By Jim Hu, 24 June 2004 07:50
NEWS Microsoft has said that it will boost storage limits in its Hotmail web email service, a move intended to counter similar steps taken by rivals Google and Yahoo.
The upgrade will increase Hotmail's free email storage limits from 2MB to 250MB and its paid email service, which costs $19.95 a year, from 10MB to 2GB. The changes will begin in early July.
"With these new offers, storage will not be an issue for MSN Hotmail customers," Blake Irving, corporate vice president of communication services for MSN, said in a statement.
The storage follows similar announcements from Google and Yahoo. The storage boost started when Google announced in April that it plans to launch a new email service called Gmail that will give people 1GB of storage for free. The service has attracted some controversy, because it will serve advertisements based on keywords found in the text of peoples' email messages.
Indeed, Google's initial steps into storage increases countered the industry's trend to charge extra for more memory. Over the past few years, Yahoo and Hotmail have both taken steps to decrease memory in hopes of convincing free users to become paying subscribers.
Earlier this month, Yahoo launched its own upgrade to 100MB for free users and 2GB for its paid users. The company said the changes would make email storage a "nonissue".
"We'll remain focused on what emailers want and need, and people can expect to see a number of new enhancements to Yahoo Mail in the coming months," Yahoo spokeswoman Mary Osako said in response to the Microsoft announcement.
Ask Jeeves also plans to grant its email subscribers more storage room. Earlier this year, the search company acquired Internet Search Holdings, including My Way, The Excite Network and iWon.com, which all serve web surfers with free email. Ask Jeeves plans to give each of the sites' email subscribers 125MB of free storage, up from an allottment of 3MB to 6MB previously.
Separately, Microsoft said it will offer free antivirus software to scan emails before they appear in a user's in-box.
Jim Hu writes for CNET News.com. News.com's Stefanie Olsen also contributed to this report.
Comments
There are 23 comments. Join the discussion
1. Craig
I'll be able to fit 10,000 spam message in my hotmail box now! Woohoo!
2. peter chackarov
NOT BAD !!!
NOT BAD AT ALL !!!
my site: ipcb2.tripod.com
3. GREGORY MBURU
Now that these big giants are competing on emailstorage, they should also improve even the navigation. EG how to delete all these mails easily assuming you have 20,000 emails.
Again, this is ruining the email market since no one on earth can read all these emails.
It is not a wise move Yahoo & hotmail are taking. It is good for google because they will be using G-mail with advertising.
4. Ian Rose
from 2Mb to 250Mb. Thats ace. But it will only fill up with 10,000 spam messages if you look at dodgy sites and give them your e-mail address. I have never had spam since i got my hotmail account.
5. MNA
Woooo... awesome... its really tricky to capture the market but it was better if they take step before Yahoo leads...
Any way Hats Off to hotmail.... All is well that ends well...
6. MNA
Woooo... awesome... its really tricky to capture the market but it was better if they take step before Yahoo leads...
Any way Hats Off to hotmail.... All is well that ends well...
7. MNA
Woooo... awesome... its really tricky to capture the market but it was better if they take step before Yahoo leads...
Any way Hats Off to hotmail.... All is well that ends well...
8. Arunpradeep
From 2MB to 250MB wow... it's cool. But not a match for the BIG DADDY REDIFFMAIL Giving a storage capacity of 1GB... with 10MB attachments ABSOLUTELY FREE - THATS THE COOLEST ONE.
9. Sybil Mathew
its kinda cool to have 250mb
but ull have a lot to delete like 10,000 mails
even 1 gb is kinda useless
what if an imp family mail is the 9,245th mail then u'll have to turn 25 pages to view it
i like the traditional hotmail
10. anonymous
2Mb to 250Mb? Hehehe, i guess Microsoft got the first taste of real competition since the launch of the exclusive GMail offering an impressive 1000Mb and with the Google technology search facilities to search your GMail messages, i think it time to call it a day for Hotmail's monopoly!
There is no comparing.
11. Anonymous African Coward
250 MB or not, I ain't gonna switch from my good ol' Yahoo! Mail to the ever-slow, ever-spammed Hotmail. I'd rather give up my privacy to Google's Gmail first. Besides, all you need to do is create 10 free Yahoo! email addresses and you automatically get 1 GB of free storage!
12. juan
jackass!! those 250mb can be well use and it's not just a waste of space. Now you can actually sent pictures, videos or even big files that you might want to access from various computers. Gmail sucks!! the bastards want to invade your privacy in exchange of big space on your email box.
13. Hetal
does that mean all exixting hotmail email accounts now have 250 MB free space available
14. narakalamaya
WHO THE FUCK DID SAY HOTMAIL HAS FREE 250MB. BULLSHIT !!!
go to www.hotmail.com and find below
"About MSN Hotmail account sizes
The amount of storage space in your account depends on the type of account you have.
Free With a free account, you receive 2 megabytes (MB) of storage space. You can send messages up to 1 MB each, including attachments.
"
15. Arunpradeep
I now think tht its a trick...... They r never going 2 give it.
Shame on u HOTMAIL...
16. jenuwyne
I thought it was a hoax too! But my hotmail account has been upgraded to the 250MB. So have a few other of my friends... give it some time for them to convert the accounts! It's awesome!!!!!!!!
17. Abood Foolem
Hotmail Rocks, I Was Really Happy To Hear About That and I Was Even More Surprised When My Email Storage Jumped to 250 MB. Thank You Hotmail ! Your The Best
18. Ivan
I've heard so many people complain about Hotmail and its inability to deal with SPAM. I've actually had quite the opposite experience. I can confidently say that I rarely have any SPAM in my Inbox. Hotmail's SPAM protection facility is very good.
19. li feng
how do it?
Hotmail bumps up free email to 250MB
20. sobhna
I found it's working fine and guarented.
some of us are still having 2 mb of space in hotmail inbox. so here is a small process to upgrade your account. initially it will be upgraded to 25 mb and after 30 days it will be upgraded to 250 mb.
1) login ur hotmail account and go to options.
2) go to personal
3) click my profile
4) change country to united states wait for browser to load united states settings.
5) change the state to florida and zip code 33332
6) click update
7) click continue
8) go to language and make sure its english
9)paste this link in the same browser. http://by17fd.bay17.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/accountclose
10) wait until the screen says you re hotmail is closed and ready to be deleted. click close account .
go back to login page and relogin to ur hotmail account..!!
your account size will now increase to 25 mb which a mnth later becomes 250 mb.
21. Ali Hassnain
realy happy
22. Danny
Hotmail sucks, I still have 2 mb in my account, plus I try doing another account and I got only 25 mb.. not the 250 they promise, yahoo and google they both have 1 gb
23. nico
if you have 2000 messages in Hotmail then click on Find and then you can find your messages! who needs google search technology!