last year since 10's release I have probably reset all my devices and it's a breeze because of the single account (Or translated to "You are the most important part of the system").

It isn't just MS, Huetro for Hue is a fantastic example of a universal app, I have it on all devices, when I load it all my settings are in place, scenes for lights, the lot, no need to do anything other than introduce the device to the Hue hub, and it even works on Continuum.

Netflix is another, sign up and all your settings and history in one place and this one works on the Xbox One as well (Looking forward to Huetro working on the Xbox once the unification is complete in the coming months).

Maybe because I am actually old and can remember my house with just one mains electric socket and small black and white TV's, and not getting a phone in our house until I was in my late 20's, I used to watch a program on the BBC called Tomorrows World. I think they all got it wrong.

I have to say they missed completely how we would interact with computers, maybe they missed how the precious tools that computers were back then, how domestic they would become (Brain the size of a planet and all I do is show them webpages).

Because of the account/cloud concept I can have an idea, jot it down on my Surface with the pen into OneNote, I can finish off what I am doing on my PC, and with Continuum, present that idea onto a screen with no more than my phone, and it's pretty seamless, I have a collection of over 500 albums, the same albums across each device and through my Xbox One played through my Hi-Fi, the same with films and TV. Through OneDrive almost every photograph have ever taken is instantly viewable on every device I own.

The list goes on, and I sit back in wonder about it all as I say out loud "Xbox play so and so" or "Hey Cortana" as I turn the lights on, on one device and turn them off or to a different setting on another, my boy thinks I am mad, but he comes from a different time zone.

Anyone else having fun with an MS account?

 

[Chintan Gohel]

I agree with you on the contacts part, the way they just come back when you sign in again. Onedrive for me is more of a backup service rather than a something I can use to sync content between different devices

At the moment I only have one device so I don't see the shared experience. Maybe in the future I could experience this more once I win a new surface or mobile device (I like winning stuff - won a surface 3, lumia phone, samsung budget phone, tablet, another tablet, office 365 license, and other small prizes :winktongue

 

[garryknight]

I upgraded my PC to Windows 10 on day 1 (29 July last year); moved from a slow, outdated Android phone to a Lumia 930 WM10 phone; recently got a Surface Pro 3 for photography and creating music while on the move; and a few days ago added a pocketable Windows tablet (8" so I get the full Win 10 desktop) to replace a Nexus 7 with a broken screen. Both tablets are on the PC's Workgroup, so I can just drag and drop stuff from one to any of the others. I haven't yet found a way of getting the Lumia 930 on the network, but I use it mainly as a phone and for a few apps.

I loved OneNote so much I paid for the 2013 desktop version and use it constantly; more often than just about any other program apart from my browser. My personal files are backed up onto OneDrive from where I can access them on any of my devices. However, for me, OneDrive is only a backup medium. I use FreeFileSync to ensure that all my devices have the correct files. It's not that I distrust OneDrive, it's just that, like you, I'm old school and have had my preferred way of doing things since I learnt Unix all those years ago.

My PC is bristling with hard drives and makes a great home base. My dual-core i7 SP3 outperforms my quad-core i5 desktop PC but has less far storage space. But then, who needs a lot of storage space these days while out and about? So I'm a creator on my PC and SP3, and a consumer on my Iconia tablet and yes, I'm having a lot of fun.