Hasta La Gadget!

Microsoft, objecting to a web standard promoted by its competitors? Get out. While Firefox, Opera and now Chrome have implemented WebRTC on some level for plugin-free VoIP and webcam chats, Microsoft doesn’t think the existing, proposed standard is up to snuff for linking with existing devices or obeying “key web tenets.” It’s suggesting a new CU-RTC-Web standard to fix what it claims is broken with WebRTC. Thankfully, the changes are more technical improvements than political maneuvering: Microsoft wants a peer-to-peer transport level that gives more control as well as to reduce some of the requirements that it sees holding the technology back as of today. There’s no doubt an economic incentive for a company that wants to push Skype in the browser, but the format is already in front of the W3C and could become a real cross-platform standard. If other W3C members are willing to (slightly) reinvent the wheel, Microsoft’s approach could get Chrome and Internet Explorer users talking — no, really talking.

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Microsoft no fan of existing WebRTC standard, proposes its own to get Skype onboard originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 15:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yesterday, Microsoft launched its new email service, Outlook, and achieved the impossible: it’s bloody brilliant. Now, early-adopters are swarming over usernames—and some have managed to snag email addresses that you’d think Microsoft should have kept to one side. More »

Microsoft seems to be on a rebranding exercise here, calling their latest webmail service “Outlook“. I am quite sure that many people would have the proverbial question mark appear right at the top of their respective heads upon hearing about a Microsoft Outlook that is webmail based. Basically, if you have a Hotmail account, just use the same username and password, and you too, will be able to log into Outlook.com so that you can give this webmail service a whirl to see whether it has enough bells and whistles to be a keeper. Connectivity is the new buzzword for Outlook here, where it remains connected to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google, and in the future, Skype, so that your email will be flooded – nay, strategically placed to receive relevant context and communications.

Not only that, the new Outlook will be integrated with free Office Web Apps such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote, being the nouveau Google Docs for you to make changes to your important work documents wherever you are, unless there is no data signal whatsoever, of course. Will this be the new Gmail? I don’t think so, but it should be able to gain significant mileage at first. [Press Release]

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: How to Import Outlook Signatures, Microsoft Office for Mac SP1 arriving next week,

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.

Continue reading Outlook.com preview: Microsoft reinvents its online email offerings

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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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So Microsoft launched a new email service today — not a redesigned version of Hotmail, but a completely new, built-from-the-ground-up service. It’s called Outlook.com, and for now, at least, it will exist separately from Hotmail, as Microsoft attempts to distance itself from Hotmail’s bad rap. As it happens, the email features are basically the same across the two services, but from a visual standpoint, Outlook.com is everything Hotmail is not: where Hotmail has distracting banners and video ads, Outlook’s are discreet. Indeed, you won’t find any targeted ads on conversations with individual people (newsletters and such are still fair game). In lieu of those creepy personalized ads, you’ll see quick access to Twitter and Facebook, where you can retweet and like things, as well as post comments. Skype integration is coming too (finally!), though that feature isn’t live today. Most importantly, though, it brings a fresh, minimal interface designed to lure away Gmail users who wouldn’t have otherwise given Hotmail the time of day.

Outlook.com is open to the public starting today. You can create a new account or sign in using an existing Hotmail address. Though it’s still in its preview phase, anyone can sign up (read: no invites necessary). Storage is “virtually” unlimited — Microsoft doesn’t want to promise potential spammers a limitless account — and anyone creating a Microsoft account for the first time gets the usual 7GB of complimentary SkyDrive storage. Hit up that source link if you want check it out yourself, and then head over to our in-depth preview for detailed impressions and screenshots galore.

Continue reading Microsoft launches Outlook.com, a new email service with limited ads, unlimited storage and built-in Skype

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Microsoft launches Outlook.com, a new email service with limited ads, unlimited storage and built-in Skype originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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