Hotmail may no longer be hot. With the web e-mail service of Microsoft taking a new face, everyone’s in for a treat. After 16 long years of Hotmail domination, the company introduced Outlook.com during the first week of August. Few hours after it was released, it managed to amass over one million users.
As surreal as it is, numbers don’t lie. The official figures from Microsoft were reliable, and serve as a viable proof that metro styled e-mail services could be the new black.
Out with the Old, In with the New
Users who experienced Outlook.com prior to its release are rooting for its smart features that made the arduous e-mail management more straightforward. Needless to say, it is an epitome of the latest trends in technology all rolled into one.
The simpler method of deleting mails and cleaning up that was once exasperating is now simplified through a single-click function. This erases all the mails, save for the last few messages that are recently received. It is therefore perfect for users who are looking for faster ways to sort out mails and remove old messages from their inbox.
Yet this is just the tip of the ice berg. There’s more to Outlook.com that made it an instant darling of the crowd.
Staying Connected
Microsoft seems to pay attention to the social media hype. As such, Outlook.com incorporates the use of major social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. The pool of impressive features includes an option to connect with the websites in order for the users to be updated with their contacts’ status updates, photo uploads, and Tweets. The notifications can be sent to a separate folder to avoid the cluttering of inbox.
On top of this, users may also enjoy Skype video calling along with the participation on message threads from social media. Outlook.com accommodates Facebook chat and Windows Live Messenger. For added convenience, the e-mail service also allows the direct import of contacts from social websites. In a flash, the information can be consolidated in a single database.
With its release simultaneous to the unveiling of Windows 8, Microsoft integrated an enhanced interface of the e-mail service. It is built with similar metro design – it’s crisp, sleek, and clean. Who knows, in the next few months Microsoft may also come up with a mobile version for the joy of a cell phone expert.
A New Home for the Files
Outlook.com is built with Exchange ActiveSync technology that allows it to carry Word, PowerPoint and Excel web applications. Users can then open the documents and edit them online. To ensure the protection of the files, Microsoft touted the SkyDrive cloud storage service boosting with a 7GB free storage. This can hold loads of photos and video contents that can be shared and stored.
Goodbye Hotmail?
The older version of Microsoft e-mail won’t be out of the picture. Users who have gotten comfortable with Hotmail need not dread the emergence of Outlook.com. However, they have the option to rename modify their e-mail address from @hotmail to @outlook.com. To date, Hotmail’s more than 300 million users are still retained, falling just behind Yahoo! and Google.
With the thrilling promise of the new webmail service, nonetheless, there might be just as much change of hearts.
Try Outlook.com
Article by Vishal
Meet Vishal Gaikar, the tech wizard hailing from Pune, India, who's on a mission to decode the digital universe one blog post at a time. When he's not tinkering with gadgets or diving deep into the digital realm, you can find him concocting the perfect cup of chai or plotting his next adventure. Follow his tech escapades on Twitter and buckle up for a wild ride through the world of innovation and geekery!
