Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft Launches Outlook For Android and iOS
An anonymous reader writes Microsoft today launched Outlook for Android and iOS. The former is available (in preview) for download now on Google Play and the latter will arrive on Apple's App Store later today. The pitch is simple: Outlook will let you manage your work and personal email on your phone and tablet as efficiently as you do on your computer. The app also offers calendar features, attachment integration (with OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, and iCloud), along with customizable swipes and actions so you can tailor it to how you specifically use email.
Honestly I can't think of this as being anything but big. Companies live and die by outlook email still (enough of them anyway). So many of those executives don't even need a machine past email really...
PS: I don't reply to ACs.
Exchange on my built-in email on my iPhone has worked better than Outlook on my desktop since I first tried it in October of 2007. Exchange on iPhones works very well. What advantage could they possibly offer?
"If Microsoft ever does applications for Linux it means I've won."
Linus Torvalds
On a positive note, the application did install and run correctly, and appeared to offer support for several popular mail servers (Yahoo and Outlook among others, as well as IMAP and Exchange support).
Blackberry is all but dead in the corporate space. This leaves a hole that iPhone and Android are filling. Microsoft recognizes that Windows Phone isn't going to fill that gap, so they're finally moving their branding into those environments because of that. I'll assume that advanced features are/will be available that make it worthwhile to deploy the application in a corporate environment over the stock applications. The attachment integration with web based services already gives it a leg up on iPhone's Mail application. Not that I'm expecting it based on what's announced, I'd be very happy if there was a way to give it network folder integration within the network where Exchange is located.
"I'm a Linux user ... I don't use Windows so why should I *or anyone else* care?"
Anyone else?
Christ, did you read what you just wrote? Most people, by far, are not Linux users. You don't care, fine, it's not for you.
Many, many people use office and would also like to use it on their iPad and Android tablets. For them this is good news.
See http://www.theregister.co.uk/2... for some perspective...
The iOS Outlook app uses a cloud to download your email (including attachments should you choose to want to see it). This may or may not be what you (or your employer) want. I know I won't be using it.
Will it have a preview pane that will execute all the macros in the email, fetch all the attachments and render them on screen on just a mouse over the subject line? Will it also disobey the native sandboxes in android and introduce "internet zone" "safe zone" "home zone" "vpn zone" "super trustworthy microsoft zone" etc? Great! Just what the world has been waiting for.
sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
Why anyone would want to let corporate tendrils into one's personal phone is hard, very hard, to fathom.