Even if you don’t use Outlook, formerly Hotmail, on a daily basis, everyone has one or two accounts with Microsoft’s email service used to capture throwaway (read: spammy) newsletters and the like. Microsoft recently updated its Outlook web experience with a great new interface, and today has updated its Android app to take on some of that magic.
Thankfully, the new interface is quite attractive and usable compared to the former app, which was based on Android’s ugly, Froyo-era Hotmail version. Outlook for Android combines the best of Microsoft’s Metro interface with a left-side navigation bar for quick access to folders, while the top-side action bar is used to break down various folder states such as All, Unread or Starred.
Outlook support push notifications or fetch intervals of various length, and renders emails quite well. It’s not quite at the level of Gmail, but for avid Outlook users on Android there is a better option now available. The app can also sync calendar entries and contacts stored on Microsoft’s servers.
Microsoft still recommends Exchange Activesync for Outlook, but it concedes that most Android manufacturers implement the protocol differently (though HTC and Samsung seem to do a fine job), forcing it to update its stand-alone app. Outlook supports conversation threading but lacks pinch-to-zoom within emails.
Download Outlook.com for Android.
Via: Office Blog
