So Long Hotmail, It’s Gone!

So long, Hotmail. We'll always fondly remember you.

Our news partner, WZZM TV13, and ABC, reported that Microsoft has finally announced  that its new webmail service, Outlook.com, is coming out of beta testing and is now ready for primetime.

It was announced last July, and now has 60 million users and will now replace Hotmail.com, Microsoft's older webmail system.  Can you believe Hotmail has been in service since 1997.  That's ancient in tech terms.

The good news is that you Hotmail users will still keep your Hotmail.com email addresses and your contacts and emails will all be moved over, you will just now get a new user interface and all the new features of Outlook.com.

It also includes new social features and a sorting option called Sweep. The Sweep feature moves newsletters, promotional messages and other recurring emails into their own folders or to the trash. Now that's a good plan.

Microsoft says that it does not scan the text or subject lines of emails. Microsoft does advertise, however, in Outlook; its ads are based on broad demographic information -- such as gender, age, and ZIP code -- that users provide when they sign up.

Good luck!