Microsoft launched Outlook.com today, a completely redesigned webmail service with built-in Skype integration.

Chris Jones, head of Microsoft's Windows Live group, announced the launch of Outlook.com in a blog post. He said, "We think the time is right to reimagine email. So today, we're introducing a preview of Outlook.com.

"We realized that we needed to take a bold step, break from the past and build you a brand new service from the ground up. You already know Outlook via the Outlook desktop application-for PCs and Macs-as the world's most popular application for reading email, managing a calendar, and connecting to people. And you may have used the Outlook Web App connected to Exchange Server in your organization.