Microsoft updates core Mail, Calendar and People apps with new features
Microsoft users will get a rather large update tomorrow, the update will add new features and come with a few improvements for many of Microsoft’s default applications.
Earlier today Microsoft announced a few changes and features that will be implemented into several key applications. The app updates will be made available from the Windows Store. After updating your apps you will notice a few new features right away. If you frequently use multiple email accounts, and are a constant checker of new emails, then you will probably enjoy the first feature. Checking email, filtering email and organizing emails will become a lot easier with the update. Users can easily filter for ‘unread emails’ only, create new folders, delete folders or move entire folders all from within the application. Users will also be able to flag important emails for later, and there will be a special ‘flagged’ folder so you can quickly access them at a later time.
‘Smart Suggestions’ will attempt to predict who you are sending the email to, based on your email history. Other improvements include making drafts easier to find, store and access. Composing emails will be easier as well, users can now add, edit, and delete hyperlinks and edit bulleted or numbered lists all without leaving the application.
One of the more annoying habits of the Mail app was the two-week window to search for emails, but Microsoft is improving that as well. Microsoft states, “you can now search for email on the server making it easy to find any email message you might be looking for”. The Mail app will also “pull” contacts from a user’s Microsoft Exchange global address list and will update contact information from Exchange by clicking on a person’s name in the email.
As for the calendar, there is a large improvement with the UI, making it cleaner and easier to read at a glance. As Microsoft states, “gone are the solid blocks of colors – instead, those colors are reflected in a small bar on the left of each appointment”. Users will also be able to forward meeting invitations, send email to all meeting attendees or change recurrence options, meetings or events.
People is a straightforward update, the application will get a slight UI upgrade and make it easier to stay on top of a user’s contacts and messages with Outlook.com, Facebook, Twitter or Skype. Swiping gestures have been added (or clicking) using the app commands will send users to a new navigation. This new navigation will allow users to move from their profile “where you can post status updates and Tweets or see what your friends are posting on the “What’s new” feed” or “post to your friends’ Facebook wall” according to Microsoft.
more info: microsoft
