Microsoft's Flow by Outlook will be a hybrid of email and instant messaging
Microsoft appears to be working on a new secret project for the iPhone, but has made the mistake of hiding the details in plain sight on a public Web page. According to a recent article by 9to5Mac, Twitter user @h0x0d first spotted the download page for the new app, called Flow by Outlook.
well Microsoft, if it really confidential, don’t put it on publicly accessible Internet, LOL. pic.twitter.com/BX0Bw0SpKw
— WalkingCat (@h0x0d) May 19, 2015
Flow by Outlook will take email down the instant messaging path, eliminating subject lines, salutations, and signatures. Microsoft says the app is “designed for fast, light-weight conversations in real time.” The app, while integrating with your Outlook inbox, will only display conversations initiated in Flow and their replies.
ZDNet has compared Flow by Outlook with Skype Qik, an app that is designed to be a trimmed-down alternative to the full Skype experience. Microsoft has declined to comment on even the existence of Flow by Outlook at this time, let alone provide any details about it.
Let’s face it, instant messaging apps are a dime a dozen and we already have an Outlook mobile app, the rebranded version of Accompli that was selected as our App of the Week for Feb. 2, 2015. I’m not entirely convinced that Flow by Outlook will be a dramatic improvement, except for one factor: instant messaging conversations are difficult to keep searchable archives of, and Flow will save the message threads in your inbox for later access. This capability alone just might make Flow by Outlook deserve a spot on my Home screen.