Yahoo!7 Mail beta goes live
- — 14 September, 2006 15:19
Yahoo!7 has launched the beta version of its revamped mail application, Yahoo7! Mail.
The beta boasts a bevy of new features such as a sleek interface that accommodates message previews, an online calendar, email search function and an integrated RSS reader.
Instead of being force-fed default news provided by Seven on the Yahoo!7 Mail welcome page, the RSS reader allows users to add and view news feeds from different online sources and blogs.
The new interface opens up messages in tabbed windows and has the same drop and drag functionality as seen in many client based email programs.
"Email has evolved into a life managing tool, that's why we've incorporated all the daily things people need, such as calendars and news feeds," Yahoo!7 communications product manager, Mark Helvadjian said.
The mail application was rebuilt from the ground up using AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript + XML), a programming technique that makes Web sites more responsive by enabling new content to be added to a Web page without requiring the entire page to be reloaded.
"The AJAX rebuild allows Yahoo!7 mail to provide users with a client-like experience, much as you'd expect from Outlook or Eudora, on the internet," Helvadjian said. "It not only means quicker load times, but a much more streamlined experience for users."
Helvadjian added it would be possible for users to sync their Outlook and Eudora email clients with the Yahoo!7 Mail calendar and contacts list.
Existing and new Yahoo!7 users will be able to shift between the classic Yahoo!7 Mail domain and the new beta interface at the push of a button, but Yahoo!7 would not confirm how long this feature would remain.
At this stage, Yahoo!7 Mail beta is compatible with Mozilla and Internet Explorer browsers. However, it is only available on Mozilla for Mac users.
