SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Microsoft Corp. is trying to make Hotmail cool again. The free Web mail service soon will be switching to a new approach that Microsoft hopes will give Hotmail an edge over rival offerings from Yahoo Inc. and Google Inc. The upgrade, expected to be available in July or August, will automatically sort incoming messages into...
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Microsoft Corp. is trying to make Hotmail cool again.
The free Web mail service soon will be switching to a new approach that Microsoft hopes will give Hotmail an edge over rival offerings from Yahoo Inc. and Google Inc.
The upgrade, expected to be available in July or August, will automatically sort incoming messages into different categories devoted to users' key contacts and Internet social networks. It will also provide previews of incoming photos, videos and other material without having to open an attachment or click on a link.
Other tools are being added to make it less cumbersome to send photos, videos, documents and other attachments to e-mail recipients. Another tweak is supposed to make is easier to sync Hotmail on mobile phones.
It's all part of the most extensive overhaul to Hotmail since Microsoft bought the service 12 years ago, said Chris Jones, a Microsoft executive who is overseeing the renovations.
"Our service wasn't doing the best job that it could," Jones said during a Monday preview of the makeover.
Read more about it
» Visual Tour: Microsoft Revamps Hotmail With New Tools [PC World]
» Will the new Hotmail make Outlook obsolete for consumers? [Seattle PI]
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