Microsoft rolls out Hotmail replacement, calls it Outlook

Microsoft is announcing a replacement email service for the aging and spam-ridden Hotmail web client.  The new interface is clean and very Metro-ish, making way for ease of use on a touch device like the upcoming Microsoft Surface.  It includes unlimited storage and built-in Skype. I’ve been a Hotmail user long before Microsoft acquired the service, so it’s great to see this kind of makeover.

Outlook.com is the brand new link (wonder how much MS paid for that domain) and if you have an existing Hotmail account you can login now and start testing it out.

Learn all about it here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/outlook/home

And, speaking of Hotmail…how many have been around and been users of Hotmail before Microsoft acquired it?  Remember this?

What it looks like:

 

The email announcement:

Welcome to the Outlook.com Preview

Thanks for being one of the first users of our next-generation communication service

At Microsoft, we’ve got a long history with email — from Hotmail, our consumer service used by more than 300 million people monthly, to Outlook and Exchange, the software and service managing communications, calendar, and contacts for many millions more.

Using the lessons we’ve learned from both consumers and enterprises, it’s our goal to become the very best email service anywhere. That is a big statement – but one we are absolutely committed to deliver upon. That journey starts today.

An experience with no compromises

Outlook.com is the first step in creating one complete experience for the next generation of communications. Email should be connected to your friends – whether they like to use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google, or a combination. Email should let you get more done, faster – with immediate access to your inbox and tools that can automatically categorize, move, or delete messages you don’t want. Email should be deeply integrated with other services – for Outlook.com, you’ll find that Office Web Apps, SkyDrive, and, soon, Skype come built right in. And we hope you have already noticed our fast, beautiful user experience.

We’d love your feedback

As we’ve said before, there is much more to come. If you’d like to follow along in real time, be sure to subscribe to our blog or follow us on Twitter. Along the way, if you’ve got any questions, comments, or concerns, please submit that feedback via the options menu in our header.

Learn more

Most importantly – thank you for trying the Outlook.com Preview,

The Outlook Team