After a false start, Microsoft's new version of Hotmail is available to end users. With a new user interface and smarter anti-spam filters, the site is now available to the more than 700,000 active New Zealand users.
The launch was originally planned to take place on Tuesday (US time), but was delayed until today. The delayed upgrade is the latest glitch to hit Microsoft's internet group. Earlier this month Microsoft's MSN Messenger service suffered a hardware failure cutting of all or parts of the service to more than 10 million, or one third, of its users.
Hotmail's junk mail filter allows users to set the level of filtering they want - the "exclusive" setting allows users to receive email only from people listed in their address book, effectively shutting down unwanted email.
The new interface will allow users "one-click access" to features such as email folders and the address book as well as to other services, like MSN Calendar.
Worldwide there are more than 110 million users according to Microsoft.
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