Yahoo Mail Beta Preview | PCMag.com
While Yahoo Mail has been around for quite a while, the company decided it was time for a reboot if it was to compete with other services like Gmail. Yahoo has added a litany of features that allow users to control more of their digital life right from the Yahoo Mail homepage. This most recent edition of the email service maintains control of the same old applications like Flickr, MyDrive and PayPal while introducing some new social features.
Features
The first thing users are going to notice is the ability to update their Facebook or Twitter status right from the home page under the “What’s New” tab. Just add either account and you can tweet to your heart’s content. Not to mention that Yahoo Mail will soon be able pull updates from both networks into one feed known as “Updates.” The service still provides the same Yahoo News updates as well as Yahoo Pulse, so for the seven Yahoo Pulse users out there: do not be alarmed.
As for the new inbox, it’s now resizable and you can finally hide the preview pane for those who like to scroll less and read more. Yahoo is also taking a cue from Google by displaying live contacts to the left of your inbox, allowing you to send them an instant message or access other options in just a few clicks. Speaking of contacts, Yahoo knows which addresses aren’t in your list and displays them with a plus symbol in the “To:” field for easy entry.
An improved search option will appear next to users’ Contacts tab and allow them to filter their searches by user, attachment types and more. Something that Yahoo Mail also promises to accomplish is multitasking without needing to save an email before moving on to an instant message or checking your inbox mid-thought. This is thanks to Yahoo Mail’s tab system.
It’s clear that Yahoo wants its new mail service to be the one-stop shop for your digital life through its Facebook and Twitter integration as well as live contacts. However, these features aren’t 100 percent functional yet. Though, the company also promises an improved mobile app so that we’ll have the new Yahoo Mail on the go.