Microsoft launches Outlook.com email service - video

Microsoft has announced the launch of its new email service Outlook.com.

Outlook.com features a clean, Metro-style interface with large icons that make it easy to use both on a computer and a smartphone or tablet. It also displays fewer ads with less obtrusive placement compared to other services like Gmail or Microsoft's own Hotmail.



It includes "virtually unlimited" storage for emails and 7GB of Skydrive storage cloud for documents. The Skydrive storage comes along with web apps for Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, allowing users to create and save documents directly from their browser.

The new email service can also integrate with social networks for a unified contact list, pulling contacts from Facebook, LinknedIn, Gmail and Twitter. Facebook chat is also enabled through Outlook, and Skype video conferencing will be added in the near future.

Outlook.com is a separate email service from Microsoft's existing Hotmail. It is unknown whether Microsoft plans to fold Hotmail accounts into Outlook.com, or how it will maintain both services in the future.

Watch the video walkthrough of Outlook.com below: