Outlook.com preview: Microsoft reinvents its online email offerings

Maybe you heard, but Microsoft launched a new email service today. No, not Hotmail -- a completely new, built-from-scratch service. This is Outlook.com, and for the time being, at least, it will exist separately from Hotmail. So why didn't Redmond just give Hotmail a drastic overhaul? Well, friends, there are two explanations. First, the polite one: for technical reasons, the engineers found it easier to build a new service from scratch rather than retrofit the old one. The frank answer: Microsoft is keenly aware Hotmail has a bad rap, thanks to those banners and flashy video ads. In fact, the company has been very candid that it wants not just to compete with Gmail, but siphon away some of its growing user base. As such, Outlook offers a fresh, minimal interface -- far cleaner than Hotmail ever looked. What's more, the ads are more pared-down here: no video adverts, and no targeted ads on messages between people (newsletters are still fair game).

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.) And you should take our word when we say it's worth giving the service a shot: we've been testing it for almost two weeks. Go get yourself situated and then meet us after the break for details, impressions and lots more screenshots.

Note: many of our screenshots say "NewMail" instead of "Outlook.com" in the upper left corner. NewMail is a codename Microsoft used before announcing the service to the public.

Gallery: Outlook.com preview (screenshots)

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Outlook.com preview: Microsoft reinvents its online email offerings originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 12:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pebble smartwatch outs SDK preview at Google I/O, gives developers a kickstart on apps

If you invested in the Pebble e-paper smartwatch -- and who didn't? -- you'll be happy to hear that the firm has unleashed a preview of the Kickstarter darling's SDK at Google I/O this week. That'll give developers a head start on creating apps for the ARM-powered e-paper device, allowing them to learn exactly how it receives data from Mountain View's robot OS. The company said the new kit supports multiple program languages to boot, allowing developers of all skill levels to create Pebble-enabled apps. The document is still a work in progress, of course, but advances like this should help keep it from getting trampled by the cavalcade of smart wrist devices now coming out. Check the source link if you want to grab it.

Pebble smartwatch outs SDK preview at Google I/O, gives developers a kickstart on apps originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Jun 2012 15:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows 8 Release Preview Out Later Today: Redacted Blog Post

Entitled "Windows Hardware and Driver Developer Blog," the blog post by Chan focused on areas of driver and system software development ahead of the operating system's market launch. Windows 8 Release Preview would serve as a fairly reliable platform for developers to test their system software on. A transcript of the blog post is quoted below. Download links to Windows 8 Release Preview, Windows 8 Driver Kit, and Visual Studio 2012 Professional can be found after the break.

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(PR) Microsoft Announces Availability of Windows 8 Release Preview

here, the Windows 8 Release Preview delivers a fast and fluid experience, along with a new user interface that responds equally well to touch as it does to keyboard and mouse. Since the February release of Windows 8 Consumer Preview, which was downloaded more than 1 million times in the first 24 hours, Windows 8 has become the most tested Microsoft operating system of all time, and with today's release, it enters its final phase of development before it releases to manufacturing.

We're thrilled to be at this milestone with the Windows 8 Release Preview," said Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live Division at Microsoft. ]]>

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