Microsoft Plans To Revamp Hotmail Yet Again

Sites include Hotmail.com , Microsoft.com . Published on September 14th, 2011. Written by Anthony West.

Ever since Google unleashed Gmail onto the world, the web based email space hasn’t been the same. Caught up in battle for relevance has been Hotmail, the once most popular free web based email platform. Well, now it seems Microsoft is ready to take the fight to Google and this time it promises something bigger and better.

In an official announcement, Microsoft has made it clear that come October 3^rd, Hotmail will be getting a fresh and updated look and feel. The tech giant went to great lengths to highlight the fact that the new changes are born out of ‘listening’ and responding to the needs of its users. According to Microsoft, Hotmail’s second look will involve a complete change, from the ground up.

Of course, all that is the promise; come October 3^rd we’ll all see what all the fuss is about. A few things need to happen for Hotmail to really start competing again. It first needs to make the platform easier to use—Gmail has grown thanks in part to how easy it is to ‘do stuff’. Creating even a filter for your emails in Hotmail requires in-depth research and endless tutorials. With Gmail it happens seamlessly with a few clicks of the mouse.

Hotmail also needs to improve security; too many users are affected by the frequent hijacks to their account. While this does happen on Gmail, the frequency is nearly as great and Google handles the matter better. It’s not uncommon to lose your Hotmail account entirely after it’s been compromised.

October 3^rd will be definitely be added to my calendar—let’s see if Microsoft can deliver.

Do you think Hotmail can ever regain its dominance? Let us know what you think in the comments below.