outlook

Missing on Mac: Calendar with multiweek view, space for notes

I've written before that one of the hardest things about moving to the Mac from Windows was leaving behind the Windows-version of Outlook, in particular its calendar.

I greatly miss two key features: ample space for making notes related to an event and the multiweek view to see events split across two months. Alternatives for the Mac from Apple, Google, and even Microsoft's own Mac-version of Outlook fail to measure up. That's too bad.

Room for notes Let me start with the importance of allowing room for notes within events. When scheduling a meeting or an appointment, … Read more

How to access Outlook.com e-mail on Android

There are two ways to check your Outlook.com e-mail account on Android. One way is to point your Android browser to www.outlook.com. Once you log in, the Web site will autodetect your browser and load the mobile version of Outlook.com. It looks great and works well in a pinch, but if you prefer app-based access, you can use the official Hotmail app.

The Hotmail app isn't limited to just Hotmail accounts. Instead of typing in a Hotmail address during setup, type in your Outlook.com e-mail address and password. If you have multiple Outlook.com … Read more

How to share contacts in Microsoft Outlook

Few resources on your computer are more valuable to your worklife than your list of contacts. Unfortunately, contacts are also among the most difficult assets to maintain.

Recently, a reader named Alan posed this question:

I and my two associates use Microsoft Outlook for our sales contacts. Right now we maintain three separate contact databases. We would like to merge our databases into one that all three of us can access, modify, and update as necessary. Is there a process/software you can recommend to accomplish this?

If you don't mind the manual approach, Outlook lets you export your … Read more

The world may be cloud-crazy, but Outlook for Mac is stuck on Earth

Store your data in the cloud and have it accessible to you from any computer, anywhere. That's the pitch we hear more and more from companies like Apple, Google and Microsoft. So how is it that all of these companies allow Outlook for Mac 2011 to remain absurdly earthbound?

I'm a long-time Outlook user on Windows, now working with Outlook full-time on the Mac. Even though Gmail is my email provider (the Google Apps version of it), I find Outlook a better way to interact with Gmail than using Gmail directly through the … Read more

Move your mail to Outlook.com

Multiple e-mail inboxes are a fact of life for most of us. At last count I had six mail accounts I access regularly and another six addresses I use occasionally.

That didn't prevent me from signing up for a new Outlook.com address when Microsoft announced the service last week.

At first I was disappointed that I wasn't able to transfer my existing Hotmail account to Outlook.com. Instead, I was prompted to link the new Outlook.com account with the existing Hotmail account.

However, once I had imported my Gmail to Microsoft's new service I was … Read more

How to sync your Outlook.com e-mail with iOS

Although the mobile Outlook.com Web site is gorgeous, it's hardly efficient to access the browser each time you want to check your mail, especially if you have other accounts already synced with your iOS device.

But more than that, getting your Outlook.com e-mail in the official Mail app gives you access to a very coveted feature: Push.

Since Outlook.com is still in beta, and Hotmail is still very much alive, it will be some time before Apple replaces Mail's "Hotmail" setup option with "Outlook.com."

Until then, here's the embarrassingly … Read more

Five ways to organize your e-mail in Outlook.com

Microsoft yesterday released the preview of its new browser-based e-mail service, Outlook.com. Intended to eventually replace the increasingly antiquated Hotmail, the free service brings a minimalist user interface, social media, and Skydrive integration, and a slew of features. As I said in my First Take, it's a great alternative to Gmail and definitely worth switching to for existing Hotmail or Live.com users. In fact, more than a million users have signed up already.

To be anywhere near useful, an e-mail service should offer plenty of ways to organize your messages. And fortunately, Outlook.com covers all the basics and more. Below I'll discuss five ways to manage your messages and keep your inbox neat and tidy. … Read more

How to add and use Outlook.com e-mail aliases

Microsoft just revealed the preview of its latest incarnation of Webmail, Outlook.com. One particular Outlook.com feature worth noting, is its support of multiple e-mail aliases. They're a great way to protect your primary e-mail address. And because you can't log in to your Outlook.com account with an alias, it adds another level of security.

Add an alias To add a new alias to your primary Outlook.com account, click on the gears icon in the upper right-hand corner and select "More mail settings." Under the "Manage your account" section, select "… Read more

Microsoft's Outlook.com lures 1M users in 6 hours

Outlook.com has seen more than 1 million people sign up for the service in just a few hours, Microsoft has said.

The sign-up figures for the successor to Hotmail were tweeted by @Outlook yesterday just over six hours after the new service was first announced.

The changes include the new e-mail address -- @outlook.com -- which will replace the older @hotmail.com address, used by hundreds of millions worldwide across its more than 10 years of its service. Users can already "upgrade to Outlook.com" to keep their existing address.

The new Web-based e-mail service will … Read more