SOFT> New web-based free email
Gleason Sackman
*** From Net-Happenings Moderator ***
Date: Fri, 5 Jul 1996 10:48:51 EDT
From: KIDSPHERE Mailing List <kids...@vms.cis.pitt.edu>
Date: Thu, 04 Jul 1996 23:16:28 -0400
From: psha...@CapAccess.org (Phil Shapiro)
Subject: New web-based free email
For More Information, Contact:
Kelly Herman Montrese Etienne
McLean Public Relations McLean Public Relations
(415) 513-8800 (415) 513-8800
khe...@hotmail.com mont...@hotmail.com
www.hotmail.com
HoTMaiL Provides Web-based Free
Email to the World on Independence Day
-A Free Web-based World Wide Email Service without Limits-
Fremont, CA (July 4, 1996) Q HoTMaiL corporation announced
today the premier of HoTMaiL, the world's first Web-Based
Free Email service. HoTMaiL is giving away fully featured
Free Email accounts at http://www.hotmail.com . Upon
registration a user instantly gets an Email account with an
address such as "us...@hotmail.com". Users can start using
this Email account over the Web immediately and as often as
they choose to. With HoTMaiL they get the flexibility of
accessing their Email from any computer via the World Wide Web.
Besides a Web browser and an Internet connection, HoTMaiL
requires no software or plugins to be installed on a user's
computer. It is simple to use and yet it provides features
and functions which surpass those of traditional Email
systems. HoTMaiL, for the first time, gives users around the
globe easy access to their Email from the Web.
HoTMaiL technology merges the traditional text-based
messaging of Email with the multimedia and global access
capabilities of the World Wide Web. HoTMaiL is a brilliant
solution to the current problems which exist in traditional
client/server Email, including: difficulty of remote access,
lack of standardization, high costs and the lack of
integration with the Web.
"The World Wide Web is a truly universal and global medium,"
said Sabeer
Bhatia, President and CEO of HoTMaiL. "Our vision is to
harness the ubiquitous nature of the Web and enable people
to effortlessly communicate with each other from anywhere
in the world. HoTMaiL is a giant step in realizing this vision."
HoTMaiL finds universal appeal because users no longer have
to worry about cross-platform compatibility issues and
cumbersome configuration of Email client software. There are
no remote access difficulties and no software installation
or upgrade requirements. With Internet access at libraries,
browser cafes, kiosks at airports, users don't even need to
own a personal computer to have a HoTMaiL address. With
HoTMaiL, users can seamlessly surf the Web, compose and send
Email from within the same browser, from any location of Web
access on the planet, at no cost.
Web-based HoTMaiL also offers other improvements over
traditional Email, such as the ability to enclose and view
graphics within an Email message. Existing Email systems
require a separate viewer to view graphic images and do not
offer the ability to view graphics from within Email
messages. HoTMaiL's system deciphers graphic images and
displays them directly in the user's browser. HoTMaiL also
makes live links to URLs sent within an Email message.
HoTMaiL has the built-in capability of retrieving Email from
existing POP (Post Office Protocol) servers via its Web
site. So, if an individual has already distributed many of
her business cards and finds that changing her Email address
is a cumbersome job, HoTMaiL offers an easy solution.
HoTMaiL's software dials into her existing POP server,
retrieves her Email and displays it on her Web browser.
Other features that HoTMaiL offers are: the ability to
create separate folders to store and retrieve Email, address
books to create lists of addresses, the ability to create
custom mailing lists, an easy to use control panel for
configuring POP server settings, defining personal mail
signatures and easy creation of folders.
System Requirements
Browser access to the World Wide Web.
Pricing and Availability
HoTMaiL is free and available July 4, 1996.
Company Background:
Headquartered in Fremont, California, HoTMaiL was founded in
1995 by Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith with the vision to
make it possible for people to communicate with each other
from anywhere in the world. HoTMaiL offers free, globally
accessible, Web-based Email to all users and personalized
advertising for corporate promotions.
--
Phil Shapiro, Washington DC Regional Coordinator
Community Technology Centers' Network
http://www.ctcnet.org/
psha...@his.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 04 Jul 1996 23:32:25 -0400
From: psha...@CapAccess.org (Phil Shapiro)
Subject: Free email - forgot to mention
In the last message I sent, I forgot to mention that there is
another company, Juno, that is also offering free, unlimited email.
(Also with commercial sponsorship.) Juno differs from Hotmail in
that it doesn't require a web-capable computer to use it. (So
a 386 computer would be sufficient for Juno, but would be intolerably
slow for use on Hotmail.)
Also, Juno has announced that they will be releasing free software
for the Mac sometime within the next six months to a year.
My sense is that with these new free email services, many, many
more people will be getting online. Although the price of online
services has been dropping in the past few years, the current price
still serves as a barrier for thousands and thousands of people who
wish to get online.
Cheers,
- Phil
--
Phil Shapiro, Washington DC Regional Coordinator
Community Technology Centers' Network http://www.ctcnet.org
http://members.aol.com/calicodc/ (local work)
http://www.his.com/~pshapiro/ (personal web page)