Yahoo Mail beta opening testing
Before you scroll down to the comments to ask for an invite, know that these accounts are not handed out like Gmail candy. Yahoo is throttling it’s beta account users by handing them out internally. For that reason, I’ve taken the time to share my experience with Yahoo Mail Beta thus far.
There seems to be some odd magneticism towards Yahoo’s upcoming Mail interface. I’m not sure if it’s the idea of testing something new, if Gmail is beginning to lose its luster, or just because the idea of Yahoo revamping it’s free webmail interface to reflect the advancements gained by acquiring Outpost back in 2004. I for one will not be swayed by the hype nor the idea of eye candy and a desktop mail client like interface. So here’s the quick rundown for individuals lusting for a beta fix:
- If you’re invited, Yahoo prompts you after your usual Yahoo mail login with a ‘Yes’ / ‘No’ invite to use the beta interface instead of the rigid lined default interface. Of course, I accept.
- The interface is very much like that found in a 3-pane desktop mail client. Mail folders and RSS subscription links run down the left pane, tabbed interface for scanning the inbox and composing new mail in the top most pane, and the preview pane towards the bottom.
- No hard lines here. Smooth gradients and rounded corners left, right, top, and bottom. Imagine running into the corner of a desk and then immediately imagine plopping down on a giant Lovesac. The beta interface is the Lovesac.
- Drag n’ drop organization. Need I say more?
- RSS, Syndication, never lose track of your reads. While I can’t say that the reader will take the beating of a heavy RSS user, casual readers will feel right at home. RSS & Email within the same interface [on the web]. When is Google going to realize their sad excuse for a reader pales in comparison and that readers actually want to read content?
- Keyboard shortcuts for navigating. There’s probably documentation somewhere but I discovered the keyboards shortcuts while my nephew banged away at the keys. They’re there though ;)
- Advertisements, advertisements, advertisements! They’re everywhere. The entire right most pane is a banner. But wait, Yahoo knows how users prefer text ads so they placed those in the bottom left corner as well. Google knows how to do the whole unobtrusive ad placements.
So, does anyone care less about Yahoo Mail Beta now? As you can see, my Yahoo Mail inbox is empty. That’s because Gmail has my vote. Quick! Login to your Yahoo dummy account and see if you have the snazzy new beta.
