Looking for a new premium e-mail service? Microsoft may have something that might interest you as it has just opened the public preview version of Outlook.com Premium.
Microsoft has been working on this premium e-mail service for a while now, with the company mentioning that it was undergoing private testing back in February. Recently, Outlook.com Premium began inviting US customer to try out the service via an invitation-only pilot preview program. Today, the public preview is open to all who wishes to test it out.
Let’s start with the basics. Outlook.com Premium will operate on a subscription model, with a yearly subscription costing USD49.99. For those who sign up within the next few days, a year’s subscription to Outlook.com Premium will cost you only USD19.95 for the first year of use.
In terms of features, Outlook.com Premium will give you an ad-free inbox that is powered by “the new Outlook.com”. The subscription will also net you five personalized e-mail addresses at no additional charges for the first year. After the first year, each personalized e-mail address will cost you USD10 per year. If you already have a domain of your own, you can opt to use that domain on Outlook.com Premium at no extra charges. All five personalized e-mail addresses will also be able to share calendars, contacts and documents with ease.
As Outlook.com Premium is still in its preview stage, some features are not available at the moment. Auto-forwarding and group creation features are currently absent, so those who rely heavily on those features should wait a bit longer before joining the service.
Source: Outlook.com Premiium, ZDNet