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This software from Microsoft will help keep your email and contacts organized on your PC

This software from Microsoft will help keep your email and contacts organized on your PC

Vote: (440 votes)

Program license: Paid

Developer: Microsoft

Version: 2021

Works under: Windows

Also available for Android Mac

Vote:

Program license

(440 votes)

Paid

Developer

Version

Microsoft

2021

Works under:

Also available for

Windows

Android Mac

Pros

  • The interface is largely the same, which is good for existing users
  • Has touch controls to make use of touchscreens
  • The contact feature has been greatly improved

Cons

  • Some users feel the interface has too much white and it's difficult to find the tool you're looking for

Microsoft Outlook 2013 is Microsoft's flagship email program for sending and receiving emails. This program has some updated features that make use of touchscreen displays and other modern updates. While the layout has been changed slightly, existing users will find that it retains the same Outlook aesthetic that has been present for many years.

Slightly Changed Appearance

Outlook 2013 looks slightly different than the previous version. It's a modernized appearance that has been flattened to work with the current operating system. While there is some blue here and there, the majority of the interface is white and gray. Some people like this design while others feel there is too much white and it makes it hard to see the buttons and other elements.

There are also no more image-based icons. Everything is text-based now. This ensures you know exactly what each section does, but some people might miss the graphical buttons. In general, the layout is nearly the same as previous versions with some minor changes here and there.

Touch Controls

The newest features with Outlook 2013 concern touch controls. You can activate Touch Mode to activate features specific to touchscreens. This will display a bar of commonly used commands like delete, reply, flag and move. If you have a touchscreen tablet or desktop, then you'll be making use of this mode a lot. It's much faster than using a mouse and it's fun to just use your finger. Be sure to switch to this mode to see these touch-based commands.

There are also touch-based commands for the calendar. You can use your fingers to zoom in and out. This allows you to see the calendar by day, week, month, year and so on. Touch a day and a window will appear with information about the day along with the weather. This makes it much faster to navigate through your busy calendar.

Better Contact Handling

One major improvement made with Outlook 2013 is how it handles your contacts. Not only can it automatically include contacts based on your linked accounts, but it will combine contacts to make everything more streamlined. This program can pull contacts from any accounts that you've linked such as from LinkedIn or Facebook. You simply have to connect these accounts through Outlook and they will seamlessly sync.

Previous versions of Outlook had primitive contact pulling, but there was a major problem. If you are friends with someone across different platforms, then each account would be considered its own contact. So the same person might show up three contacts for LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Outlook 2013 will combine these into a single contact. It can also include their profile picture so that it's even easier to identify whichever contact you're looking for.

Pros

  • The interface is largely the same, which is good for existing users
  • Has touch controls to make use of touchscreens
  • The contact feature has been greatly improved

Cons

  • Some users feel the interface has too much white and it's difficult to find the tool you're looking for