Windows Live Mail Desktop is not at Outlook's level just yet, so I would advise against switching email clients. But this is not to say it's not going the right way. Just the opposite actually. And the Windows Live Mail Desktop team is hard at work to ensure the availability of a comprehensive alternative for the existing email clients. Nowhere is Windows Live Mail Desktop's progress more evident than in the beta refresh build 1083.

Since Build 1034, the Windows Live Mail Desktop team has resolved in excess of 150 bugs. The issues related to accessibility and stability received special attention. Problems related to Current View settings are also a thing of the past. "In the last refresh build, every time WLMd was launched, the Current View settings were lost and needed to be reset. What a pain - especially when reading newsgroups! I'm happy to announce that this has now been fixed," stated the Windows Live Mail Desktop team.

The new updated Feeds Button permits the automated synchronization of all the RSS feeds. Also Build 1083 supports non-MSN Mail, Hotmail, and Windows Live Mail accounts.

"Adding the ability to use non-Windows Live ID accounts in WLMd was a popular customer request - and I am super-psyched that we are able to provide it for you! You can now sign in to WLMd using any Windows Live ID account, not just one that has an email account associated with it. And for those who don't yet have a Windows Live ID, WLMd allows you to create one as a part of sign-in," promised the Windows Live Mail Desktop team.