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yet another Microsoft blogger

# Thursday, January 20, 2005

Outlook Live

What happens when you take the most utilized business communication tool and team it up with Hotmail as the mail backend and sell that as a subscription? Outlook Live.

This is a pretty cool service! You can use Outlook and have all your mail, contacts, tasks, notes stored on Hotmail. Your data roams and you can access it anywhere. I've been using this for the past few months and love it. It makes Hotmail as my primary non work account really slick. Furtheremore, if you don't own a copy of Outlook 2003, it comes with the subscription.

 

Thursday, January 20, 2005 3:16:38 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)
"most utilized business communication tool"?

Nowadays, "most popular virus distribution application with integrated calendar, file and web browser" might be a better description of this, err, "tool" ;-)
Ralph
Thursday, January 20, 2005 4:20:54 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)
Perhaps you can shed some light on where his offering lives in the chain...

I've since rebuilt my computer and didn't include it in the rebuild, but I used to access my Hotmail data (free account) from Outlook. Am I paying for the extra space with Outlook live? If so, isn't the plus account $19.99/per year. Are you paying the extra for the contacts/calendar support?

How does this differ from the "have an exchange account on our server" deal that you see?

Is there a reason that MSN didn't put out the typical matrix that lets the customer what the benefits of each type of account are?

Thursday, January 20, 2005 10:41:23 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)
Now - if Outlook specific features like Follow Up flags could be replicated back to Hotmail and have them show in the web UI. ;-) That would be killer. Since you guys are rearchitecting HM, maybe that will be an option?

@Steve: It goes like this AFAIK...Hotmail Plus (HTTP Connection via own copy of Outlook 2003) $19.95/yr, MSN Premium (separate Outlook MAPI connector download; must own copy of Outlook 2003) $9.95/mo, and now Outlook Live (MAPI connection to MSN communication services; downloadable copy of Outlook 2003) $44.95/yr. All three give you the base Hotmail Plus storage/service levels. It comes down to whether or not you already own Outlook 2003. If so, then it is whether or not you want the full blown MSN Premium subscription or just the narrow Outlook Live functionality via the Outlook Connector. I wish Outlook Connector was an option for Hotmail Plus subscribers as I have a feeling a lot of people who would use this service already own a copy of Outlook and thus shouldn't have to pay the cost for Outlook 2003 built into the Outlook Live price point.

\paul
Friday, January 21, 2005 9:57:16 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)
I'll agree with Paul's last point. I dropped $45 for the Outlook Live, but since I already own Outlook, I would have liked to just purchase the $20 Hotmail Plus.

-Dustin
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