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New Hotmail/Outlook Sucks on iOS & Android & Why That's Good for Microsoft

[July 31, 2012]

New Hotmail/Outlook Sucks on iOS & Android & Why That's Good for Microsoft

Originally posted on VoIP & Gadgets Blog, here: http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/tom-keating/microsoft/new-hotmailoutlook-sucks-on-ios-android-why-thats-good-for-microsoft.asp.

So the big news today is the revamped Hotmail, which is a dramatic improvement over the old version in terms of design aesthetics as well as usability. Sporting a Metro-like UI it is quite apparent that Microsoft is dedicating serious resources on a unified user interface that is the same no matter if you're using a laptop/PC, Windows Phone, Xbox 360, or Windows 8 tablet. This investment could pay long dividends for Microsoft. Who wouldn't want a consistent UI across multiple devices It lessens the learning curve, builds instant familiarity, and a strong emotional attachment.

The new Hotmail is being offered on Outlook.com, though you can upgrade your existing Hotmail email address as well. But for new users you have the option of choosing a @outlook.com address. The close Microsoft / Facebook relationship is paying off since the new Hotmail features direct Facebook chatting, importing of Facebook friends' email addresses, pulls pictures, etc.

Of course, once I heard about the new look for Hotmail, I immediately logged into my rarely used Hotmail account to try it out. I upgraded it to the new version and played with it on my desktop. Naturally, I wanted to see if this new UI would work on my Apple iPhone 4S.

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Tags: android, apple, facebook, galaxy note, hotmail, ios, microsoft, outlook.com, samsung, skype Related tags: hotmail, microsoft, facebook, outlook