Blitz gets a makeover
While sipping your coffee and opening your laptop to check blitz this morning, you were likely taken back by the web interface's sleek new design.
Beginning today, Computer Services is transitioning students’ accounts to the latest version of the blitz system. The new system, known as Office 365, is a permanent change that follows the new updates released by Microsoft. According to the computing services website, Office 365 will be implemented over the course of this week.
Students will be able to tell if their version has changed by logging on to the cloud-based e-mail system Blitz Web Access, where an updated user interface indicates migration to the new system.
Apart from the interface upgrade, other changes include an increase in storage space. In Office 365, student mailboxes are 30 percent larger.
“I’m so thrilled, now I’ll never have to delete a blitz ever again,” said Casey Lewis ’15 regarding her satisfaction with the upgrade.
There are also four new applications associated with the upgraded mail system. Bing Maps is an app that reveals the location of a user’s address.
The Suggested Meetings service allow users to add meetings to their calendars, while the unsubscribe command provides an option to block senders and unsubscribe from other sources.
Users will notice that a number of buttons’ locations have changed in the new interface. There are also fewer icons, making the layout cleaner and simpler to navigate.
“I didn’t really like the old blitz because it would clump all your messages together,” said Stephanie Sa ’15.
For some students, the dramatic change was a major conversation topic, but for others it was barely noticeable. A number of students have linked their blitz accounts to Apple Mail and Gmail, and therefore aren’t impacted by the new user interface.
Sa, who uses Apple Mail, said that she hasn’t really noticed the changes and is not planning on switching back to the BWA system. Other students said the new system will require an adjustment.
“I was confused at first and definitely need to get used to it but it looks pretty sleek,” said Lewis of the overall changes.
The computer services center is offering drop-in office hours and help sessions throughout the next two weeks for students who have questions about the new system.