In the war against Google, Microsoft has dropped another Scroogled bomb to convince webmail users to jump to the its side of the fence - the company has released an import tool that will make it easy for Gmail users to switch to Outlook.com with a few clicks of the button.
The new functionality improves previous efforts of Microsoft to lure Gmail users. The import tool will not just copy all emails and dump it to the Outlook account but also sort them according to their folders and Gmail labels.
"Today, we are announcing a new service that makes it easier than ever to import your Gmail account to Outlook.com. This will be rolling out to everyone over the coming weeks, so if you don't have access to it yet, check back soon," wrote Microsoft senior program manager lead Naoto Sunagawa, Wednesday, in a blog post.
"Of course, even if you are frustrated with your current provider, the thought of switching to a new service can seem daunting. So we've introduced new functionality right into Outlook.com that does the heavy lifting for you. All you need to do is follow a few simple steps to connect your Gmail account...to your Outlook.com account," Sunagawa added.
Those who want to switch must use an existing Outlook.com account or create one before running tool that will import all emails and contacts from their Gmail account. The new tool will also help configure Outlook.com so the user can still send messages using the old Gmail account and have all emails received via the Google service forwarded to the Outlook account. Microsoft recommends removing old labels in Gmail to avoid duplicate emails when transferring to Outlook.
Information from the Google Calendar can also be imported using the tools while there is also an option to subscribe to it.
Microsoft's announcement came close on the heels of Google saying Gmail and Google Calendar data can now be downloaded by the users.
Attacks on the webmail service of Google and attracting switchers may spill over to other enterprise products and help Microsoft generate more business according to experts. "Microsoft is well aware that consumer preferences can impact enterprise decisions for social and collaboration services, including email. The popularity of Gmail, for example, may contribute to the decision for an organization to chose Google Apps over Office 365. Microsoft, therefore, may be interested in poaching Gmail seats to buttress its enterprise efforts around Office 365," Matthew Cain of research firm Gartner said.
