It was launched as a web based electronic communication service that was a first of its kind, in the late nineties. The idea that one could form, an email account for free and access their account through domain anywhere in the world transformed the functionality of email services. In the first year itself gained about eight million subscribers. It was then acquired by Microsoft and it was subsequently taken through several integration stages. The today domain does not have a separate domain as it has been made part of Outlook mail service which can be accessed through Live domain as well.

Here are some comparisons made between the different email services.

Gmail and Hotmail

The two services, this one and Gmail have been contested for quite some time. The main points that distinguish these two services are:

• It was launched before Gmail; in the late nineties when web based email was a novelty. Google was a service that existed much before the company launched its email service, Gmail in the early part of the millennium.
• Gmail came along with several advanced features like layers of security or filtration for the emails that came to the user accounts along with unlimited storage capacity.
• Security aspects were higher as well as folder options and other linked Google services for the Gmail users; all such features came much later to users after it was integrated with Outlook Microsoft service.

Gmail continues to be a step ahead and has been from the time it was launched. However, the pioneering way it was launched is something irrefutable.

Inbox

The inbox is a new email service of Gmail and its comparison with it brings forth the following features:

• This service, as a subscription service, was launched in 2015. It has been around from the late nineties. Today it is part of the Outlook email service of Microsoft.
• Inbox offers a different kind of inbox outlay and novel ways to arrange and categorize emails. Many novel features are also part of the new service which is part of the integrated Outlook domain.

AOL

The features of it and AOL are showcased here with reference to their distinctness:

• AOL was formed as a dial up service that was an American service. This service, known as America Online, was formed in the mid nineties. In contrast, it was launched as a web based service that was free to be used by people in different parts of the world.
• AOL had been a dial up service and was an ISP service for the Americans; later on it was offered as a web based service as well for the subscribers and the customers could avail of instant messaging and other modern email inbox features. It was acquired by Microsoft and as part of the MSN array of offerings it had several new features to offer such as instant messaging services.

Yahoo

The salient points between it and Yahoo email services are noted below:

• Yahoo and it were launched around the same time, in the late nineties, both being email services that were based on the World Wide Web and available free of cost.

• Yahoo Mail is part of the several offerings under the Yahoo banner that is owned by Verizon Communications. It was formed by two IT entrepreneurs in 1996 after which it was acquired by Microsoft.
• Yahoo had gained much popularity as an email service and enjoyed a wide subscriber base in the early part of the millennium. On the other hand, continued to be changed and integrated in different ways by Microsoft and today it is under the flagship of Outlook email service.

GMX

This is a comparison between the German based Global Mail Exchange email service and it:

• GMX was launched around the same time that it was launched. GMX, which stands for Global Mail Exchange was also a free service that offered email communication to users and originated from Germany.
• GMX was characterized by pop up ads that were the main source of revenue and what kept the service working. It was introduced as a free web based service in the late nineties after which it was acquired by Microsoft and subsequently underwent several changes in the domain and features.

The above points showcase how Hotmail compares with the different email services out there.

It´s accounts have undergone a revamp from the time it was acquired by Microsoft. From the days when it had a different domain or was part of the offerings of MSN, it has been revamped and its basic inbox features made different and upgraded. Under the MSN banner obtained the Live messenger feature of MSN; hence, those who used Hotmail as their email account could also converse with their contacts with the MSN messenger function.

Today, it has been integrated with Outlook. This is the new web based email service launched by Microsoft by which the Windows based email program, Outlook has been brought out as a web based email service that is available for users all over the world, whether they own a Windows OS or not. If you are wondering what happened to the messenger service of MSN, this still exists in a limited form. On the other hand, with the integrated domain of it with Outlook, there are ways of using instant messaging service in other ways for users.

It´s users can look forward to several new features on the new Outlook domain:

• The email inbox of it is no longer the simple, basic interface that it used to be; with new features and amenities you have different ways to change and use the inbox.
• The quick view feature allows one to view or preview emails without having to open them; liaison with services like YouTube and photo services allow you to view file attachments such as audio or video attachments, word documents, spreadsheets and so forth.
• With the integration with Office, you can edit and share Office documents, spreadsheets, presentation files and others.
• Skype is an integrated feature with the modern inbox; as a result, you will be able to chat, call or make video conference calls easily through your inbox; you need not have Skype set up as a separate application on your desktop or mobile to use the service.
• Email account can be used on your mobile through the Outlook smart phone app.

The above points showcase the versatility that has been added to it. If you wish to use email as your main correspondence email account, it would be necessary to have your account activated on your smart phone. For that reason, you need to have the app on your phone; the new Outlook or Live app allows you to log in and use your account on the go; with Skype integrated with your account, you can send across messages and receive instant answers; you will also find it easy to make video calls through the same application. These are some ways you can get instant messenger services on your mobile app linked to your account. The versatile features and added security of your new and upgraded account makes it an attractive tool to use.

If you wish to get more out of your account, get it linked and downloaded on your smart phone. Stay connected with your important contacts through the messenger function and it will surely help you get the most out of your mobile connection with your account. The easy view feature allows you to view email contents easily and work with them as you need to, even editing email contents like Office files and so forth.

At a time when email services being web based and free was unknown, Sabeer Bhatia, an IT entrepreneur along with his partner Jack Smith, founded the service. It was a webmail service that was launched in 1996, around the same time when Yahoo, another email service was launched for web based usage. It made it possible for users to sign up for a new email account from anywhere in the world and access it to send across emails to any email address, as long as one had access to a working internet connection.

The service gained vast popularity and by 1997 there were more than eight million subscribers for this novel email service. It was bought off by Microsoft in the same year and made part of the MSN group offerings. Microsoft introduced the following features to enhance the use and popularity of it:

• It was made popular and available through local domains for different countries.
• The subscription base grew from eight to thirty million in two years after it was acquired by Microsoft.
• Microsoft started to integrate email with different functions and services; when it was made part of MSN it became integrated with the instant messaging feature of MSN as well as with other social network programs.
• The domain was moved to Windows Live which was part of the integration effort that Microsoft took up in the new millennium.
• It was then made part of Outlook service. This was the latest integration effort of Microsoft by which the Windows based Outlook program was made into a web based email service. Under the Outlook domain all other email and messaging services were included which brought in it under this domain as well.

With the new synchronized service, accounts can now be accessed through Live or Outlook domain. The existing account users find their contact, tasks and calendar data to be intact and saved on the new domain and email inbox. With the emails synced in the new platform, users benefit by finding new features to use that are part of the modern Outlook mail domain.

There are several new features on offer in the new inbox:

• The email inbox has a new layout interface along with several new features to use.
• The users can use the new concept of aliases as introduced to Microsoft account users along with features like sweep action to remove clutter which can be scheduled to occur in one’s inbox as well as categories and instant actions to use in one’s inbox.
• The updates that are issued for security purposes get extended to accounts as well.
• The two step verification feature ensures that account users can stay logged into their account from different devices as well as have easy ways to retrieve their password as and when required.
• The integration of social media accounts of users helps them see the updates and posts on such accounts as and when they come and are able to reply and post updates as well.
• Users can use their login ID details as an integrated feature for using with different services of Microsoft. Hence, the same login details can provide access to Windows services, Xbox access, as the login details to OneDrive, Skype and others.
• The Outlook app for smart phones allows one to stay connected to their account on the go. The email, mobile interface is easy to use and allow similar organizational features as are found in the desktop interface.

Hotmail having moved to Outlook domain has changed in several ways. The mail interface is modern and there are several new features that make the mail inbox usage convenient.