In its quest to make Outlook as cool as Google’s Gmail, Microsoft (MSFT) is adding some bells and whistles to its email service.
Starting now, Outlook.com users can integrate Uber, PayPal, Evernote, and Boomerang add-ins into their email and calendar. This means users can connect their account to these and receive useful notifications, such as to order an Uber ride prior to a meeting (and even ordering it through the reminder), or the ability to send a friend some money through PayPal via email. Some of these add-ins — like Uber and Boomerang — were already available for the few with access to Outlook.com’s new design, though the company is rolling it out to more users now.
Add-ins for business reviews community Yelp, to-do list software Wunderlist (which Microsoft acquired), and IFTTT, a service for connecting all kinds of apps and notifications, will be coming in the future, Microsoft said.
Uber, PayPal, Evernote, and Boomerang are all already available on Outlook 2013 and Outlook on the web for users with Office 365, and Exchange 2013 mailboxes, with Outlook.com coming soon.