Software giant Microsoft (MSFT -2.45%) today unveiled upgrades to SkyDrive aimed at improving its photo capabilities.

The company says photos are the most common type of file that users store in SkyDrive, Microsoft's cloud storage service, in terms of both sheer number of files as well as total storage utilized. Microsoft is adding a timeline view that will be accessible from any web browser.

Microsoft has also made improvements with performance, addressing consumer feedback that upload times were too long. The company claims to have improved performance by two to three times in internal testing. SkyDrive will also support upload of full-resolution photos in Windows Phone 8.

The news comes shortly after Amazon.com launched a Cloud Drive Photos app targeting Apple iOS users and undermining Apple's iCloud. Companies are focusing heavily on cloud photo services to bolster user loyalty.

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