Microsoft updates Outlook.com for Android

Microsoft's relentless push for Outlook.com brings an app update to the enemy camp, today -- big move given that Android now represents a large portion of today's mobile market. Two weeks ago, Microsoft unleashed a major calendaring service overhaul.

The interface has been completely revamped and new features come along for the ride. As you may know, Google has pulled support for Exchange ActiveSync, but Microsoft now works around that.

According to Steven Kafka, who works on Outlook.com program management: "We believe that the best mobile experience is enabled through Exchange ActiveSync-- which provides a rich, powerful, network-optimized experience for Windows Phone, iOS and other mobile devices. However, native support for Exchange ActiveSync on Android devices varies significantly and so we build a separate app to ensure as many people as possible can have a great Outlook.com experience across all their devices".

The new mobile app not only provides the same look as its web counterpart, but also adds new features including conversation threading, filters for unread and flagged mail, and also the ability to mark messages as spam.

While the updates are welcome and should benefit many customers, it seems this also partially is a shot in the escalating war between Google and Microsoft that has resulted in the above mentioned Exchange ActiveSync cutoff and the whacky Scroogled campaign. The result, in this case at least, is good for consumers.

Photo Credit:  2jenn/Shutterstock