Hotmail changed again ???

[OilSheikh]

It seems like Hotmail has changed again!

Started from this :


Then became this when MSN LIVE cam out


Then, became this when Office 2013 came out


And, now it looks completely like Office 365!

[jimborae]

Mine still looks like the Outlook 2013 screenshot.

[scaryjim]

So, your completely free email service that's entirely web based occasionally changes its look-and-feel as the people who give it to you for nothing see fit.

I see no problem here. It's not like it's the only free email service available, and besides it's easy enough to set up an email client to connect to it, so you never even need to use the web interface if it changing really bothers you that much.

Or did you have an actual point to make here?

[DDY]

Meh, doesn't look very different and everything seems to be where it was before.

Also, clicking on the notification button covers the ads

[OilSheikh]

I am disappointed with the constant layout changes. Do they consult us - the users or just go for whatever they feel like?!

[peterb]

As Scaryjim says, connect to it via an e mail client and don't use the web interface, or buy a domain name and a hosting service and either use a mail client or the hooting service's webmail client, usually horde or squirrelmail, and lose the ads forever.

[Kanoe]

Still looks the same for me. Only gripe I have is that since it went to Outlook.com the performance of it is god awful. So frustrating trying to do anything in it.

[scaryjim]

I am disappointed with the constant layout changes. Do they consult us - the users or just go for whatever they feel like?!

Of course they don't consult you - you're getting the service for free, and no-one forces you to use it. They regularly update it to keep it in line with their other services so they can build brand recognition. That's the downside to a free web-based service: you have no control over the look and feel of it. It's one of the prices of the service - you get what you're given, rather than what you want. If you decide you don't like what you're being given, you can always move to a different provider. I doubt MS care much whether you use outlook.com or not, and are willing to lose a few users here and there if the developments make things easier for them to maintain (and serve adverts, which is where the money to pay for the service really comes from).

I shifted to outlook.com as my main email driver about a year ago, when I finally canned my ancient VPS for being too expensive and difficult to maintain, and I have to say I've been very happy with the web interface when I need to use it.

[Smudger]

Mine still looks like office 2013, but that doesn't bother me. Not sure I have any right to complain about the layout of a free e-mail service. If I don't like the look of it, I can ditch it or use a client.

[Noxvayl]

Thank goodness I choose Gmail rather than Hotmail to replace Yahoo when that mail service removed features I was using.

I've got all the free service accounts, but the important ones I actually use go to gmail. If that one suddenly removes features I use then I'll have to pay for a service, but Gmail works a treat and has been the same interface now for 6+ years I think... it has been a while and I've opted out of most of Googles changes

[Ttaskmaster]

Had a Hotmail once, briefly.
Stopped using it when so many services and forums and things refused to let me register, on account of so much spam originating from Hotmails.

Only know one person who still uses Hotmail, now and even he has had to get a Yahoo so he can log into games!!

[peterb]

Hotmail, gmail and one or two others do seem to be spammer favourites!

[Dashers]

I can assure you, it didn't start off looking like that.

Anyway, pony up the cash and buy yourself a domain name and have your mail forwarded to your ISP's provided IMAP mail.

[scaryjim]

... Only know one person who still uses Hotmail ...

AFAIK hotmail now uses Outlook.com, so many of the people using it will have @outlook.com addresses rather than @hotmail.com (I believe technically my email address is @outlook.com, but I use it as a redirect for my main email and have that set up as a sending address too). I doubt many people who have outlook.com know that they're basically stiull using hotmail, though, and I know during the transition period outlook.com was horrifically slow and buggy (it's why my wife swapped over to gmail). OTOH, as I said earlier, I use outlook.com now and find it comparable to gmail in terms of ease of use and performance....

[OilSheikh]

If anyone was thinking of using the Android apps,
Hotmail app has been removed from Play store. If you download the apk from one of the reservoirs on the net, you will hit a brick wall. When you open the app, you will be immediately forced to upgrade it.
Connect with Outlook app also uses the new layout for "Outlook Email"

Will use Outlook 2010 and read my mails that way.. sigh!

[Ttaskmaster]

AFAIK hotmail now uses Outlook.com, so many of the people using it will have @outlook.com addresses rather than @hotmail.com

Don't know anyone with an Outlook addy, either... They're all on Yahoo, Gmail or some weird foreign thing particular to the country they live in.