WASHINGTON, DC: Microsoft has revealed Outlook for iOS and a preview of Outlook for Android, expanding the email client’s reach beyond just Windows Phones.
“We designed these apps to be unmistakably Office, while optimized for Android tablets,” Kirk Koenigsbauer, corporate vice president of the Office 365 Client Apps and Services Team, wrote in a blog post. “Within each app, we’ve prioritized the most important features for mobile scenarios.”
Office for Android will require a 7-inch tablet with an ARM-based processor, at least 1 gigabyte of RAM, and Android 4.4: the operating system colloquially known as KitKat. Lollipop compatibility will eventually be available, as well.
Meanwhile, Outlook for iOS and Android will work on phones and tablets alike and will be compatible with Gmail, Office 365, Exchange, Outlook.com, and Yahoo Mail.
The new mobile email platform separates mail into two tabs — “Focused” and “Other.” Important messages are channeled into the first inbox, while the rest remain accessible but unobtrusive. Furthermore, Outlook’s predictive search helps find emails, people, and files as you type.
“With these releases, we’ve only scratched the surface of what’s possible as we work to reinvent productivity for a mobile-first, cloud-first world,” said the general manager of the Office Product Management team, Julia White, in a separate blog post.
Microsoft aims to integrate Office heavily with the upcoming Windows 10 operating system, which they unveiled earlier this month. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint will be included on all Windows 10 phones and tablets at launch, while the technology giant is also reportedly working on a new, “universal” Outlook app.
