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Android Businesses IOS Microsoft

Microsoft Launches Outlook For Android and iOS 175

Posted by samzenpus from the check-it-out dept.
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.
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Microsoft Launches Outlook For Android and iOS More

Microsoft Launches Outlook For Android and iOS

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  • Big (Score:4, Informative)

    by ThorGod ( 456163 ) on Friday January 30, 2015 @01:37AM (#48937659) Journal

    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...

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by Chrisq ( 894406 )

      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...

      I'm sure it will be big on corporate phones, but most individual users get everything the need from the built-in apps

      • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

        by crbowman ( 7970 )

        Yawn, the mail, calendar and contacts apps on my iPhone already work pretty well with the change server at work. Every now and then they stop syncing but I simply turn off the syncing of those 3 items and then turn it back on (I don't even have to delete the account info just flip 3 switches). Wait a few minutes till the phone sucks down the data again and I'm off. It's not outlook that's indispensable, it's Word, PowerPoint and Excel. Why would I pay for Outlook, the only thing I really miss is the abi

        • One great thing about Outlook is the ability to recall mails. Will that be available in the tablet versions?

    • I just pulled it up on my android phone, and it clearly says it's for office 365 only. This appears it won't function with exchange in a corp environment as it stands.

      • You should check again. I was looking at this a few days ago and saw the same thing. Heard about it being released today and checked again and that line was no longer there. Regardless I installed it and it works with my work exchange account. Removed it though since it does not have sync schedules like the native client.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Holi ( 250190 )
        Scroll down the play store a little bit more and you will see the actual Outlook app, not the O365 app.

    • Yeah, it will be great to get the experience of 30 seconds of hourglass every time you click on an e-mail on your phone.

    • No they live and die by Outlook on the PC interfacing with an Exchange sever. I've been able to get my email from Exchange on my Android phone for years now. I don't see any reason to use Outlook for Android. Just another non-system app.
    • Why would this be a big deal at all? I get all my corporate Outlook email through my Samsung mail client without any problem. It even plays nice with contacts and calendar/reminders. It's way more stable than Outlook on my laptop, too. HATE Outlook 2013.

  • Why? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 30, 2015 @01:40AM (#48937671)

    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?

    • Is the Exchange client on Android possibly horrid? I've only used the regular stock IMAP client, but that was never very good, lagging behind the GMail app severely in terms of both features and polish. Maybe Android is the main reason?

      Also, I'm sure Microsoft would prefer their branding on any Exchange clients, just to stay in the execs' heads every time they check their e-mail... it's built in retroactive marketing that keeps their clients locked in.

      • Exchange client on Android isn't horrible.

        This is because the ability of other apps to integrate with Exchange is getting too good.

        Just like if you understand the World of Warcraft protocols you can make your own WoW server, if you understand how to integrate with Exchange well, you could build a server that mimics it.

        That would be the end of a big cash cow for MS. Better that they have an Outlook app on platforms that they don't want to push than give up the revenue stream of Windows Server and Exchange Cl

    • I find the built in iPhone app lacking.. I'm willing to try any app that has Exchange support to see if it's better.
    • Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • The name "Microsoft" on the app.

    • Also on my Lumia, the built-in mail does Exchange really well. And Outlook doesn't come as a part of Office here. So, from the Outlook features that one would find useful at work:

      Meetings/Appointments - the Calendar app in WP8 does that really well

      Tasks/Notes - handled adequately w/ OneNote

      Mail - current mail in WP8 good for Exchange, Outlook.com, Yahoo! Mail, GMail, IBM Notes Traveller, iCloud, and other accounts

      Only thing - if one is in the habit in Outlook of following Franklin Covey methods of copyi

  • What niche need does this app fill? If you're using Gmail, don't you already have access to your e-mail, calendar, whatever from any Android device and/or desktop? I'm trying to understand what's the point of this app? I'm a Linux user for example. What does this product give me that I don't already have for free on any platform? I don't use Windows so why should I (or anyone else for that matter) care? What's the killer app here?

    • Re:What's the point? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by bhcompy ( 1877290 ) on Friday January 30, 2015 @02:16AM (#48937805)
      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.

      • The plan where I work is to roll out first IOS and then Android apps to securely run corporate email, calendar, etc (?) Over the VPN. Then kill the BES servers.

        Security is a very big deal here. That's why the mobile apps are taking so long to be finished. BES is no longer worth the money, and we all want to use our own phone anyways.

        • Re: What's the point? (Score:5, Insightful)

          by msk ( 6205 ) on Friday January 30, 2015 @08:38AM (#48939071)

          Why anyone would want to let corporate tendrils into one's personal phone is hard, very hard, to fathom.

          • Because BYOD is totally hip, you dinosaur!

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by div_2n ( 525075 )

            Because many corporations will not let you access corporate data (including email) outside of maybe a web front-end without having some kind of say in how your device behaves (example: screen lock settings).

            This means if you want native application access while on the go for convenience, you have two options:

            1. Carry two phones (personal and corporate)
            2. Let "corporate tendrils" onto your personal.

            It's worth pointing out that many corporations will provide a financial stipend to use your personal because th

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by msk ( 6205 )

              I carry two phones. If they want me to have a phone, they'll supply it.

              • Re: (Score:3)

                by div_2n ( 525075 )

                Fine. But you said it was hard for you to fathom. Convenience and money are the reasons people take the other route. That's hard to understand?

                • Re: (Score:2)

                  by msk ( 6205 )

                  What's hard to understand is allowing that camel's nose under the tent of my phone's paltry security. If I could run the work phone environment totally virtualized and protect the rest of the phone from it, I would consider it.

              • Didn't get you. I too carry 2 phones. One of them - my employer doesn't get to know about, much less access: it's only for family. The other is something I freely use for work, provided the employer doesn't supply a phone. So far, I haven't been in the BYOD situation, but if I were, that'd be the phone that would be used. If the company apps don't work w/ it (it being the Lumia), they'd have to provide a phone.

            • The good thing about this outlook app, it must interface differently than adding an exchange account in ios or android through the normal means. This app does not require any sort of locking on your end or allow your company to erase your device. I just swapped out all my email clients on my nexus5 and ipad for the outlook app first because of that, but also IMHO it works so much better then the ios mail or gmail integration

        • The plan where I work is to roll out first IOS and then Android apps to securely run corporate email, calendar, etc (?) Over the VPN. Then kill the BES servers.

          Security is a very big deal here. That's why the mobile apps are taking so long to be finished. BES is no longer worth the money, and we all want to use our own phone anyways.

          Then use BES10 or BES12. It can create secure containers in iOS and Android that completely separates sensitive company data from the rest of the device - just like BB does. It's perfect for BYOD.

          I'm not sure that allowing the devices to VPN into the corporate network is a good idea. I'm not sure how you would control access without some sort of mobile management software like BES12 or other alternatives.

    • All of your emails in one app. Gmail, IMAP and MAPI are presently in different apps.

      • Not quite, with Google Apps for Business (perhaps also with normal gmail), you can POP your "normal" mail to your GMail environment. I have it all in one convenient location, including calendaring with non-business users. Also, the ICS invites work across platforms.

      • All of your emails in one app. Gmail, IMAP and MAPI are presently in different apps.

        Not on my devices. One email program handles multiple email clients.

        Now if I could just persuade the built-in Gmail listener not to pop up a redundant gmail notification alongside that apps notification...

        • There must be an option for this, because it's set when you install the Inbox app, which offers to suppress your GMail notifiers (otherwise, same problem, two pings for everything).

      • The GMail app now lets you add servers for other protocols as separate accounts that get managed in the same app.

    • Re:What's the point? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Barlo_Mung_42 ( 411228 ) on Friday January 30, 2015 @03:14AM (#48937949) Homepage

      "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.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by arth1 ( 260657 )

      What niche need does this app fill? If you're using Gmail, don't you already have access to your e-mail, calendar, whatever from any Android device and/or desktop?

      Yes, and so does Google, NSA, FBI, CIA, DHS, and many others. I prefer for others not to have access to my (or my company's) e-mail, calendar and whatever, but to connect directly to the e-mail, calendar and whatever server that's controlled by me (or my company).

      And even if the three letter agencies don't take an interest, when we discuss our building a better mousetrap in e-mails and meeting schedules, I'd prefer it if we didn't get bombarded with ads for pest control.

      • And even if the three letter agencies don't take an interest, when we discuss our building a better mousetrap in e-mails and meeting schedules, I'd prefer it if we didn't get bombarded with ads for pest control.

        You think that's bad? Ever since our last project went bad, and I said we were screwed, I got all sorts of condom ads!

    • Delayed e-mail sending. Proper display of embedded MS objects (excel tables, PPT slides, etc). Seamless integration with calendar (yes, I will attend this meeting, it automatically synchronizes with calendar from e-mail). Proper contact lists (with attributes), integrated with corporate DBs. Embedded HTML signatures.
      These are just off the top of my head.

      • The biggest one for me - the ability to RECALL mails!!! I've done that a few times at work

        • I'm using delayed e-mail sending. 10 minutes by default for any e-mail, manual send date/time for some. That way, if I forget to add an attachment, I can go to outbox, edit the message and resend.

          E-mail recalling depends on server-side settings, an admin can set up the server to disallow that.

    • I don't use Windows so why should I (or anyone else for that matter) care?

      I had no idea that only your opinion mattered! Please tell me what I should think about everything!

  • Comment removed (Score:4, Informative)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Friday January 30, 2015 @02:09AM (#48937783)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • First an investment in Cyanogen in the morning, then Outlook for Android in the evening. All in a days work. Maybe they'll buy XDA Dev tomorrow.
  • Awhile back Google started asking money for Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook® [google.com]. I think I speak for many when I say that this is a neat gimmick I could have continued using to sync my Outlook Calendar at work with my private Gmail Calendar. For Google that was one way to reduce MS' influence on Android by penetrating Outlook and make corporate users see alternatives. Alas, Google decided to make peanuts and the regular user stopped using Apps Sync for MS. I guess that now MS Outlook on Android con

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by vux984 ( 928602 )

      Awhile back Google started asking money for Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook®.

      Around the same time they started asking for money to host a small domain.

      Although they dragged their heels for upwards of a year to getting it to officially work with Click-to-Run editions of office too (which is what most computers come preloaded with these days.)

      I'm glad this is here though; I heard Google was discontinuing their mail app (which I've been happy with - one of the few google apps I currently use

  • Secure? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by TallGuy ( 12087 ) on Friday January 30, 2015 @04:10AM (#48938065) Homepage

    See http://www.theregister.co.uk/2... [theregister.co.uk] 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.

    • My employer just prohibited the iOS outlook app and shut down the access to the exchange server. This behavior will change very soon - as many will follow. This violates any halfway decent safety protocol.

  • I hoped they would allow activesync with this.

    But, nope.

    This is kinda important since ActiveSync support has been removed in Android 5.0.

    Nine is one of the few clients that support it.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Geeky ( 90998 )

      The gmail app now supports Exchange accounts, and I'm assuming that's via ActiveSync?

      In any case, this news is confusing because there's been an Outlook app for Android for a long time. It's awful, but it does exist for outlook.com accounts - I assume the new one is different, but the name is confusing.

  • Will it have the preview pane? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by 140Mandak262Jamuna ( 970587 ) on Friday January 30, 2015 @06:48AM (#48938539) Journal
    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.
  • I have used built-in and other mail clients on android. For the most part they are OK for emails. Contacts / Calendar works relatively well though I much prefer my personal contacts are totally separated from my work contacts. However, when comes to public folders, which my company makes use of, would be a god send if outlook client on android supports it.
  • One of the worst deficiencies of Outlook is it's lack of proper quoting rules.

    And why would you answer before the question?

    All together, Outlook is a corporate comms tool, not a mail client.

  • First, OWA only lets you link up with Exchange or Office365 accounts, no support for POP3/IMAP/SMTP.
    The Office apps want you to create an account.

    Just let me have the apps without all the fucking caveats, I'm already licensed for Office/Outlook/Visio/Project on multiple systems and shouldn't have to jump through these hurdles!

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by Quarters ( 18322 )

      This isn't about the OWA app. It's a full Outlook app. Actually, it's just the phenomenal Acompli email client rebranded, as Microsoft bought Acompli about six months ago. OWA is bad, as you have stated, but you're not looking at the correct (new) app.

      • I'll go back and look in the package, both are Microsoft so go figure. More confusion.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Holi ( 250190 )
          Not really, one is called OWA for Android the other is Microsoft Outlook Preview. Guess which one this article is about.

          • unless it's bundled in the office suite it's not there, only OWA https://play.google.com/store/... [google.com] As I indicated I'll go back and look again but the Office package for Android wants you to create a fucking account to use it. So it's back to the mantra of tying you to another fucking service account, which is not what I want to begin with. Microsoft should me talk to Exchange, IMAP, SMTP and POP3 like other Android mail clients without all the bullshit.

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by Quarters ( 18322 )

              There is no Office suite bundle. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote are all separate downloads on the Google Play store.

  • 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.

    I don't think I want to take that same performance hit on my phone and tablet!

  • People actually want their information stored in Microsoft's proprietary format? I thought that was something done out of ignorance, or because you felt forced to do so.

    For me, Microsoft's proprietary formats have been a nightmare. I am glad to be rid of them.

  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • The biggest downside (for me, at least) is that it's limited to accounts running on Office365 - if your company hasn't migrated, the app will not connect to your Exchange server.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Murrdox ( 601048 )
      This isn't true. You're able to connect to the app on Exchange normally. This is a separate app from the 365 application. I was able to download it and authenticate to my company's Exchange without any issues and we do not have a 365 business license. For us, the issue is security as this is another avenue to access an employee's email which can be exploited.

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