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.