Android Smartphone (Photo : Reuters)
Apple iOS and Android users will now be able to download and use the Microsoft Outlook for their smartphones and tablets.
Microsoft's ability to offer its Outlook app to non-Windows phone users is due to its purchase of a tech company called Acompli, The Register reported. The former head of Acompli, Javier Soltero, and his staff developed the code that made the Outlook app for the Apple iOS and android possible. Mr. Soltero is currently Microsoft's General Manager for Outlook.
While Outlook has a fully working app for the Apple iOS, it is still a preview version for Android devices. According to the Windows maker, iOS users can connect to their iCloud accounts as well as Microsoft accounts, which include Outlook.com, Exchange and Office 365. They can also access their accounts on Google and Yahoo. Android user in the meantime, can access any of their IMAP accounts.
With regards to cloud storage, both iOS and Android users will still be able to connect to Dropbox, Google Drive and One Drive though because of a technical glitch, Android users do not have access to online storage Box but iOS users can connect to Box. One Drive for Business users do not have access yet to Outlook but Microsoft promise that they will have support soon.
The Outlook app contains a view option for cloud storage files and attachments from emails and it also has a contact list and calendar. Outlook enables you to preview a file, open it in another app or attach them to your email.
It is also interesting to note that aside from Outlook, Android versions of Excel, PowerPoint and Word are also available. According to Julia White Microsoft general manager, there have been a huge number of requests for the Outlook app in Windows phone, Apple iOS and Android devices.
Outlook, as well as Excel, Word and PowerPoint are already available for download on both Apple and Android Play Store.
