Hotmail Updates Include Facebook, Office Web Apps Integration

by Nicholas Kolakowski

Hotmails updates include one-click filters to show unread e-mails, for example, or ones from social networks such as Facebook. One of Microsofts goals with the “new” Hotmail was to find ways to eliminate dreaded inbox clutter.

Hotmail will link into Windows Live SkyDrive, allowing users to send—via a link—up to 200 photos of up to 50MB in size, for a total of 10GB in a single message.

Office documents sent as an attachment can be opened and viewed in any browser—even if the PC doesnt have Office installed. This feature integrates Hotmail, SkyDrive and Office Web Apps.

Hotmail supports push-email to mobile phones. Research In Motion, Nokia and other partners are apparently building custom Hotmail apps for their respective devices.

Users can manage invitations sent through Hotmail via their smartphone calendar, through ActiveSync or the phone browser.

With “Conversation View,” Hotmail can consolidate extended e-mail conversations into a single space.

The “new” Hotmail inbox.

Image viewing through Hotmail.

Hotmail will incorporate the unified contacts list from Windows Live services—which includes contacts from Hotmail, Messenger and social-networking services such as Facebook—in order to consolidate online connections into a single space.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has emphasized the companys increased focus on the cloud. The evolution of services such as Hotmail can be seen as a reflection of that policy.