Microsoft has today launched Send, an experimental iPhone app that offers a kind of cross between email and instant messaging. Microsoft says that it is designed for “brief, snappy communications” where you want an instant response but also want to retain a record of what was said within Outlook. The app was previously leaked as Flow by Outlook.
While tools like text messaging and IM are great for short messages, you often don’t have your co-worker’s cell phone number or an IM app on your work phone. And we’ve heard loud and clear from people at work, they want all their communications available in Outlook—even if they send them from other apps. This is where Send comes in! Send gives you the simple, quick text message-like experience while allowing you to reach all co-workers and have all of your communications in Outlook for reference later.
Tellingly, Microsoft is launching first for iPhone – ahead of not just Android, but also its own Windows Phone platform …
The idea that you wouldn’t have a co-worker’s cell number just seems bizarre, but perhaps there’s merit to the idea of a message which distinguishes itself from standard email yet is still archived in Outlook. Microsoft says that Send is different to standard email as it shows only those messages sent using the app itself.
The app is part of the Microsoft Garage program, effectively a beta-test program for experimental software that may or may not become mainstream Microsoft apps – such as the recently-released Tossup.
Send is a free download from the App Store in the U.S. and Canada only at present. It is intended to be used alongside the Office 2016 productivity suite, the latest Mac version of which was officially released earlier this month.
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Windows phone is dead with the dismantling and lose taken of the former Nokia business.
Windows Phone isn’t dead quite yet. There is a reason why Microsoft is still making Windows Phone 10 mobile, and releasing a flagship later this year. It’s not looking good, but I wouldn’t be too premature on that yet…
At this point in the game Microsoft couldn’t give away the Window’s Phone OS let alone charge companies for it and without their own phone to put it on, then yes Windows Phone is dead.
@paulywalnuts23
Not entirely true at all. WP is the cheapest mobile device you can buy, and does great in the low end market. The high end is another story, but I think Microsoft is giving it one more solid try.
I just downloaded this to check it out because our work uses Office365. This is the most pointless app in the world. I thought, ok cool, maybe a cooler looking e-mail client. Nope. You can’t see any e-mails at all. The UI is confusing, they don’t even explain what it is. It’s weird because their Outlook app is quite good, but man…this thing is horrible. There is virtually no need for it. It’s their poor attempt at sort of making a Slack app.
One of the iPhone screenshots has an image of a Surface tablet. :) That’s funny…
Yes, I want a phone that is always going to give me a blue screen of death.