The company describes Send as an “in-and-out” email solution that focuses on simplicity and brevity; it looks much more like a messaging app than it does your typical email client.
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Send, from Microsoft Garage, is a new app that makes sending quick emails as easy as texting, without the need for a subject line, greeting, or signature. “Our design principle for the app was to make conversations fast and fluid while keeping the people who are important to you at its core”, Microsoft says. And on mobile they feel especially out of place, turning a simple email into a “form” to fill out, which can be one of the most frustrating tasks on your smartphone.
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.
There is no shortage of enterprise social networking apps that aim to improve collaboration and replace email.
Send is an interesting take on email communication, and is built to provide convenience to users. These are the kind of messages that need to be sent and responded to immediately: “Do you have the presentation?” In other words, exactly the kind of thing you’d do with your favorite messaging app.
It’s now for people with Office 365 business and school email accounts, although Microsoft plans to open it up more broadly in the coming months.
According to Microsoft, this app will connect to a person’s Outlook account, so it can fetch data that includes contacts and conversations.
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The app is available on iPhone right now, with versions for Android and Windows Phone slated for release later this year. And if you’re literally running to the meeting and don’t have time to tap a detailed response, Send will give you the option of swiping in from a number of short, pre-programmed responses. The app also appears to be designed to expand Outlook and Office 365 as both would help the software giant to enhance its market presence in the coming future.
