HOTMAIL is set to be relegated to the history books, marking the end of an era when personal electronic mail was still new and novel. We’ll always remember you and all your 1990s glory!
After months of beta testing Outlook.com, Microsoft announced today that its new webmail service, is ready for primetime, and open it to the general public. Since the release of Outlook.com last summer as a preview, millions of people have already actively started using it, making it the world’s fastest growing email service, going from 0 to 60 million in just six months.
“It’s not a light brand decision,” said Dharmesh Mehta, senior director of product management for Outlook.com and SkyDrive. “I don’t know of any other company that has hundreds of thousands of users and has changed the brand name. But this is something new, an opportunity to set us up for the future.”
Hotmail users who don’t make the switch themselves will be migrated to Outlook.com by the summer, the company said in a blog post Monday. Users will be able to keep their “@hotmail.com” addresses if they want, as well as their passwords, messages, folders, contacts and other settings. Users will also have the option to switch to a “@outlook.com” address but will not be required to, wrote Microsoft’s Outlook.com director of product management, David Law.
Outlook.com will offer an intuitive experience on modern browsers and devices. New features include integration with social media such as Facebook and twitter. It was designed as an email service focused on removing barriers and simply getting people going. Outlook.com gets people going in four key areas:
- Delivering a beautiful, fresh and intuitive experience on modern browsers and devices
- Keeping people connected with their friends and co-workers across the networks they really use
- Providing a smart and powerful inbox to handle today’s email needs including SkyDrive for sharing virtually anything in a single email
- Putting people in control by prioritizing their privacy
Those who would like to get the new benefits of the Outlook.com experience can check it out today at Outlook.com.
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I have to admit, I probably spent about three hours on your website.
But so what, it was still worth it.