This month Microsoft officially launched its new email service and update to Hotmail – Outlook.com. Using the name of Microsoft’s “Outlook” business email, contacts and calendar management program, Outlook.com is a website that offers an uncluttered and easy-to-read design plus many more features that extend beyond email.
Computer Techs recommend having more than one email address with more than one service, and now Outlook.com is a logical choice to use as your primary or secondary email service.
Some of my favorite features of the new service include:
- You can create an “alias” or a second email address that you can give to businesses or specific people that can be used to automatically filter specific email messages.
- Outlook.com can be setup to sync your mail, contacts and calendars with iOS and Android mobile devices, or through Outlook and Windows Live Mail on your computer.
- Outlook.com offers security features that will allow you to login to your account, reset a forgotten password or recover a hacked account via a text message, phone call or email sent to another address that you have access to.
- You can easily access your personal Microsoft SkyDrive account, which lets you sync and store files between multiple devices and “the cloud”. The best feature of SkyDrive is easy access to the free Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote web apps, which let you create, view and edit documents, spreadsheets, etc. without needing to purchase Microsoft Office or have the full Office suite installed on the computer that you’re working on.
If you’d like help setting up an Outlook.com email address, importing your contacts, setting up the service with external programs or mobile devices, and a tutorial – contact Mark Cobb at 775-742-1230 or via email at mcobb@CTreno.com
Available addresses are going fast (ie. “yourname@outlook.com”), so you should sign-up for an account at www.outlook.com soon. You can also get the same look and features but get a shorter email address (@live.com) by signing up for a new account at www.live.com.
More information about Outlook.com can be found on Microsoft’s website here.