Microsoft to Extend Outlook with 'MOOL'
BetaNews has learned that Microsoft is developing a new consumer-oriented subscription service called Microsoft Office Outlook Live (MOOL) that is built on top of MSN Platform technologies.
According to several sources close to Microsoft who requested anonymity, MOOL leverages and extends existing MSN back-end platform infrastructure; services that are available in MSN Premium, such as MSN Outlook Connector; as well as MSN Hotmail integration.
Microsoft considers e-mail to be a core business and plans to continue to explore space in what it considers to be a natural move on delivering rich e-mail services.
With an MSN Premium subscription and Outlook Connector, customers can integrate MSN e-mail, calendaring and contacts with Microsoft Outlook - consolidating their e-mail into one place.
MSN's MOOL will extend Outlook Connector and Hotmail integration even further. Contributing evidence suggests that one possible usage scenario for MOOL would be to enable customers to integrate their Verizon Wireless voicemail into Outlook; ultimately being able to store, annotate, search, and send messages.
Such services may be made available to customers outside of the MSN Premium service.
When asked for comment on the record, a Microsoft spokesperson told BetaNews, "Over the years we've invested in and refined our services and have learned a lot about what people want in the process. We work closely with the broader Microsoft community as we explore future online service opportunities and ultimately deploy them. That said, we don't yet have any additional specifics to share about our efforts."
No further details are available at this time.