Office Outlook Mobile Update 1.0 Now Available

Redmond-based software company Microsoft has recently made available an update for Office Outlook Mobile and Microsoft Exchange Server 2010, aimed at those mobile phone users who own devices powered by the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system. According to the company, users of Windows Mobile 6.5 do not need the new software solution on their handsets, as the Outlook Mobile update is supported only on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional and Standard versions.

The new Outlook Mobile Update 1.0 comes with support for 10 languages, including English, German, Chinese, French, Dutch, Japanese, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and Portuguese, but more languages will be added to the package soon, including Korean. Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Czech, Polish and Greek. At the same time, the company notes that users will be informed on the availability of a new update as soon as they connect their handsets to Exchange Server 2010.

Some of the main new features of the update include:
- E-mails grouped by conversation: With your e-mails grouped by conversation, you can quickly see all responses and perform common e-mail actions that apply to the entire conversation, such as deleting, replying, flagging, and moving e-mails.
- Free/busy lookup: Getting in touch with people in your organization is now more effective with calendar availability. Have a quick question that needs to be answered? Quickly check a colleague’s schedule to determine if a face-to-face visit in their office or a phone call is possible, or send them an e-mail if their schedule is booked.
- Sync SMS messages to Exchange: SMS messages now appear inside of Outlook or Outlook Web Access, so you don’t need to pull your phone out of your pocket to read and respond when you’re sitting at your PC. You can even get your SMS text messages if you forgot your phone at home right from within Outlook or Outlook Web Access.
- Enhanced voice mail: Exchange Server 2010 Unified Messaging provides voice mail preview, giving you a text version of your voice mail messages so you can read them without having to call and listen to each.

According to a recent article on ZDNet, the Outlook Mobile Update 1.0 will also offer users the possibility to enjoy an upgraded interface, as well as a quick actions bar, not to mention faster access to search or easy folder changing. Moreover, “setting server side rules for always moving a conversation” are also included in the package, according to a Microsoft spokesperson. Outlook Mobile comes to the market as Microsoft's suite of productivity solutions aimed at smartphone users, and Windows Mobile 6.x users should soon enjoy the Office Mobile 2010 release, set to become available for them sometime in June, it seems.