Outlook
Latest
Microsoft brings Clutter's inbox organization to Outlook.com
The folks in Redmond are hard at work putting the finishing touches on Windows 10, and in the process Microsoft is retooling individual apps, too. Today, the company announced that key productivity features in the Office 365 Outlook app would be available on Outlook.com as well -- with a key addition being Clutter. If you're in need of a refresher, that's the feature that keeps high priority messages front and center while tucking distractions away for later. Over time, it learns from your habits what's junk and what's important, and just like the full app, you can toggle it on/off it you'd like. Of course, Pins and Flags are here too, as other means of keeping your workload as organized as possible.
Microsoft is reportedly making a 'light-weight' mobile email app
Hey, Google: you might not be the only tech giant that can rethink email apps. Twitter user WalkingCat claims to have discovered a download page for Microsoft's "Flow by Outlook," an iPhone email app that's all about "rapid" and "light-weight" conversations. Reportedly, the software tosses out the usual trappings, such as subject lines and signatures -- you're supposed to use Flow almost like a chat client, and it only includes threads that started within the app. There's no mention of when Flow would arrive (or spread to other platforms), and Microsoft isn't commenting on the leak. If the scoop is accurate, though, you'll probably get a chance to try this client at some point in the relatively near future.
Microsoft Outlook will clean up your email by default
If you saw Microsoft's Clutter feature and dreamed of a day when your email inbox was always under control, you're about to get your wish. The folks in Redmond have revealed that Outlook (both on the web and in the Office 2016 Preview) will turn on Clutter by default for new and existing mailboxes in June. Once it's activated, you'll only have to see high-priority messages in your inbox until you're ready to dive into a folder containing everything else.
Microsoft Office 2016 Public Preview is now available
Office 2016 may still be getting the finish touches in Redmond, but Microsoft is opening up its productivity suite for public preview. If you'll recall, some apps were included in previous releases of the Windows 10 Technical Preview and made available for both IT folks and devs. As of today, though, regular folks can get an early look and offer feedback on all the new stuff -- including those redesigned universal apps. This means that you'll gain access to OneDrive attachments in Outlook, real-time co-authoring and retooled applications that learn how you work to lend a hand. Specifically in Excel, there are updated charts and graphs alongside one-click forecasting and more data analyzing tools. Looking to take it for a spin before the official release this fall? Even if you're not an Office 365 subscriber, you can nab a trial version right here.
Microsoft's new browser hits phones in latest Windows 10 preview
If you've been itchin' to take a look at the mobile version of Microsoft's new browser, now is your chance. The latest Windows 10 Technical Preview is available for phones, delivering Project Spartan and early looks at both its Reading List and Reading View features. As promised, the folks in Redmond also included Outlook Mail and Outlook Calendar apps this time around -- both of which are now the default options for the mobile version of Windows. New Phone and Messaging apps are here as well, as is retooled software for Maps, People (contacts) and an updated App Switcher. Nearly all of the additions sport the redesigned UI that Microsoft has been showing off since Windows 10 was announced back in January.
Gmail for Android puts all your accounts in a single inbox
Flipping between your multiple email accounts in Gmail has always been a bit of a pain, especially on mobile devices but that changes today with the release of Google's new "All Inboxes" option for Gmail's Android app. It does exactly what it sounds like: display every one of your inboxes (even accounts from Outlook and Yahoo) in a single, unified list. You'll be able to read and reply to each email, regardless of provider, without swapping tabs or logging out.
Microsoft confirms its purchase of popular calendar app Sunrise
Last week, reports surfaced that Microsoft nabbed popular calendar app Sunrise. Today, the folks in Redmond confirmed the purchase. For the unfamiliar, Sunrise is a well-designed calendar for the web, Mac, iOS and Android that pulls info from iCal and Google Calendar. It also taps into Twitter, Facebook, TripIt, Evernote and more to make sure all of your commitments are accounted for. The app will continue to exist on its own and support those third-party add-ons, and Microsoft says it'll soon reveal how Sunrise's features will fit into its universal apps and services.
Microsoft reportedly buys social calendar app Sunrise
If you're an Android, iOS or Mac user who doesn't like the stock calendar app on your platform, you've probably tried (or at least heard of) Sunrise, whose socially-savvy software often fills in the feature gaps. And apparently, Microsoft has tried it too -- both TechCrunch and Recode claim that the Windows maker is buying Sunrise. While the reasons for the reported acquisition remain a bit opaque, our TC colleagues say that the Redmond crew will preserve Sunrise's existing apps while folding some of their features into Microsoft products. Neither Microsoft nor Sunrise has commented on the claim so far. However, it's pretty easy to imagine both Windows and Outlook getting upgraded calendars that will keep you from scrounging for alternatives.
Microsoft's new Outlook apps for iOS and Android promise higher productivity
Microsoft has released new Outlook apps for iOS and Android, and they might just be light-years better than those web apps the company has unleashed in the past. See, these are the result of Redmond's Accompli acquisition in December, and seeing as we liked that startup's email app when we test drove it last year, we have high hopes for these new ones. The company says the new Outlook for the mobile platforms comes with a built-in calendar and makes attachments easier to add for higher productivity. They're apparently more tightly integrated with Office apps and Outlook for desktop, as well. We can't say whether they'll truly blow your current email apps out of the water as we haven't tested them yet, but you can find out for yourself by downloading either (or both) from iTunes or Google Play. Take note that the Android app's just a preview at the moment, so Microsoft could still tweak its features for the final version.
What you need to know about your digital life after death
"One small fact: You are going to die," Death says in the opening of The Book Thief. "Despite every effort, no one lives forever." If you've come to terms with that (or have at least thought of death at one time or another), perhaps you've prepared for the inevitable by getting insured, saving up for those you're leaving behind and writing up a last will and testament. These days, though, you also need to decide what will happen to your online life after death. What can you do to prepare for it, and what can you do to help if someone close to you passes away?
MessageHub tries to be your one stop for all social networks
MessageHub wants to be you go-to app for all of your digital communications. That's not an exaggeration, I mean all. It supports Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Yahoo and more. It also supports email accounts Gmail and Outlook. If you set up all of your accounts in this app, you could keep up with everything going on in all of them in one place. Well, that's the theory anyway. But we'll come back to that in a moment. MessageHub is free and is designed for both iPhone and iPad and requires iOS 7.1 and up. On first run, you are given the option of signing in via Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. This links you up to your first account. From there you can link up as many others as you want. Of course, the more you add, the more will appear in your "Everyone" section. I find that often Twitter or Facebook alone can be like drinking from a firehose. Combined views (especially when they include my email inboxes) are simply overwhelming to me. This is why services like Facebook, Twitter, and others provide the capability to create lists of people. I can (and have) create lists for the most important people in my life so I am sure not to miss an important update from them, lost in the noise of the latest meme everyone is reposting. Thus, Facebook and Twitter become more manageable for me and I can catch up with fast glances through the day rather than getting sucked into the vortex of endless streaming content. MessageHub provides none of this. With this app, it is everything at all times. Worse, the main view tries to utilize white space to make the interface breathe but it has the effect of only showing two to three posts at a time making me have to constantly scroll to get through the sheer mass of content. One handy, if somewhat confusing feature is the "Conversations" section. This aggregates together the posts of a given person (sometimes) and conversations held in Facebook messaging or via Twitter, etc. I honestly couldn't quite figure out which it is supposed to be when. Sometimes I see a person's recent posts, sometimes conversations I've had with them, and often nothing at all. For example, I have had conversations with my wife on Facebook messages and she has also posted a few things in the last day. When I look at her entry in Conversations (created a few weeks back), nothing is displayed (and this is despite the fact that in the list of conversations, there is an excerpt from a previous message one of us sent the other. So, in the end, I get what this app is trying to do but the confusing Conversations section, the large amount of white space limiting posts per screen, and the lack of support for lists (you can create groups in Conversations which approximates this feature but I could not get it to reliably work) gets in the way of its goals. MessageHub is free and if it is actively maintained and improved it may become quite useful.
Microsoft releases new Outlook for Mac to Office 365 subscribers
Already using Office 365 on your Mac? Well, if you fancy Microsoft's email software too, you're in luck. The new version of Outlook for Mac is now available to the aforementioned subscribers, and it carries a smattering of new features. Aside from the usual performance boosts, there's a tweaked UI to bolster productivity, online archive support for Exchange searches, Master Category List syncing across platforms and more. In addition to that app, the company also mentioned that it plans to release a public beta for the next version of Office for Mac in early 2015, with the official arrival planned for the second half of the year. And as you might expect, Office 365 customers will get the new goods as part of the paid plan.
Outlook for Mac gets a facelift, Office for Mac refresh in 2015
If you're a Mac user who relies on Microsoft's productivity software to get work done, you'll be happy to hear that there's a new version of Outlook for Mac available this morning, complete with a visual upgrade and boosted performance. If you're an Office 365 subscriber you might have already seen the update, but if not you can snatch the update after logging in to your Office 365 account. Along with a new look, the update adds push email support for more rapid delivery of your precious correspondence, and overall faster email downloading and syncing. While revealing the new Outlook, Microsoft also announced that a new version of Office for Mac is in the works and currently slated for a release in the second half of 2015. A public beta will debut first, falling sometime before July, with the full release coming later in the year.
Microsoft's new encryption makes it tougher to spy on your email
Microsoft said last year that it was tightening security to fend off the NSA and others who would scoop up your data, and today it fulfilled that promise with moves that should improve real-world security. The company now encrypts both incoming and outgoing Outlook.com email when it's in transit. So long as the other end also supports this encryption (Gmail and other big names do), snoops can't easily intercept messages in mid-flight. Microsoft is also implementing Perfect Forward Secrecy in both Outlook.com and OneDrive, which gives each connection a unique security key -- even if people do crack a code, they won't have a complete picture of your email or cloud storage.
Microsoft expands its pledge not to sell ads against your private data
Microsoft constantly reminds us that Google scans email in order to sell ads. Now it's adapting its policies to specifically state that it won't engage in the same practices as its rival. Well, not all of them. In an effort to be more transparent and build trust, the company has updated its service agreement and privacy policy to make it clear that it will not access your content to sell ads. "We do not use what you say in email, chat, video calls, or voicemail to target advertising to you," Microsoft notes. "Nor do we use your documents, photos, or other personal files to target advertising to you." However, the policy, which covers most of Microsoft's online services, including Bing, Outlook and OneDrive, won't come into effect until July 31st. To be clear, however, Microsoft isn't ignoring your data completely, and there are still a few clauses to be aware of.
Outlook Web App finally debuts on Android, but only for 'small' devices
Been looking forward to a native Outlook Web App for your Android device? You just might have to wait a little longer: the freshly launched OWA Android app is only available on 'select devices.' Microsoft says this pre-release version can do everything its iOS counterpart can and automatically update its address book whenever the user makes a chance to their device contacts, but it's not ready for a full roll-out. Still, if you're sporting a device with Android 4.4 KitKat and Google's OS standards categorize your phone as "small" or "normal," the app's inaugural releases is yours for the taking. Have something else? Check out OWA's support page: Microsoft is taking suggestions on what devices to support next.
Google's new Outlook plugin lets you start video Hangouts with coworkers
If you spend your work day in front of a PC, there's a good chance that you still use Outlook for much of your email and scheduling. However, Google apps also play an important role these days -- what if you want to start a Hangouts video chat with your office buddies? As of today, it's easy. Google has released a Hangouts plugin for Outlook on Windows that lets you start or schedule video calls with fellow Outlook users inside your company. Your employer will normally have to use Google Apps for Business for this to fly, although the plugin also lets firms with Chromeboxes start chats with others that haven't hopped on the Google Apps bandwagon. It's a small piece of software, but it could make a big difference if you regularly have to juggle Google and Microsoft tools while you're on the clock.
Nintendo president: Expect 'Nintendo-like' profits in 2016 [Update]
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata recently acknowledged the long rebuilding process the company is mired in to become increasingly profitable again in the coming years. While unable to offer specific numbers, he toned down expectations for the coming financial year (FY 2014) as well as the next one (FY 2015) in a fiscal 2013 financial results briefing with investors, stressing that "instead of seeing a great and sudden recovery in our profitability in the next fiscal year, I am rather expecting to be able to report Nintendo-like profits from around the following fiscal year," referring to 2016. Nintendo posted a $229 million loss for the year, with Wii U estimates down 60 percent. Part of the company's expected transition involves the outlook it receives as "a video game company." Iwata believes "the intrinsic nature of entertainment is much broader than how we see it today," and that Nintendo "may be able to establish some sort of new core business if we consider our role as an entertainment company in a broader sense." While that may involve Nintendo's "quality of life" initiatives, it also relates to the company's "active utilization of character IP" as well as its expanding definition of video game platforms. It also relates to Nintendo's use of smart phones, as Iwata echoed the company's plans from January to branch into the mobile space: "Moreover, I feel that we will be able to further stimulate our platform business by taking advantage of smart devices," Iwata said. One of its first major pushes into mobile comes in the form of a Mario Kart TV companion app for Mario Kart 8, screens of which were included in Iwata's presentation, as seen above. Nintendo also recently unveiled a near-field communication (NFC) reader for the 3DS as well as plans to use the Wii U Game Pad's built-in NFC functionality with new character figurines. Update: As it turns out, Iwata was referring to the fiscal year 2015 (2016) when he spoke of the company being able to report "Nintendo-like profits from around the following fiscal year," as opposed to 2015. We've updated the language in the article to reflect this. [Image: Nintendo]
Outlook.com now lets you create extra-specific email rules
If you're an email power user, you frequently know what to do with messages as soon as they hit your inbox -- even if it's just to avoid dealing with them until later. Microsoft is more than happy to accommodate your exacting requirements, as it just began rolling out a big Outlook.com update that allows for particularly complex email rules. You can now perform automatic actions based on time limits, the read state, email tallies and the familiarity of a contact. If you haven't read a friend's message for a day, for example, you can mark it as important so that it doesn't get buried.
Here's what a touch-native Office for Windows looks like in action
You didn't think Microsoft was going to launch Office for iPad without a Windows counterpart waiting in the wings, did you? Sure enough, Microsoft has just shown off its long-expected touch-native Office for Windows in beta form. The software shares a few interface elements in common with the iPad release, but not much -- this is clearly built for Windows tablets, with a more traditional layout that expands objects to make them finger-friendly. There will be plenty of gesture support, though. You can circle an item with your finger to highlight it, and you can pinch and swipe to get around much of the productivity suite. Unfortunately, the folks in Redmond aren't saying when this touch-ready Office will ship. The demo is just a preview of what to expect, so it could be a while before you're using the software yourself.
