The "new" Outlook email service should be pretty much like any other service, and its only function is to receive mail addressed to you, when you connect it downloads what's been received and receives what you have to be sent, and forwards the outgoing to whoever you addressed it to.

To look at what comes to your computer and to create and send mail to others requires an email client. The "client" determines what you see, where the buttons are, and most of what you can do at "your end" of the email process, for mail that's coming or going.

A common client is just your web browser, which may connect to an "email page" at the server, usually in your account with your name on it, where there are some "helpful buttons" for a few things, but sometimes not much else.

If you use your web browser to handle your email, the "look and feel" of your email will generally depend entirely on the "page" that the email service sets up for you.

You can, with most email services, use any of a number of other email clients. Most of these are a "program" that resides on your own computer, and connects to the email service you use. Instead of opening your browser and going to your email, you usually just open the client program and it connects automatically (once you've set it up) to your email service.

If you use a client program, the "look and feel" of your email management is whatever is provided by the client you choose to use, and what you can do and how you do it is determined by the program, largely independent of the email service.

Microsoft's main email client is called Outlook. It provides lots of whistles and bells, and allows you to do pretty much anything that can be done with email. It can send/receive "instant messages," subscribe to "feeds," and even send and receive email, sort incoming, make mailing lists, and all the rest.

A "simplified" little brother to Outlook was originally called Mail, then renamed Outlook Express, and more recently back to Mail. It omits some of the "social features" (that were mostly just annoying for us) but otherwise provides nearly all the same email features. We've been using this one for about 20 years, but it's up to you whether you like it.

Thunderbird is often mentioned as a third email client, that offers lots of services and conveniences. I haven't used it, but it appears to allow (or require) you gather up "apps" to tailor its features to what you like. It may be more "configurable" than others but someone else will have to advise you.

There are a number of other client programs, but those are "the big three" so far as I know.

Iff you use a client program, the "look and feel" of your email management is whatever that client program gives you, and should be the same regardless of what email service you hook it to.

Lots of people just use their browser, and find various levels of satisfaction with that. Using the right client program can completely change the whole experience - and some like that better than others do.

In the past, not all email services allowed you to use all email clients, but I haven't heard any complaints about that recently.

For those who may never have used a client program, a recent "tip sheet" gives enough pretty pictures and instructions for how to do almost a fistful of things in the Outlook client, that might help in deciding whether you want to try one.

Take a look at Get Organized: 5 Tips for Microsoft Outlook

"When it comes to email overload, Microsoft Outlook sometimes feels like part of the problem, but with these five essential features, it will once again be part of the solution.
By Jill Duffy
May 6, 2013"

The article only covers a very few Outlook features, but the idea here is just for you to get a peek at one client.

If that looks good, Outlook should be in your default Windows installation.

The "simplified" verson, now Mail, used to be in the default Windows automatically, but with recent OS versions you'll need to go to Microsoft and download it.

Thunderbird is also a download.

John