Actually, it's less complicated than you might think. In fact, you can keep your Gmail address active while still managing all your messages in Outlook.com. Here's how to make your move.

It goes without saying that if you want to manage your mail in Outlook.com, you'll need an Outlook.com account. To get one, just head to the site and follow the prompts to sign up. However, if you already have a Hotmail, MSN, or Windows Live account, you can sign in using those credentials and you'll immediately get upgraded to Outlook.com.

From now on you'll want all email messages that come to your Gmail account to get forwarded to your Outlook.com account. Easy enough: