It was once the king of the email services, but Microsoft is finally set to kill off its Hotmail service. The software giant today renamed its email service Outlook as part of an overhaul to make its free email more user-friendly. The revamped service will help users handle junk mail, sort messages as they arrive and feature social network links in a move analysts believe is an effort to win over customers of Google’s rival Gmail. Microsoft said email had become a “chore” for many users because their accounts had become overloaded with material. The new service will automatically sort messages into different areas to distinguish between emails from contacts, newsletters, package delivery notices, social network posts and other senders identified by the account holder. Microsoft’s corporate vice president of Windows Live, Chris Jones, said in a blog: ‘A lot has changed in the last eight years and we think it’s time for a fresh look at email. ‘We are giving you the first email service that is connected to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google, and soon, Skype, to bring relevant context and communications to your email.