Desktop Client for Windows Live Mail

An advertising-supported e-mail client will give users offline access to Windows Live Mail (the planned successor to Hotmail), as well as access to other e-mail accounts, RDF Site Summary (RSS) feeds, and other features. The client will give MSN another method to display advertisements to users, and it could pave the way for other advertising-supported consumer software from Microsoft. However, the client adds to an already confusing array of e-mail clients and services from Microsoft and could foretell changes or cancellations for some of these other products.

Advertising-Supported Client

In Feb. 2006, MSN launched a limited beta test for a desktop e-mail application code-named Windows Live Mail Desktop (WLMD). Expected to be released in late 2006 as a free download, WLMD’s main features will be the ability to access Windows Live Mail without a browser and to store messages offline. WLMD will also include other common e-mail features, such as POP3 and IMAP access, multiple accounts, and a spam filter, as well as relatively unique features, such as RSS feed management and the ability to automatically resize image files before sending.