outlook

Windows 8 sales off to brisk start

Wednesday's CNET Update is watching Windows:

A Microsoft executive revealed that 40 million licenses of Windows 8 have been sold since it came out last month. These numbers include both consumers and manufacturers, so Windows 8 isn't in 40 million homes. But to compare, Windows 7 hit sales of 60 million the first two months. Some say Windows 8 is off to an awkward start, and there is a learning curve with the new system.

Also in today's tech news roundup:

- Gmail works with Google Drive to let users send 10GB files.

- Vimeo makes it … Read more

Microsoft serves up 60-day trial version of Office 2013

People who want to take Office 2013 for a spin can download a 60-day evaluation edition.

The version available is the full Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2013 suite, which includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, Access, Publisher, and Lync. The software contains all the features in the paid edition, so you won't miss out on anything.

You will need a Microsoft account in order to access the download page, but otherwise there are no strings attached.

Here's how you can grab the free trial version:

Head over to the Office Professional Plus 2013 download page on TechNet. Click … Read more

Get organized with Outlook 2010

While the primary function of Microsoft Outlook 2010 is to send and receive e-mail, it offers a host of useful tools to manage tasks, meetings, contacts, and more.

The interface of Microsoft Outlook 2010 is nicely designed, but it is packed with options. Users new to Outlook should expect to spend some time with the Help file to take advantage of all it has to offer. For the basics, including e-mail, the calendar, and tasks, one-click access minimizes the learning curve. While it continues to allow users to receive e-mail from multiple accounts and easily switch from one to the … Read more

Missing on Mac: Calendar with multiweek view, space for notes

I've written before that one of the hardest things about moving to the Mac from Windows was leaving behind the Windows-version of Outlook, in particular its calendar.

I greatly miss two key features: ample space for making notes related to an event and the multiweek view to see events split across two months. Alternatives for the Mac from Apple, Google, and even Microsoft's own Mac-version of Outlook fail to measure up. That's too bad.

Room for notes Let me start with the importance of allowing room for notes within events. When scheduling a meeting or an appointment, … Read more

How to access Outlook.com e-mail on Android

There are two ways to check your Outlook.com e-mail account on Android. One way is to point your Android browser to www.outlook.com. Once you log in, the Web site will autodetect your browser and load the mobile version of Outlook.com. It looks great and works well in a pinch, but if you prefer app-based access, you can use the official Hotmail app.

The Hotmail app isn't limited to just Hotmail accounts. Instead of typing in a Hotmail address during setup, type in your Outlook.com e-mail address and password. If you have multiple Outlook.com … Read more

How to share contacts in Microsoft Outlook

Few resources on your computer are more valuable to your worklife than your list of contacts. Unfortunately, contacts are also among the most difficult assets to maintain.

Recently, a reader named Alan posed this question:

I and my two associates use Microsoft Outlook for our sales contacts. Right now we maintain three separate contact databases. We would like to merge our databases into one that all three of us can access, modify, and update as necessary. Is there a process/software you can recommend to accomplish this?

If you don't mind the manual approach, Outlook lets you export your … Read more

The world may be cloud-crazy, but Outlook for Mac is stuck on Earth

Store your data in the cloud and have it accessible to you from any computer, anywhere. That's the pitch we hear more and more from companies like Apple, Google and Microsoft. So how is it that all of these companies allow Outlook for Mac 2011 to remain absurdly earthbound?

I'm a long-time Outlook user on Windows, now working with Outlook full-time on the Mac. Even though Gmail is my email provider (the Google Apps version of it), I find Outlook a better way to interact with Gmail than using Gmail directly through the … Read more

Move your mail to Outlook.com

Multiple e-mail inboxes are a fact of life for most of us. At last count I had six mail accounts I access regularly and another six addresses I use occasionally.

That didn't prevent me from signing up for a new Outlook.com address when Microsoft announced the service last week.

At first I was disappointed that I wasn't able to transfer my existing Hotmail account to Outlook.com. Instead, I was prompted to link the new Outlook.com account with the existing Hotmail account.

However, once I had imported my Gmail to Microsoft's new service I was … Read more

How to sync your Outlook.com e-mail with iOS

Although the mobile Outlook.com Web site is gorgeous, it's hardly efficient to access the browser each time you want to check your mail, especially if you have other accounts already synced with your iOS device.

But more than that, getting your Outlook.com e-mail in the official Mail app gives you access to a very coveted feature: Push.

Since Outlook.com is still in beta, and Hotmail is still very much alive, it will be some time before Apple replaces Mail's "Hotmail" setup option with "Outlook.com."

Until then, here's the embarrassingly … Read more