Security:  

Although spam sometimes gets though, Windows Live’s spam filter is sufficient. If you do receive spam, simply mark it as such and you’ll never see a recurrence in your inbox again. You can choose from three levels of junk filtering including, “low,” “enhanced” and “exclusive.” Windows Live also scans all incoming and outgoing mail for viruses; additionally, they block images and restrict downloads until you agree they are safe. Your “black lists” can restrict email addresses and domains.

Windows Live has been largely successful in curbing phishing scams. They will block incoming messages from known phishers; however, some unscrupulous messages do penetrate your inbox.

Features Set:  

With Windows Live you can organize your inbox with folders and custom filters. You can sort all your incoming mail into specified folders. You can then sort your mail according to work, family, book club, PTA or any other category your heart desires. Additionally, you can search your inbox or various folders if you are looking for a specific message. You can import your address book and import contacts from Facebook.

Windows Live includes a plain text composer with spell check, dictionary, and thesaurus. Fortunately, in contrast with the old days of Hotmail, Windows Live’s HTML composer, and onboard features are fully functional even if you are using Firefox, Chrome or Opera. The only serious problem we found with Windows Live concerns its constant pestering and nagging. Every week or two, some component of Windows Live will request an email address confirmation, a contact list update, or some miscellaneous information. We hope this doesn’t just represent a heavy handed attempt at data harvesting.

Extras:  

Windows Live includes several additional features to supplement your email account. In accordance with the standard these days, a lighter version of the entire Windows Live suite is available for mobile users. On the mobile version you can check your email, chat, get updates and manage photos, blogs and compose documents just like you would on the full weight version. Windows Live Instant Messenger has seen a few renovations in the last couple of years and now includes full compatibility with Yahoo! and allows you to video chat at no cost.

In terms of practical and productivity features, Windows Live offers shareable calendars, reminders, and a host of social networking and recreational tools.

Support/ Ease of Use:  

We found Windows Live included a comprehensive help section. All of our questions were easily found using the search feature or FAQ section.

Although we don’t usually experience many difficulties with their email and IM service, we did occasionally experience login problems. The Windows Live package is comprehensive, but can at times, be quite temperamental.

Windows Live has come a long way from its humble Hotmail origins. It provides a great email service with adequate spam and junk mail filtering. Additionally, Windows Live is constantly adding new features to Windows Live messenger. We love the variety of extras available under the umbrella of Live. The smooth integration of Windows Live, Hotmail, and Xbox Live eliminates the hassle of multiple usernames and passwords—one account does it all. With Windows 7 just over the horizon, we expect to see even smoother integration of Windows Live with the PC and other home devices. We’re happy to award Windows Live with our “TopTenREVIEWS Silver Award.”

Be sure to compare Windows Live to our Gold and Bronze award recipients on our free email services review site.

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