Converge Weekly

The next update of Windows Live is starting to take shape.

CEO Steve Ballmer previewed the new version of Messenger. Microsoft isn’t quite ready to detail everything its planning for the next Hotmail, but general manager Brian Hall offered a pretty good indication of where the company is placing its bets.

It has been found that it is the one that places Hotmail back on top,especially for busy people who just want an efficient e-mail.

For those wanting the specifics, Windows Live enthusiast blog LiveSide.net has a story about what would appear to be the key features of the new release, including the addition of conversation view, Exchange ActiveSync for a push connection to mobile devices, and much deeper ties to social networks.

Hall declined to comment specifically on the report, but talked about the views generally on each of these areas.

One of the key ideas, Hall said, is to recognize how much has changed in the 15 years that people have had free Web mail services.

“It’s not just all attachments any more,” he said. “Now, I may send an attachment or a set of attachments, or I might send a Flickr link or I might send a YouTube link. How do you make it so people can stay within your center of activity, in e-mail.”

According to the LiveSide report, users will be able to edit Office documents and view a Flickr slide show or a YouTube video, all from within the new Hotmail.

As far as the updates for social networks are concerned,it has been noted down that they now account for 5 percent of mail volume. The goal of an e-mail service is expected to be to let users take action without having to leave their in-box.

Microsoft, in particular, has found it sometimes has to move slow with Hotmail. When it tried its first radical revamp of the software back in 2006, users found the changes too jarring and Microsoft was forced to initially add a “classic view” and ultimately to make that the default option.

The software maker is expected to detail the new Hotmail in the coming weeks as well as provide a clearer time frame for its release. Microsoft probably won’t make a test version of Hotmail available, Hall said, though it will take six weeks for all users to get the product, once it is released.

Source:News,cnet