14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has started implementing the Wave 3 release of Windows Live Hotmail, and the rolling out process is continuing even now. However, it appears that the Redmond company has run into a variety of problems, which are not widespread at this point in time thanks to the gradual release of the latest version of the service. Ellie Powers, program manager, and the Windows Live Hotmail team, indicated that Microsoft is hammering away at the Wave 3 release of the online email service in order to resolve all issues reported by end users.
“We’re rolling out the newest release of Hotmail as we speak. Slow rollouts are typical for large web services, both at Microsoft and other companies. We’re going to [reveal] more about our slow rollouts and how they maximize the stability of the site in [the future]. We always roll out major updates slowly so that if any issues pop up, we can catch them early before they affect everybody,” Powers stated.
Following the introduction of Windows Live Hotmail Wave 3, user feedback has failed to be all positive. In fact, Microsoft received input reporting a variety of issues from unavailable accounts, to critics related to the new graphical user interface, to various glitches affecting the service. Powers enumerated a few problems, offering temporary mitigations where possible.
For users failing to access their accounts, Powers revealed that the issue was only temporary and related to the introduction of the Windows Live Hotmail Wave 3 upgrade on the servers. The PM promised that Microsoft is working to minimize the downtime as much as possible. But at the same time, the Redmond giant indicated that discontinued accounts due to user inactivity for periods larger than 180 days could also be an explanation why some accounts cannot be accessed.
“We’re hearing from a good number of you that you’re having problems seeing your e-mail folders with the new version of Windows Live Hotmail. This happens when you have the font size for your browser set to 'large' or 'largest'. If you’re experiencing this issue, please switch your browser font setting to 'medium'. This is a temporary solution to a problem that we’re working on fixing soon. We apologize for the inconvenience and will notify you when this is fixed,” Powers advised.
At the same time, Powers revealed that users unhappy with the direction Microsoft has taken the graphical user interface of Windows Live Hotmail Wave 3 can customize the style via Options. In this context, a range of themes are available in addition to the Wave 3 default.
“A few people have mentioned that they can’t open messages. We don’t have any reports from customers yet that provide a clear list of the steps taken that produce the problem, so we would love to hear more details from you if you’re experiencing this issue. Please make sure you’ve set your browser font size to 'medium' before reporting this issue, and try turning off your reading pane,” Powers stated.