Say goodbye to Hotmail - Now it’s Outlook

[Steve R Jones]

No need to be kind here: telling people you use Hotmail has been the Internet equivalent of admitting to necrophilia. But after a decade as a punchline, Hotmail just pulled off the biggest victory in the inbox game since Gmail. And it might just get you to switch.

This is starting to look familiar to the point of predictability. Microsoft takes something boring, partially broken, and thoroughly entrenched: Windows, Office, Mobile. Toss nearly everything ugly and uninspired into the ash heap, put smart people to work on it, and pack it full of Metro. Windows 8, Office 15, and Windows Phone have all turned stale things into vibrant, modern successes. And Hotmail—now Outlook—can boast the same.
Review


Microsoft's new Outlook.com

(Might want to grab your "username@outlook.com" before someone else does).

Sign up and Sign In

EDIT:
You can set up an Alias and continue using your @Hotmail name.
Using the Outlook.com preview (FAQ)

[Timman_24]

I went ahead and signed up. I got screwed on the Google deal because I chose a stupid username back then and have regretted it ever since.

[ImaNihilist]

I think it's pretty cool. The way they are weaving Live, Skype and Facebook into a single platform is actually very well done. The rest of Live needs to move to this kind of UX. Right now, that's the most jarring part. You've get this great new web Outlook experience but you can quickly bounce into the old Live site which is terrible.

I could definitely see using this if they get a decent web Calendar. People giving MS a hard time, but I kinda like the merging into a single UI framework for PC, web and tablet.

[James]

I signed up for 6 new accounts.

Mostly because yeah, I'm a bit tired of being James45682302_2.

[Steven P Jobs]

Wow, the UI they've come up with is REALLY good. I'm getting some slowdown here and there, but nothing that can't be fixed.

Microsoft claims that every hotmail user will get transferred to outlook - but I just registered two @outlook.com addresses that were surely already taken on hotmail. How are they going to square that?

[Nick_B]

Microsoft claims that every hotmail user will get transferred to outlook - but I just registered two @outlook.com addresses that were surely already taken on hotmail. How are they going to square that?

They could keep the @hotmail.com addresses and put them on the new UI/system.

[Steve R Jones]

(Might want to grab your "username@outlook.com" before someone else does).

First come first served

But, you can link a 123@Hotmail.com to a ABC@Outlook.com address via the Alias function.

[ImaNihilist]

Yeap. You don't need an @outlook.com email address to use the new interface. You can use @hotmail or @live.

I think it is a bit weird that you don't have a universal username. I have the @outlook and an alias for @live and @hotmail, along with having an @gmail.com address attached to my Live login. It's kinda weird. As I understand it, I have two Microsoft accounts, user@gmail.com and user@outlook.com. user@outlook.com owns the aliases for @live.com and @hotmail.com.

Seems like a bad design decision that was made years ago, but really can't be fixed, seeing as the problem already existed between @live and @hotmail.

[Steven P Jobs]

I sent a bunch of dummy mail to an outlook account to see how it handles having an inbox that's actually full. It's without a doubt the nicest webmail interface right now.

However I'm far too caught up in the GMail ecosystem -- Sparrow on Mac, Mail on Android -- to really care about a great webmail client. That being said with Google's acquisition of the Sparrow team I wouldn't be surprised if the race for nicest webmail was neck to neck soon.

[kujoe2002]

No need to be kind here: telling people you use Hotmail has been the Internet equivalent of admitting to necrophilia.

So odd but funny... I run my own email client - roundcube mail. It gives me all the basic functions I need and a lot better control than many of the other email services. I didn't like hotmail because their service became so slow. I stopped using them almost a decade ago....

[[PinPals]Apu]

I still use my hotmail account for many years now. It's been my throwaway/spam account for a long time though, so I'm not going to be changing it over to the new Outlook. I set up a new account on Outlook already and like the interface and integration with Skydrive. The thing it needs to pull me away from Gmail would be an Android app so I can get push email.

[cat5e]

Here is few short pages that might hlep in configuring OutLook.com account.

Outlook.com Tip: Link Microsoft Accounts - http://www.winsupersite.com/article/...ccounts-143972
Outlook.com Tip: Access Other Email Accounts - http://www.winsupersite.com/article/...ccounts-143961
Outlook.com Tip: Use a Plus Account - http://www.winsupersite.com/article/...account-143930
Outlook.com Tip: Connect and Import Contacts - http://www.winsupersite.com/article/...ontacts-143969
Outlook.com Tip: Configure on Windows 8 and Windows Phone -http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows-live/outlookcom-tip-configure-windows-8-windows-phone-143946

[ImaNihilist]

I was surprised to find out that Microsoft does not offer two-factor authentication for Hotmail/Outlook or even Office365—only Microsoft Billing. da fuq?