If you're a fan of Hotmail's email service, you may want to sit down for this one.
By the time summer rolls around, Microsoft will be transitioning all Hotmail users over to its new Outlook.com.
It's been six months since the company first offered interested individuals the chance to try out the new email service via the Outlook preview, and so far about 60 million people have signed up. On Monday, Feb. 18 Microsoft confirmed it will automatically move all Hotmail users to Outlook by the summer of 2013.
"When we say that we're confident Outlook.com is the best email choice for consumers, we mean it," wrote Microsoft's David Law on the Outlook blog. "As Outlook.com comes out of preview, we're also announcing that we will soon upgrade every Hotmail user to Outlook.com. The upgrade is seamless and instant for people who use Hotmail."
Hotmail users that don't switch over have nothing to fear, though, as Microsoft promises to make the transition seamless. It's not even necessary to change your email address from @hotmail to @outlook; old accounts will work just as they do now unless otherwise changed by users, and passwords, messages, folders, contacts, rules, vacation replies and the rest will stay the same, no matter what.
Besides featuring SkyDrive integration and a clean new design based on the distinctive Windows 8 tiles, the new Outlook will also allow users to link their email accounts to various social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for sharing updates and photos.
According to Microsoft, here are the main benefits of Outlook's fresh start:
- Delivering a beautiful, fresh and intuitive experience on modern browsers and devices
- Keeping people connected to their friends and co-workers across the networks they really use
- Providing a smart and powerful inbox to handle today's email needs, including SkyDrive for sharing virtually anything in a single email
- Putting people in control by prioritizing their privacy
Privacy is something Microsoft has been pushing lately; the company even started a "Don't Get Scroogled" advertising campaign to warn users of the fact that Google scans every email you send in order to better target you with ads.
Have you tried the new Outlook preview? Feel free to leave us your thoughts below.
