Microsoft's Hotmail rebrand is a hit, SkyDrive website revamped

Shawn Knight

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Microsoft rebranded Hotmail as Outlook.com late last month in an attempt to rid itself of the negative reputation it had earned since launching way back in 1996. We’re only two weeks into the change but it appears the decision has paid off as Microsoft announced today that 10 million users have voluntarily signed up for Outlook.com.

Microsoft introduced a fresh new look for Outlook users that adheres to the Windows 8 design style. Windows Live general manager Brian Hall described it as the cleanest email service available today. The Next Web posted a review of the new service on launch day, ultimately predicting that Outlook.com would make Microsoft relevant again in email and force Gmail to tidy up its interface.

Redmond also used the announcement to detail a number of changes that have been made to cloud storage service SkyDrive. The web interface has been given the Windows 8 style treatment and there’s now improved search, sorting, and drag-and-drop functionality. Furthermore, Microsoft has spruced up some of the coding so tasks like bulk photo uploads take less time to perform when using the desktop application for Windows 8 and Mac OS X.

A SkyDrive app will be launching in the next few weeks for Android users, mirroring versions that are already available for the iPhone and Windows Phone devices.

“With these updates and continued improvements to our back-end infrastructure, we’re excited to leave preview and unlock new possibilities for a billion customers with the upcoming releases of Windows 8, the new Office, and tons of devices and apps that connect to SkyDrive,” noted Omar Shahine and Mike Torres on the official Windows Blog.

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What s wrong with Microsoft. This is going to be Third re branding of Hotmail.(Live.com and now outlook.com)
They have to fix first Bing . Have you force yourself to one week use only Bing and see how much not relevant results you are getting and how much missing Google.
Who will use skydive and why?
 
What s wrong with Microsoft. This is going to be Third re branding of Hotmail.(Live.com and now outlook.com)
They have to fix first Bing . Have you force yourself to one week use only Bing and see how much not relevant results you are getting and how much missing Google.
Who will use skydive and why?
Hotmail was never re-branded into live.com, live.com was a sort of suite that included Hotmail, Messenger, SkyDrive, Movie Maker, Photo Gallery and a few other things so this is the first re-brand of Hotmail they have done. Yes you could get a live.com email address but Hotmail was never gone and was always part of that suite of programs and services.
 
I'm still happy with @msn.com. I signed and linked up @outlook.com just to reserve it.
I'm an email-address-aholic I think I have around 30 ATM including a @live.com, @hotmail.com, @msn.com and @outlook.com, all the same username (I get bored and start looking for new ones).
 
This is long overdue. I've been using Hotmail forever and finally it's a pleasant, integrated and swift (well, quicker) service. Way better than before. I noticed the Skydrive upload manager changed this week so now it's much easier to upload multiple files than before too. I find it easier to use than Dropbox and the free limit is 7Gb which is reasonable, if not great. I have 3 Hotmail addresses all tied together (access through a drop down on the rhs) so I get 21GB which is good enough. They have a box to resize all photos to 2048px, but that should not be ticked as default - that's annoying. It's be much better is they gave 3 size options for landscape and portrait and none ticked as default.

Overall, Outlook.com is a vast improvement so I'm happy to say well done MS. Now you just need to give 8 an option to work like a 7 desktop and we can be friends again.
 
OMG, I take it back. MS we are NEVER gonna be friends. You've changed Skydrive yet again and now it's horrible - even file order doesn't work because you made 10 follow 1 when 2 comes after 1. Change it back you *****s !

What are they smoking ?
 
Who will use skydive and why?

I think SkyDrive is brilliant, and for the amount of space you get for free. I also benefit with having a Windows Phone, everything is automatically saved to my SkyDrive. No messing around with Syncing the phone or emailing photos when I want them online.

Now that it's integrated with Explorer makes it so much easier. So yeah, I will use SkyDrive, as I already do, a lot.
 
Great, loaded outlook.com and was told I've been upgraded from hotmail to outlook.
And already found such a fundamental error in UI design, the left navigation frame scrolls with the email list/email text frame. Don't consider it an upgrade so far.

Edit:
If you turn on "Reading Pane" to Bottom or Right then scrolling works correctly.

Edit 2:
If using Opera 12.x the "new" option does not present menu options when composing a new email. Menu bar stays blank, works in IE8 though.
 
Need to check this out when I get home later but sounds like good stuff. I've always used hotmail and currently use the live client/outlook at home with no problems.
 
unlike the previous integration with Live. this iteration of moving into outlook is actually so much better. I actually don't mind logging into my hotmail account now. the UI is so much more efficient, easy to use just like the regular outlook. nice job microsoft. now fix your spam mail filter, god knows it still doesn't work.
 
Personally, I disdain all these integrated suites and much prefer GOOD standalone applications.
This gives me freedom to move any one of them without concern for any foobars like this.
I too ran Outlook, but ONLY for contacts and the Calendar, never email - - also never ran into the 2gb
file size problem of the PST as a result.

If and when I ever elect to trust iCloud storage security, I'll look for another standalone solution too.

as they say - - your mileage may vary. :)
 
What s wrong with Microsoft. This is going to be Third re branding of Hotmail.(Live.com and now outlook.com)
They have to fix first Bing . Have you force yourself to one week use only Bing and see how much not relevant results you are getting and how much missing Google.
Who will use skydive and why?

SkyDrive I sthe cloud storage where u store ur data in the computer and link it with web storage.Its awesome concept.Gmail Drive if u knw is analogous to SkyDrive.Its awesom concpt.
Bing is no way near 2 google as search engine.There is no link between SkyDrive and Bing.
 
You do know that this is 2012 and therefore e have the storage space and bandwidth to spell words out fully.
 
OMG, I take it back. MS we are NEVER gonna be friends. You've changed Skydrive yet again and now it's horrible - even file order doesn't work because you made 10 follow 1 when 2 comes after 1. Change it back you *****s !

What are they smoking ?
>_> Just use 01 :eek:
 
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