Well, some relief is coming because Hotmail is being replaced by Microsoft’s new service Outlook.com.  The change is in the midst of a massive wave of new and revised products coming out from Microsoft in 2012.   The announcement came out today:

Introducing Outlook.com

Today we introduced Outlook.com, a new personal email service that reimagines the way that people use email – from a cleaner look, to fewer and less obtrusive ads, to new connections to social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Visit http://www.outlook.com/ to sign up for your account!

When Microsoft first picked up Hotmail in 1997, eons (in the tech world) before there was a Gmail, the product was initially re-labeled MSN Hotmail, and as more editions, integration, and facelifts took place, the name has generally changed along with it.  Off the top of my head, there was Windows LiveHotmail, Windows Live Mail, and there have been a number of “waves” of Hotmail updates since then.  The latest was released late last year, so we haven’t even seen a year since the latest release.  Microsoft’s Outlook.com service is all new and simplified, yet still has many features that have been built into Hotmail over the years.

A huge push from Microsoft is expected to get this service front and center, and to move away from Hotmail.  In comparison to the leaner, quicker Gmail service from Google, the Hotmail service for years has dealt with the stigma that Hotmail was outdated, slow, full of ads, among other issues.   Yet, they have maintained a reported 300Million monthly users.   I abandoned my Hotmail account because I couldn’t control spam, I lost it twice because I stopped even checking it.   Outlook.com aims to change all that.

Using the lessons we’ve learned from both consumers and enterprises, it’s our goal to become the very best email service anywhere. That is a big statement – but one we are absolutely committed to deliver upon. That journey starts today.

The new service has some very neat unified social features, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter integration.  According to the Office.com Outlook Blog, Skype features will arrive soon.  

The interface is smooth, fast and reminds me a lot of Office 365’s interface.  In other words it has the appearance of a local application.   Let me state that my quick review is that it is very neat, nimble, and much better than Hotmail.   A potential fringe benefit from the re-branding and  replacement of Hotmail is that branding their email service as Outlook.com reinforces one of Microsoft’s strongest brands among consumers and enterprise alike.  With 300Million users and the potential growth that Outlook.com will see, the amount of ‘noise’ and proliferation of the word ‘Outlook’ is mind-boggling.  So it’s goodbye to Hotmail, and hello to Outlook.com coming soon to an inbox near you…