Microsoft launches new and improved Outlook App for mobile

The one application we all have on our mobile phones is Email. This is is critical to our communication needs when we are out on the road and away from the computer.  At my desk, I use Microsoft Office and Outlook is the core of my digital existence. Outlook not only manages my mail but also my Contracts and my Calendar. Whilst it does a sterling job on the PC, on the mobile phone the Outlook App was not so hot.

It seems like I wasn’t the only one not so impressed with the app and in true Microsoft fashion they listen to their customers and  splurged $200 million on the much-heralded app, Acompli.

Many saw this purchase as a way to bolster their aging email application – and they were right. Not only has Microsoft utilized all of Acompli’s redeeming features in its new Outlook app, the company has also retained much of Acompli’s core engineers to help drive Microsoft’s reborn application.Microsoft has cleverly also made the app available to everyone unlike its previous Outlook-branded apps, which were only available to Microsoft subscribers.

The new Outlook app allows you to add and manage multiple email accounts, including Gmail. From one app you can access you Calendar and Contacts and have quick access to files in your mailbox too.

The purchase of Acompli marks another major shift in focus for Microsoft, after it recently announced that it would be heavily investing in the mobile market. Cell phone manufacture Ericsson recently announced that by 2020 it expects 90% of adults to own a smartphone with access to the Internet. Gaming Realms, the operators of online portal CastleJackpot state “mobile Internet has now become one of the most powerful trends in the Internet landscape,” hence why Microsoft feel that this is a market that they must compete in.

As Microsoft continue to expand its portfolio in the mobile market, it’ll be interesting to monitor what other competitors they feel the need to acquire down the line. With the mobile Internet penetration surpassing the PC-installed based during 2014, the shift to mobile seems the most logical one for Microsoft. However, many industry experts are claiming that Microsoft may now have some catching up to do, in the coming years although the purchasing of Acompli has certainly shown that they mean business.

The new Outlook app  is available on Android and iOS phones and tablets through all the app stores.