Archive for the 'Windows Live Hotmail' Category

Hotmail brand to stay

Published
by
Dan
1 year, 9 months ago
in Windows Live Hotmail
. 1 Comment

Windows Live Hotmail is to be the final name for the currently beta Windows Live Mail service, as announced by Richard Sim, Senior Product Manager for Hotmail.

The decision comes from the importance of the Hotmail brand name, and to make the transition easier for existing customers.

I believe retaining the Hotmail name for Microsoft’s Web mail service is the right move. Adding Windows Live to it may seem pointless, as I can’t imagine anyone calling it by the full Windows Live Hotmail name, just like it is rarely referred to as MSN Hotmail, its official name.

I suspect the change won’t mean much for users, it will continue to be called simply just Hotmail.

See Microsoft hurt by poor Live branding, analysts say for further reading on the “bungled” Live branding.

Happy Birthday Hotmail!

Published
by
Dan
2 years, 5 months ago
in Windows Live Hotmail
. 3 Comments

Independence Day this year marked the 10th anniversary since the commercial launch of Hotmail.

Ten years on, we are about to see the biggest upgrade for Hotmail, or rather a complete replacement, with Windows Live Mail.

Interested in a bit of history? Take a look at the MSN Hotmail fact sheet or at Wikipedia. The Hotmail homepage looked a bit bare in 1996.

I just read at Omar’s blog that you can find out when you registered by signing in at account.live.com. I’ve been curious about that for some time, now I know my two were registered on 19 November 1999 and 12 November 2003.

Who gets 250MB?

Published
by
Dan
2 years, 7 months ago
in Windows Live Hotmail
. 3 Comments

It was reported in mid-2004 that Hotmail users would get a storage boost from the measly 2MB to a slightly more generous 250MB (possibly in response to Gmail’s whopping 1GB), it just wasn’t clear who would be getting that upgrade. Nearly two years on, I still see people reminiscing on that news wondering why they only have 2MB.

The answer is close, the frontpage of Hotmail has the following at the bottom left:

250MB inbox available only in the 50 United States, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Eligible Hotmail users will first receive 25MB at sign-up. Please allow at least 30 days for activation of your 250MB storage to verify your e-mail account and help prevent abuse. Microsoft Corporation reserves the right to provide 250MB inbox to free Hotmail accounts at its discretion.

The better news is, Windows Live Mail is set to come with 2GB of storage space.

If they can soon manage 2GB, what was so hard about giving everyone 250MB?

Account expiration sucks?

Published
by
Dan
2 years, 7 months ago
in Windows Live Hotmail
. 2 Comments

Perhaps you’re one of the many users who have been hit by the 30 day expiration in Hotmail; yeah, the thing which results in you losing ALL your email! It’s happened to me on a few occasions with an account I rarely use, it also happened to Tom, who was rather annoyed.

Omar, one of the program managers in Windows Live Mail, has responsed to Tom’s cries and says that the 30 days will be changed 120 days in Windows Live Mail! He also states the good reason for this expiration, just imagine how many old abandoned accounts would exist if none were to be purged. Anyway, good on them for extending it, more happy customers.

Windows Live revealed

Published
by
Dan
3 years, 1 month ago
in Windows Live, Windows Live Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger
. 0 Comments
Windows Live

After a very quiet build up, Microsoft has today revealed plans for Windows Live - the next generation of MSN services, previously dubbed Wave 11. Probably the biggest announcement of the year for MSN related things, and will probably be the biggest change we’ve seen in a while.

At the forefront of it all, Start.com will become what appears to be the hub, Windows Live.

MSN Messenger will become Windows Live Messenger. So, forget MSN Messenger 8.0 (it’s not coming this month, only a rumour/lie), expect to see Windows Live Messenger! The current Mail Beta, aka. Kahuna will become Windows Live Mail. Similary, MSN Spaces will be called Windows Live Spaces.

Some new products include Windows Live Safety Center, a new on-demand virus scanning and PC tune up Web site. Windows Live Favorites, which is previously known as roaming favorites, allowing you to access your favorites even when you’re away from your PC. Windows OneCare Live, you might have heard of Windows OneCare during it’s beta, this is it’s new name. Windows Live Search (Mobile) will allow you to search the Web from your Web enabled mobile phone.

We can expect a whole lot more to come also!

Mike Torres reports on Windows Live Messenger:

  • New messaging product based on MSN Messenger
  • Not just your IM list - all of your contacts appear (but you can filter)
  • Word-wheeling through your entire IM contact list
  • Increased the size of the IM list up to 600 Messenger contacts
  • View Friends list (side note: based on MSN Spaces!)
  • Filter based on “friend tags”
  • View “sticky notes” that others have added to their friends!
  • Live Contacts: all of your contact information can appear in others’ address books automatically (based on permissions)
  • Changes made in the Messenger client show-up on a mobile device immediately
  • Sharing folders. Peer-to-peer sharing from one client to another; fully replicated shared folders over the Internet.

Although this is a major high point, the sad thing for some is this is the end of the Butterfly for MSN! We’ll probably also see even more confused users, Windows Messenger vs. Windows Live Messenger? Oh boy!

So much information to take in, I’ll leave some links worth reading:

PressPass: Microsoft Previews New Windows Live and Office Live Services
The NEW Windows Live Messenger blog
live.com blog
Mail Beta blog, er, I mean Windows Live Mail blog!
Mike Torres blog
Leah’s blog

Go check out Windows Live at live.com and Windows Live Ideas at ideas.live.com for all the info!