The web is abuzz with talk about the Windows Live Hotmail release this week...

• Official PressPass
• Official Windows Live Hotmail blog
• Omar Shahine (MSFT)
• Mike Torres (MSFT)
• LiveSide (reports Windows Live news)
• Mary Joe Foley (reports Microsoft news)
• and many more...

I have been using the beta for over a year now. Tons of good stuff and comparing to the previous version is night and day! Overall I love it and have switched my personal email completely over to it. I really dig the accessibility via the web and my Smartphone.

But I miss some features of using Outlook at home. Calendar for get-togethers and birthday/anniversary reminders. Tasks for all the crap I have to do outside of work. Email in Outlook is still a better experience because of the rich features that a client application allows for instead of being dependent on the web and it's dependencies (browser, connection, etc.).

But now, I can have the best of both worlds! [emphasis mine]

Outlook Connector. Available later this month in 11 languages worldwide, the new Microsoft Office Outlook Connector beta will enable people to view and manage their Windows Live Hotmail account from Outlook for free, with full contact, e-mail and e-mail folder synchronization.

Dude! Sweet!

~tod

tags: hotmail, windows+live+hotmail, outlook