A couple of weeks ago Microsoft introduced Skype integration to Outlook.com users. Now the company is also introducing Google Chat integration which will allows Microsoft's webmail users to interact with their Google friends directly from their browsers, without having to load up GMail or Google Talk.While some may be surprised by this move, it makes sense that Microsoft would want users to stay on the company's services without switching to their Google accounts to stay in touch with their friends.
The Google Chat integration will be rolled out to users over the course of this week, and you will have to link your Google and Microsoft accounts in order to chat with your Google friends. Microsoft has chosen to make this move based on user feedback on the improvements they would like to see on the Outlook.com service.
Initially the service will only support text chatting. However Microsoft seems keen to take it a step further and offer voice and video calling to your Google contacts in future. Whether Google will agree to that is still unknown.
All in all Outlook.com is shaping up to be a well rounded email service and a proper competitor to GMail. Are you an Outlook.com user? What do you think of all the new changes? Leave us your thoughts below.