Google patches Chrome browser to work with Hotmail

We’ve been seeing lots of complaints on Twitter and elsewhere about Hotmail not working in Google’s new browser, Chrome.  So today, rather than waiting for Hotmail to address the problem, Google patched Chrome to work with Hotmail, by adding support for User Agent spoofing and appearing to Hotmail as if it were a Safari browser instead.  A quick check using the latest Chrome install seems to work fine with Hotmail (truthfully been to busy playing with Windows 7 to spend much time with Chrome, but there have been lots of mentions of problems):

hotmailchrome

Prolific Google social networker Matt Cutts pointed to the fix on Twitter this evening:

hotmailchromeCutts

with a link to the “Chromium Code Reviews” page with the fix noted.  If you’ve been using Chrome, you should be able to now use it with Hotmail (again, haven’t played with Chrome much so not sure of the update details).

Comments

  • http://www.liveside.net/members/Alber1690/default.aspx Alber1690

    On the topic of Hotmail, Microsoft really should update the favicon…the one right now is just so ugly. The my.live.com is a much nicer one that they should just copy over. Anyone who knows someone on the Hotmail team should pass on the word…please.

    And on Chrome…I’m sticking with IE8 RC1 for now…really happy so far. Facebook works much better now…

  • http://www.liveside.net/members/thaman04/default.aspx thaman04

    I agree Alber1690… they really should change the favicon to something more cleaner.. maybe even the Window Live Hotmail icon would be more appropriate! :)

    This is really sad that the Chrome had to patch their browser to make Hotmail work.. I wish Microsoft really pushed to following standards.. especially with future releases of IE… I guess one can keep dreaming.. hehe

  • http://www.liveside.net/members/damaster/default.aspx damaster

    @Alber1690 and thaman04: Wait until the new version of Hotmail gets rolled out =)

  • http://my-leaked-thoughts.spaces.live.com/ Jeremy Bost

    Also, Opera doesn’t work too well with the Wave 3 Windows Live sites….. :-\

  • http://liveside.net/members/thaman04/default.aspx thaman04

    I also wish they brought back the little menu icons, such as new, reply, etc… because I feel there is too much text on the screen (menu links in addition to the actual e-mails)… I always have to look around and double-check before I click on something.

  • http://www.liveside.net/members/Alber1690/default.aspx Alber1690

    @thaman04: good…so I’m not alone on this…haha
    @damaster: know something we don’t damaster? haha. or are you just hoping with the rest of us that they’ll update the current Windows XP-style favicon to something fresher and newer…hmm…maybe like the one they use on every other Live site that uses the Windows logo…

  • http://www.liveside.net/members/Edgar-J_2E00_/default.aspx Edgar J.

    @Alber1690: I always told that they need to change that ugly favicon.