Microsoft Will Overhaul A Bunch Of Its Key Windows 8 Apps Tomorrow

A nearly universal criticism of Windows 8 is that the built-in apps for email, calendar, and contacts were poorly designed and difficult to use.

Tomorrow, Microsoft will release an overhaul to those three apps with new designs and features.

Here's a breakdown of what will change:

Mail

The native email app now lets you better manage multiple email accounts and filter your inbox so you only see unread messages. You can also create and edit folders, an essential feature that was missing from the last version of the email app.

It looks like this:

Calendar

The calendar app has a new look with color-coded events that help you keep your personal and work calendars separate. It looks a lot cleaner than the last version. Unfortunately, it won't sync with your Google Calendar anymore as Google has removed support for it.

Here's a look at the new calendar app:

People

The Windows 8 contacts management app called People already integrates with your social networks like Facebook and Twitter, but the new version makes navigation easier. There's a toolbar at the top of the app that lets you filter different feeds. You can also write wall posts on Facebook using People. (Facebook hasn't made an app for Windows 8 yet.)

Here's a look at the new navigation bar in the People app:

Microsoft

You'll be able to get the new apps as software updates in the Windows 8 app store starting tomorrow.