Microsoft Increases Hotmail Storage, Adds New Features

Microsoft has revamped Hotmail once again, this time providing more storage and a slew of new features.

Free accounts will now have a 5 GB storage limit, a large increase from the previous 2 GB limit. Paid subscribers will see their storage limits upped from 4 GB to 10 GB. (Source: betanews.com)

The added storage puts Hotmail ahead of Google, which offers 2.8 GB of storage, but still behind Yahoo's unlimited storage. (Source: windowsitpro.com)

Additional features include vacation replies and the ability to disable the 'Today' screen. Further, Microsoft responded to consumer comments and decided to reduce the dimension of the header in the user interface, a change that allows users more space for mail previews. Microsoft has also decided to increase the amount of time that emails will sit in the junk mail and trash folders before being deleted from their servers. (Source: techshout.com)

The improved Hotmail also has increased mail retention, mail forwarding for combined accounts, and meeting requests.

Spam and phishing defenses have also been tweaked. Users now have the ability to report phishing emails. Hotmail program manager Ellie Powers-Boyle explains that the reported emails will help make Hotmail's spam filter smarter. "Fighting spam takes constant vigilance," she said. "Spammers always find a new trick whenever we thwart their old tricks."

"It's still not a good idea to show content, especially images, in messages from spammers. Just loading the images in a spam lets them know that you're reading their emails." (Source: pcpro.co.uk)

However, Powers-Boyle says that the biggest change that users will notice is performance. The changes will be gradually implemented to all Hotmail accounts over the coming weeks.