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Here comes MSN.com v11 – new look, hotmail integration, more

Jul 28, 2008 1:41 pm by Kip Kniskern | 11 comments

Looks like we’ll be seeing a new MSN.com homepage soon, even though it leaves Mini-Microsoft cold:

And some of the projects he’s (ed: Kevin Johnson) interested in and driving just leave me cold (e.g., the upcoming MSN UI revamp. It puts the F in WTF).

(Update: this update, which will be new to the US (hey, I thought we were supposed to get everything first!), is already in service in Great Britain (elsewhere?), and known as v11. Apparently Mini is upset about v12, which one commenter below says is coming by the end of the year – we’ll have to wait and see on that)

The new home page features Windows Live, with Hotmail, Messenger, and Spaces tabs on the front page, in a Vista Sidebar looking design. Here’s the new page:

Compare that to the current page:

A tour of the new page is up, apparently from HP, at
http://specials.msn.com/hptour.aspx?vv=600

And you can check out the new homepage:
http://v11.www.msn.com/?vv=600

Some nice blog entries by astute readers:

Albert, at WYNK (What You Need to Know) and Michael, at MSFT and the Future (Hi Quikboy!)

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rgonzruiz

Messenger tab just has a link to http://get.live.com/messenger … useless as pointed out by Michael at MSFT and the Future…
vipwoody

not bad, good.
lbastie

It is just the same page as in the one in the UK, already in place for more than a year. The definitive new msn look will arrive with v12, ath the end of 2008.

Do not worry.
Brian in WV

Unimpressive.
CalumJR

I don’t see why they don’t make the banner at the top more like the MSN UK one. The one on MSN.com v11 is the same as the current one & boring. The MSN UK has a lighter & better blue & even the ability to put images in it…
Chris

Just to reiterate Kip’s edit above, and lbastie’s well informed comment, this is not the major update that Mini-Microsoft was alluding to.
quikboy

Thanks for the link guys. I was wondering why I had so many views today. :^)

I personally don’t like this update much. Instead of adding more content, how about cleaning up a lot of the clutter? Tabbed boxes to do headlines of different topics? And other stuff needs to be taken down. They should do a new version the way Yahoo.com did, and clean up the content displayed and make it look nice and smooth.

Of all the international MSN pages I’ve seen, I like the Aussie one best. Smooth look, and neat use of AJAX : http://ninemsn.com.au/
cattrang

Seriously it look boring!
Why don’t they make the appearance like zune interface???
Hb8

Underwhelming.

Seriously, do they think adding something that’s been on http://my.msn.com/ for eons and AJAXifying it is going to bring more users or create a larger viewing audience?

It’s like releasing Wheel 2.0, now with more rubber!
Alber1690

It’s also interesting how the Aussies explain the Windows Live brand. They seem to already be leaving out the “Windows-” part, like what Microsoft seems to be planning here. The domain itself goes with their theme of “Live Life.”

http://livelife.ninemsn.com.au/

Aw shucks, thanks Kip :)
Lorenc

I really liked that aussie site. The live Life site was very slick too. The whole orange theme was strangly soothing.