New #Mail and #Calender Features for #Windows10 users

Gmail users can expect to see a range of new features in the Windows 10 Mail and Calendar apps that were previously only available to Outlook and Office 365 users.

Microsoft has started to give some Windows Insiders the option to sync Google email, calendar, and contacts to the Microsoft Cloud, which will enable improvements that are currently exclusive to users with a Microsoft Outlook.com or Office 365 email address.

After syncing the account, Gmail users in Windows 10 Mail and Calendar will begin to see Microsoft's Focused Inbox smart filter, the ability to track travel dates and shipping deliveries, Twitter-style @mentions to grab someone's attention in an email, and themed calendars to keep track of sporting events.

"We're now excited to bring these features to our users with Gmail accounts, so you can enjoy the best of what Windows 10 Mail & Calendar have to offer," said Vivek Kumar, a product marketing manager for Windows 10 Mail & Calendar apps.

The new capabilities are only available within the Mail and Calendar apps and won't affect how users experience Gmail.com or other apps from Google on the web.

These features debuted in Mail and Calendar for Microsoft account holders in February and will eventually come to all Windows 10 users with Google accounts after initial testing with some Windows Insiders.

Microsoft said at the time it intended to roll out the new features to non-Microsoft accounts in the near future, so presumably after early testing with Insiders and fine-tuning, it will be available generally.

Over the next few weeks Mail and Calendar users in the Windows Insiders program will be prompted to update Gmail account settings when the new features are ready to go.

"To power these new features, we'll ask your permission to sync a copy of your email, calendar, and contacts to the Microsoft Cloud," said Kumar.

"This will allow new features to light up, and changes to update back and forth with Gmail, such as creation, edit or deletion of emails, calendar events and contacts. But your experience in Gmail.com or apps from Google will not change in any way."

Source:ZDNet