Microsoft wants to streamline email. Today’s it’s launching a new app called Send – iOS only for now – that makes email more like SMS by removing the subject line and taking you directly to your contacts list.
Microsoft thinks email can be a bit too cumbersome by modern communication standards; you have to open the app, open a compose window, type your contact into the recipient field, and then write a subject line before you even really get to your message.
On the other hand, you probably have many email contacts without a phone number logged in your address book, and you might not feel like asking them for it, or inviting them to use an SMS app.
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That’s where Send comes is supposed to come in – it gives you the benefits of quick SMS-like communications with your existing email contacts, without requiring a phone number or separate app.
It doesn’t ask for a subject line, signature or salutation, and it will surface your frequent and recent contacts right when you open the app. If your contact is a Send user too, you can also see when they’re typing a response.
It’s an interesting approach that could fill a real niche: quick messages with email contacts you don’t care to ask for their phone number or IM accounts. It’s not meant to replace a traditional email app, however; you can message any email, but it will only show conversations started via the app itself.
If you want to give it a shot, Send is available on the iOS App Store now. Android and Windows Phone users will be getting their own version “soon.’
➤ Introducing Send—designed for in-and-out email [Office Blogs]
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