
Microsoft launches Outlook.com, a clean, fresh take on webmail - akshxy
http://thenextweb.com/microsoft/2012/07/31/microsoft-launches-outlook-com-a-clean-fresh-take-on-webmail-that-puts-it-back-in-the-game/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=share+button&utm_content=Microsoft+launches+Outlook.com%2C+a+clean%2C+fresh+take+on+webmail+that+puts+it+back+in+the+game&utm_campaign=social+media
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ditoa
It isn't really a new approach to [web]mail it is just a redesigned Hotmail
that looks like Office 2013 and works better with touch devices.

Also I wish Microsoft would ditch the whole folder approach to mail. Labels
can work just like folders if you wish but are so much more flexible and just
makes so much more sense IMHO.

~~~
IanDrake
I'm pretty sure "categories" == "labels".

~~~
ditoa
Yeah the categories are labels however they still have the folder system as
the primary way of sorting your mail. I would like the option to totally
remove folders from the equation and just use labels.

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debacle
Wow. Very interesting. At first glance, the interface looks very mobile
friendly and also very simple.

I'm incredibly impressed. The only feedback I would give is that the buttons
in the top bar could stand out a bit - maybe a different shade of blue or a
slight border. It wasn't immediately clear to me where 'send' was.

The ads are a bit more obtrusive than Google Mail ads, though I think that
would just take a bit of getting used to.

I'm impressed as fuck, though. I can't explain how impressed I am.

~~~
crescentfresh
> the interface looks very mobile friendly

How did you get to that conclusion? I'm looking at this main screenshot:
[http://cdn.thenextweb.com/wp-
content/blogs.dir/1/files/2012/...](http://cdn.thenextweb.com/wp-
content/blogs.dir/1/files/2012/07/2012-07-30_16h56_09-520x239.jpg)

~~~
sp332
That's not what the site actually looks like for me. I just get the first 2
columns, and the second column changes to look like the 3rd one in the
screenshot, when I click on a message to read.

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gulbrandr
In the HTTP headers, I see:

    
    
      X-We-Are-Hiring: joinwebcommfd@microsoft.com

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Shorel
There is also:

    
    
      X-We-Are-Hiring: skydrivejobs@microsoft.com

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jdelsman
Horrible. They don't sprite their icons, and it takes forever to load. This is
Microsoft's idea on a "clean, fresh take on webmail?" _close_

~~~
rorrr
They definitely do sprite some of the icons:

[https://secure.wlxrs.com/$live.controls.images/h/command2.pn...](https://secure.wlxrs.com/$live.controls.images/h/command2.png)

~~~
jdelsman
Oh wow, four icons. Give me a break. Look at the Google Page Speed score for
that site, then tell me I'm wrong.

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kalleboo
"As you expected, given Microsoft’s criticism of Gmail’s ad policy, the
product doesn’t scan the bodies of your emails. However, it does tailor ads
based on the email address of the sender, and the subject line of the email"

What kind of advertising-friendly info can they glean from the sender address?
Ads for competitors when you get newsletters/signup email?

~~~
bbbpept
Maybe they tailor the advertisement based on whatever information they already
have on the sender. Maybe if the subject line indicates the the sender and
receiver are friends, it is assumed that they have similar interests?

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laacz
Does anyone know anything about storage limits? Is it counting towards
Skydrive bytes, or this is very first large scale webmail for free and without
any space limitations?

Edit

Found on [http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/31/outlook-preview-email-
ser...](http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/31/outlook-preview-email-service-
microsoft/):

The service is open to the public as of today and _you get virtually unlimited
storage_ , along with 7GB of SkyDrive space if you create a new Microsoft
account. ((Microsoft uses the word "virtually" to hedge itself against
spammers who might otherwise use limitless storage to game the system.*)

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erickhill
You may run into problems if you log in via your Xbox account (which uses,
let's say, your Gmail address). Try sending your Gmail account, via
Outlook.com, a message and let the authentication fun begin.

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HarshaThota
More discussion going on here: <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4317923>

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sek
It obviously is a remake with the new design philosophy which i like, i think
the calendar and other live products will follow soon.

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erickhill
Looks quite fresh at first glance. Although I did have a momentary dip in
enthusiasm when, after clicking "New" I discovered it was somehow leveraging
Silverlight. But the cleanliness of the UI is encouraging.

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clwen
Redesign? Maybe. Just 8 years later than GMail.

