Microsoft announced last week a new outlook client for IOS and Android. It’s very slick and really nice. I like the way it handles multiple mail servers (Exchange, O365, Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud and Outlook) and adds support for Dropbox, Box and OneDrive for file storage. Like I say it’s really nice (graphical wise) and I’ve been playing with it on my phone.

But

For the nice interface it does have, stuff some stuff is missing; namely Contact Sync. I need that and love the way the older OWA client did that. Setting Out-of-Office doesn’t work either with this app. These features are not in there yet. I imagine they are coming soon though.

Now, the ugly. If you have MDM policies or corporate policies regarding storage of credentials, this app might not be for you. Right now it only supports ActiveSync remote wipe. It won’t prevent email from coming down on a device with no unlock code from an exchange server that requires an unlock code. It’s a feature that is planned and is coming. No ETA. It also only identifies the app not the device behind it, so it may not be ready for primetime in your corporate environment. It also stores AD credentials in the cloud. Again, a show stopper for some orgs. Check the comments in the Office blog post “A deeper look at Outlook for iOS and Android” for details on this. Also there is a document for IT Pro’s on Yammer which covers this as well. I made a quick link for it @ http://bit.ly/OutlookYammerThread

Also to point out there will be a YamJam on Feb 4th @ 9am PST.  They will be covering security and other features on this date. If you are interested in finding out more or seeing the direction this app is going in, I would suggest attending. The link to Yammer I posted above will take you to the details.