This move may be weird for some of my peers, but I find Outlook a better solution for me. I had grown uneasy with some of the decisions that Google had made with Gmail. As a user of multiple mobile platforms, the decision to drop Exchange ActiveSync for the email service hurts my end experience when not using Android. I don't like feeling like a company is leveraging me with services to lean a certain way on my device decisions. I know this is their prerogative as a business, but it doesn't mean I have to like it.
I also don't care for the new changes Google has made in the UI department of Gmail. I don't want my emails separated into tabs that I didn't designate. I know this can be turned off in settings, but one has to wonder how long it will take for this to be the default interface. In contrast, Outlook offers a minimalistic, fast approach to their web interface that I find very appealing.
Now, my recent return to Android brought a new experiment for me. How would using Android be without Gmail? Surprisingly well. I could not be happier with the experience of Outlook.com via the default email app. I can easily access both my Outlook, and other accounts, under one unified email application.
Many of you are probably wondering why I don't just download the Outlook.com app from the Play Store. As funny as it sounds in this whole scenario, it just feels too foreign on Android. The Android email account feels much smoother, and the UI flows much better, than the Outlook app from Microsoft. With a few minutes of manual setup via the Outlook webpage , it also offers full ActiveSync of all my emails, contacts, and calendars.
Overall, I have found no disadvantages to using Outlook.com in replacement of Gmail on Android. The experience has been rather painless, and I am using the email service that I currently prefer. If you haven't checked out Outlook.com since the demise of Hotmail, I would urge you to at least give it a peek. The new UI is a far cry from the clunkiness that Microsoft used to claim. You may think I'm crazy...but it wouldn't be the first time someone has said that about me.
Posts
