Microsoft has bought Acompli, a mobile startup that makes email apps for iOS and Android. The financial details were not officially disclosed by either firms but Re/Code is stating that the amount of deal is more than $200 million.
“In a world where more than half of email messages are first read on a mobile device, it’s essential to give people fantastic email experiences wherever they go. The Acompli team is passionate about this quest. Their app provides innovative ways to focus on what’s important in your inbox, to schedule meetings, and work with attachments and files. Users love how it connects to all email services and provides a single place to manage email with a focus on getting things done.”
said Rajesh Jha, Corporate Vice President, Outlook and Office 365 in a company blog post.
Founded by former execs from Zimbra and VMware in 2013, Acompli offers one-tap integration with calendars along with easy methods to access recently emailed files and contacts. It also works a lot like the desktop version of Outlook, combining contacts, calendar, and mail into a single interface that works together to organize meetings and communications. Other supported services include Google Apps, Gmail, iCloud and Yahoo. As part of the acquisition, the Acompli team will join Microsoft’s Outlook group. Microsoft said the acquisition will “expedite” its plans to deliver the full suite of Office features to mobile devices, including Android.
The acquisition follows Microsoft’s announcement last month that Android tablet users can sign-up to preview the upcoming version of Office. Microsoft also integrated Office support with Dropbox as part of a new partnership between the two companies.