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Windows Live Hotmail
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For the previous version of the Hotmail service, see MSN Hotmail.
Windows Live Hotmail






Windows Live Hotmail inbox
Developer: Microsoft
Latest release: 1.0 / May 7, 2007
Preview release: "M10" / March 28, 2007
Available language(s): Multilingual
Use: E-mail, Webmail
License: Proprietary
Website: http://www.hotmail.com, http://mail.live.com

Windows Live Hotmail is a web-based e-mail service by Microsoft. A
beta version was first released on November 1, 2005 alongside the
release of Windows Live, and the final version was released on May 7,
2007. Formerly code-named Kahuna and briefly named Windows Live Mail,
[1] Windows Live Hotmail is designed to replace MSN Hotmail. It
features two gigabytes of storage space, automatic spell checking,
custom filters, and a range of safety features.

Starting from May 7, 2007, all new Hotmail accounts will be created as
Windows Live Hotmail accounts. Existing MSN Hotmail users may update
their existing account to Windows Live Hotmail by clicking on the
"Join Windows Live Hotmail" button below the Hotmail logo. Windows
Live Hotmail is available in 36 different languages.

The original MSN Hotmail service required a $19.95 subscription to
remove advertisements and add 2 GB of space (plus a higher attachment
limit). Windows Live Hotmail provides 2 GB of space for free, but
still has advertisements for free users.

Windows Live Hotmail is fully compatible with Internet Explorer 6.0
and higher, and Mozilla Firefox 1.5 and higher. However, many of the
features are missing when viewed in other browsers such as Opera and
Apple's Safari, where users will be shown the "classic version" of the
service.

All users have the option to choose this "classic version" which is
similar to the original MSN Hotmail interface, but incorporating the
AJAX environment with the new features of Windows Live Hotmail. Upon
entering the beta, users are upgraded to the "classic version" by
default, and are given the option to change to all the AJAX
capabilities of the new full version. Windows Live Hotmail also
suggests to users with a slower internet connection or a monitor that
is under 1024 x 768 pixels to use the "classic version" option.

Users can use Windows Live Mail or Microsoft Outlook with Outlook
Connector (available for download at Microsoft Download Center)[2] to
view their mail outside of the internet browser.
Contents [hide]

1 History
2 Features
2.1 Address auto-complete
2.2 Color schemes
2.3 Contact updates
2.4 Image thumbnails
2.5 Keyboard shortcuts
2.6 Languages
2.7 Reading pane
2.8 Rich text editing
2.9 Right-click, shift-click, and ctrl-click
2.10 Safety features
2.11 Search capability
2.12 Speed
2.13 Spell checking while typing
2.14 Storage


3 References
4 See also
5 External links



[edit] History

The Hotmail brand was founded by Jack Smith and Sabeer Bhatia, and
commercially launched in 1996 as the first webmail service on the
Internet. Hotmail was bought by Microsoft in 1997 and, by 1999, had
reported more than 30 million active members. Windows Live Hotmail is
Microsoft's offering in the webmail revolution that began with the
launch of Google's Gmail in 2004, which introduced significantly
increased storage space and new interface designs using Ajax
technology. Along with Gmail, another of Windows Live Hotmail's main
competitors is Yahoo! Mail Beta.


[edit] Features


[edit] Address auto-complete

(Full version only)
When composing an e-mail in the New Message screen, users can begin to
type the e-mail address in the "To:" textbox; if the letter sequence
appears in any e-mail address or contact name, all those contacts will
appear in a pop-up drop down box.


[edit] Color schemes

(Full version only)
Windows Live Hotmail allows users to change the colour of the webmail
site; thus, everytime the user signs in with that particular e-mail
address, this colour will be the layout. The current choice of
available colours are as follows: Blue Vapor (Windows Live default
colour scheme), Blue, Red, Black, Silver, Pink, Green, Purple and
Orange.


[edit] Contact updates

Windows Live Hotmail has an option for the user to subscribe to a
contact's information so that any new data will automatically updated
in each others contact list. It will also notify you if a contact has
updated their Windows Live Space.


[edit] Image thumbnails

Windows Live Hotmail automatically converts large image attachments
into thumbnails for easier viewing. Images can be viewed at their full
size with one click.


[edit] Keyboard shortcuts

(Full version only)
Windows Live Hotmail provides users with keyboard shortcuts for quick
navigation, as opposed to using the mouse.


[edit] Languages

Windows Live Hotmail is currently available in Arabic, Bulgarian,
Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch,
English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian,
Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish,
Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Romanian, Russian,
Serbian, Slovakian, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish and
Ukrainian.


[edit] Reading pane

(Full version only)
Windows Live Hotmail features a "Reading Pane" similar to that of
Microsoft Outlook, allowing the user to read mail messages without
leaving the inbox. Users can choose to have it at the side of
messages, below the messages, or remove it completely if they wish.


[edit] Rich text editing

The New Message page of Windows Live Hotmail lets users customize
their message with various fonts, sizes and colours. Users can also
change the alignment of text, add bullet points and much more. A
selection of emoticons for users to add to the message is also
provided. There is no option to turn off rich text editing in favour
of a plain text composition interface yet.


[edit] Right-click, shift-click, and ctrl-click

(Full version only)
Windows Live Hotmail offers many features that make it resemble
traditional offline applications. Users can right-click for context-
sensitive actions such as Reply, Forward, Mark as Unread, and more.
Clicking on messages while holding the Shift or Ctrl keys allows for
selecting multiple messages more easily than with the provided
checkboxes.


[edit] Safety features

Windows Live Hotmail's safety bar catching a phishing attempt.

Windows Live Hotmail has extensive security and safety features - some
patented - including SenderID, SMTP Authentication, phishing heuristic
detection, Bonded Sender, mailing list detection and forwarding
detection. Potentially unsafe mail is caught by Windows Live Hotmail
and it does not open the message until the user requests that it do
so. It has proven particularly useful in notifying users of phishing
attempts. Potentially unsafe file types are also blocked for
downloading after being sent as an attachment (See screenshot, right).


[edit] Search capability

The indexed search capability of Windows Live Hotmail includes
searching through the address and subject headers, and for some
accounts, the message content. The search results will appear in a
temporary new "folder" at the bottom of the folder list and the user
can currently search both "Mail" and "Contacts" as well as
"Web" (Depending which page you are on, e.g. Inbox, Contacts, etc)


[edit] Speed

The user interface is built using Ajax technology which allows the
page to load in the background, and provides a fast loading user
experience. Although it is fast, dial-up users may find it very slow
to use. A "classic version" lacking some functionality is therefore
available for them.


[edit] Spell checking while typing

This feature can be seen in the New Message user interface and checks
the user's spelling as it is typed, similar to the spell checking
functions in Microsoft Office applications. Misspelled words are
underlined in red, and right clicking on it displays a drop down menu
of suggestions. Currently, spell checking is available only for
English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. However, more languages
are planned to be supported in the future. Windows Live Hotmail is the
only webmail service that features this function.


[edit] Storage

Windows Live Hotmail comes with 2 GB of free storage. A notification
is sent to the user if they come within 50 MB of this limit. There is
also a bar on the "Today" screen which notifies the user how much
percent of their storage they have used, similar to Hotmail.


[edit] References

1 ^ Official Team Blog: We Heard You Loud and Clear
2 ^ http://www.imagine-msn.com/hotmail/default.aspx?locale=3Den- gb



[edit] See also

* Microsoft
* Microsoft Windows
* Windows Live
* Windows Live Mail
* Windows Live ID
* MSN Hotmail



[edit] External links

* Official blog


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