The basic applications that come bundled with Windows 8 were received unkindly by most reviewers. Seeking to redress some of the concerns raised, Microsoft recently began releasing updates for some of those applications, including Mail, Calendar and People (contacts).

The Verge has a useful summary of the changes, which include folder management and speed improvements for Mail, and readability improvements for Calendar. Inexplicably, Microsoft has removed support for Google Calendar from the Windows 8 Calendar app.