How to use Outlook.com with your Google Friends for Online Chat

Outlook has been busy releasing multiple updates recently like better and deeper integration of Skydrive which is very much needed, refreshed Outlook.com
App for Android devices, 2 step verification for user’s account, international domains for user’s email address, Skype calling in Outlook, new version of calendar and now Outlook allows users to add their Google friends for Online Chat.

Its’ now easier to chat online with your friends once you get an email from your friend who is using Gmail. Outlook allowed users to chat with Skype before, now with the integration of Google users it is easy for a quick online chat with your friends without leaving outlook. Instant messaging to your Google friend is now made very easy while using Office documents in SkyDrive too. One you sync all your Google contacts  with Outlook,  just like any other service Outlook too will auto sync with your existing contacts and you have an option to sync contacts manually.

Follow the following steps to use Outlook .com for Online Chat with Google users:

• Login to your Outlook.com or Skydrive account
• Open messaging pane
• There is an option which says ‘Add people to chat with – Google Contacts’
• You need to authorise Outlook.
• Setup will take few seconds to complete.
• Once this is done, your Google contacts will appear in the contact list.
• You have similar option in Skydrive as well where you can share link to the document that you are working on and edit it together in real time.

If you are using an Android device then you must be familiar with how all your contacts are synced i.e, when you open a person’s contact details it will show up all the details from like phone numbers, emails, Facebook details, LinkedIn details, Twitter details, maps showing office and home address, B’day, meeting with this person and many other details. It’s always nice to have all in one place and when companies like Google, Microsoft do this there will be good competition between such companies and end user will benefit from these new and frequent  updates containing new features. Try this if you are using Outlook and let me know what you think by leaving a comment.