Microsoft is rumored to be testing a new version Hotmail, codenamed "Kahuna". The new version will reportedly feature a new style of interface, routine inbox refreshing and a preview pane, enabling users to read and respond to e-mail without navigating away from their inbox.
According to sources close to Hotmail developers, the new interface – codenamed “Wave 11” - is still lacking in features. However, sources say Microsoft is aiming for a “cleaner, minimalist” look with the new version. Not much has been said concerning new feature implementations, although integration with MSN Spaces and Messenger is said to be forthcoming.
Recognizing that it is behind in quite a few key areas, Microsoft have engineered the next wave of Hotmail, allegedly referred to as the "competitive wave," in a systematic push to meet or exceed the competition.
Microsoft would not comment directly on Kahuna, but a spokesperson explained that, "The MSN Hotmail team is constantly exploring and internally testing new features as part of our ongoing investments in the service. Some initiatives will appear in future products and services, while others won't make it past the whiteboard."
News source: eWeek
According to sources close to Hotmail developers, the new interface – codenamed “Wave 11” - is still lacking in features. However, sources say Microsoft is aiming for a “cleaner, minimalist” look with the new version. Not much has been said concerning new feature implementations, although integration with MSN Spaces and Messenger is said to be forthcoming.
Recognizing that it is behind in quite a few key areas, Microsoft have engineered the next wave of Hotmail, allegedly referred to as the "competitive wave," in a systematic push to meet or exceed the competition.
Microsoft would not comment directly on Kahuna, but a spokesperson explained that, "The MSN Hotmail team is constantly exploring and internally testing new features as part of our ongoing investments in the service. Some initiatives will appear in future products and services, while others won't make it past the whiteboard."
News source: eWeek
Supported Firefox Installations:
- Any official Firefox build directly from Mozilla.org (Tested with Version 1.0.5)
- Official Mozilla.org Build of Firefox 1.1 Alpha 1
- Official Mozilla.org Build of Deer Park Alpha 1
System Requirements:
- Microsoft Windows 2000/ME/XP/2003
- Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1
- Minimum of 64MB of RAM
Go Hotmail!
The world seem's to be happy with their Hotmail too, since it still manages to be the worlds #1 e-mail provider.
Read any reviews, Yahoo Mail comes first in terms of quality and Gmail is close behind
That's an understatement!!!
SVT
(indian movie fan will getit)
Translation: In a systematic push to make a cheap imitation or duplication of competiton.
1)See a product that is inovative and popular.
2)Make a Rip-off of it.
3)Shovel a ton of useless crap into it.
4)Change the UI so it looks different enough from the product it's based on.
5)Call it "New" and "Exciting". Announce a release date for it.
6)Delay the launch by 3/4 of the time that it took do do the preceeding steps.
7)Release the product, even though it isn't actualy ready and is full of undocumented holes.
9)Attempt to silence the inevitable critics by whatever means nessary. (no killing the media people, we may need them to speculate about our various products).
10) Randomly choose a flaw, and patch it. Repeat this step at your discression. Do NOT patch all the flaws.
All Hail Bill Gates.
#11.2 - what? From wikipedia,
Historically, the first webmail service was Hotmail, created in 1995 by Sabeer Bhatia of India. Hotmail became very popular, and was later bought by Microsoft and re-branded MSN Hotmail.
Say whatever you like, but Hotmail was first. (Of course, Hotmail as in the non MSN branded version.)
(BTW: if you were being sarcastic, sorry.
They should however make their service more compatible with other browsers than IE. With alternative browsers there's always the few things that screw up.
EDIT: WTF? I just tried it in Opera, and clicked Compose. I get this:
This is what I get in Opera.
Some notes:
I never understood why Greek looks funny whith Firefox + Hotmail. IE + Hotmail is OK, Firefox + GMail is OK, but Firefox + Hotmail = no Greek. (And yes, encoding is set to Greek)
Nothing to do with the interface, but maybe give people outside the US some space to breathe. With my space limited to 2MB I was forced to automatically delete anything which Hotmail saw as spam.
Of course, it could just be that someone at MSN used a Frontpage Extension and narfed your greek pages unintentionaly.
Firefox does not support Frontpage Extensions becasue they would have had to have licenced the code from M$... well, that and Frontpage Extensions are generaly considered to suck and/or blow, an the Firfox/Thunderbird development people don't like Frontpage as a matter of principle.
Hotmail blows, M$ knows.
"Using M$ instead of MS doesn't make you look cool. It makes you look like a moron."
TheSarge would have made some good points if he would quit being a f***ing troll and using $ instead of S.
#13.3 - no I think anyone that trolls should be restricted from commenting for a few days. (Then they'd resume trolling. Blech.)
The truth is, by calling me names instead of contributing to the discussion, all three of you are acting like the "trolls" you disparage.
Excuse me for attempting to remind you that Microsoft overcharges for it's software. I'm sorry, was the Dollar Sign ($) not subtle enough for you?
It's too bad that you don't like it when my chosen form of nominclaure isn't conforming with how you think it should be. Perhaps when you have something worth considering I might actualy give a damm what you think. Until then, stop the personal attacks.
Porp: If you're going to criticise someone for how they made their point, it might help to use some more actual words. Using a pletora of emoticons doesn't help.
EduardValencia wrote: "...bunch of retards like this guy..." Guess what, smart guy? You just violated the "Zero Tolerance" policy of this board. Who's the retard now?
rm20010: How, exactly, is it that I'm a "troll" in your book but what you wrote doesn't make you a "troll"? Your argument seems to be based largely on my use of "M$" which you seem to equate with name-calling... but then you turn around and engage in a round of name-calling yourself. Any respect I had for your words ended when you did that.
Let's see how your comment would have been in a NON trolling matter:
MS has been known to deliberately make certain of it's web pages incompatible with browsers other than IE. Of course, it could just be that someone at MSN used a Frontpage Extension. Firefox does not support Frontpage Extensions because they would have had to have licensed the code from MS... well, that and Frontpage Extensions are, in my opinion, pretty bad, and the Firefox/Thunderbird development people don't like Frontpage as it generates non standard compliant code.
People will disagree with your opinion. But at least I can read it without seeing words like 'M$', 'suck', 'blow'... and so on.
Alright...
There, I quoted you calling me a troll. That's name-calling.
You don't see me going around calling you a nerd or a geek, do you? Then how is it that it's OK in your mind to call me a troll?
I suppose I could tone down my language. I will if you will.
(don't make me come back here and point out where you used the "f" word or I just might have to hit you)
Seriously though, I'm no fan of those who use "M$" because it is incorrect - and I'm a perfectionist. However, you three were wrong for lashing out. What kind of example are you setting?
(I didn't pay for it, just sharing on someone else's account.)
Notice the capitals - HTML. It represented what Hotmail was about - web based email.
Isn't it funny they announced more or less the same features? They just dont want their users to switch to either Yahoo Mail or Gmail which may release a public beta after the Y! Mail enter its own...
And once again trying so hard to catch up, and once again far behind.
Hotmail is already uber slow...this automatic refresh will certainly lead to crashes and freezes...I bet my two balls on that...such a weak plateform, and you'll be waiting 10 good seconds before the preview pane actually display your message...
Absolutly nothing but a vague announcement...pitiful
Now tell me what's new in this "New Hotmail generation"...basically nothing compared to the competitors.
But dont you tell me you're surpirse, Hotmail is a Microsoft product anyway so...apart from Ballmer there is no one that will call this plateform innovative.
Now tell me what did you learn in this announcement in coparaison with last year?? had you been a news reader you'd know about all this for a LONG time...
Now can you tell me the true purpose of this piece of news...? no you can't because there are only motivated by fear
Other fact: there wasn't anywhere in the article that mentioned 'innovation'. Just cleaning up their product to serve their users better.
Bull**** about crashes and freezes. Never got them while using Hotmail.
I like using Hotmail as is. Let's just keep using these email services as they are, ok?
basically the most crappy service if they want something good first make better spam filter and give us all user at least 1 gb of mail
rac·ism P Pronunciation Key (rszm)
n.
1. The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.
2. Discrimination or prejudice based on race.
Next time some US company offers a contest that's available to US residents only I'll just call the company racist.
I don't know about that policy but I have 250 MB in my inbox for quite a long time. And I'm not living in America.
Huh? Poster #19.1 called it racist because of definition #2 (discrimination) in your quote.
What are you talking about contests for?
Anyways, I hope they go for something similar to Gmail, but not fully. As much as I like a minimalistic look, in my humble opinion, there is such thing as too clean. That third=party vision above is a good example.
those of you who are always bashing Microsoft need to stop. I'll post a rant about it later.
but if anybody starts bashing MS,Apple,Yahoo or whatever, then your trying to starting sh!t.
Hottoast: please enter the forums and post it in the Soapbox. Nowhere else, please.
Of the big mail providers, Gmail is the only one that offers POP3 that I know of. I think Yahoo does too, though not for the U.S.
Competition is doing us some good as consumers
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