I have been writing a few entries about the Microsoft Live products in my blog. This entry is about Windows Live Mail. A few days ago I had registered for the beta version of this product, and yesterday I received the invitation in my Hotmail account to join, and join I did with some reservation.
I wasn’t so enthused about Microsoft Live which was basically a hosting service with some bells and whistles, but Windows Live Mail definitely won me over. When Google introduced the Gmail service, I pretty much packed up my bags and migrated from Hotmail. But I am glad that my Hotmail account was still active when I signed on to Windows Live Mail.
With Windows Live Mail Microsoft can finally give Gmail a run for its money. It has a smooth, slick interface, and it’s been designed to mimic Outlook. It has a clean interface, and it is much more responsive that the old, tired Hotmail, thanks to AJAX. The product is still in beta and it doesn’t offer some amenities such as POP download, email forwarding, or the large storage space that Gmail does.
If Microsoft decides to match some of the missing features, it is quite possible that it would give some second thoughts to those who were contemplating leaving Hotmail, and it might even win back some of the market share that was lost to Gmail.
For now, I am not planning to abandon my Gmail account, but as the product improves, I can see the possibility of switching back to Hotmail (now Windows Live Mail) in a not too distant future.
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