Windows Live Hotmail, a completely rebuilt web based mail client set to replace MSN Hotmail, started its rollout to selected markets this week. This morning, I talked on the phone with two members of the Windows Live Hotmail team from their offices in Mountain View, California. Omar Shahine and Ellie Powers-Boyle have been working on “Kahuna” since 2004, and we talked about the code base, the beta, performance, and more.
| Omar and Ellie introduce themselves | 00:00 |
| Hotmail signup has a new code base, too | 01:45 |
| Initial reports on the first stages of the rollout | 03:08 |
| What the user will see and what they won’t see but will notice | 04:19 |
| Balancing performance and features | 08:55 |
| A new code base positions WL Hotmail to compete | 12:50 |
| Ellie talks about a unique beta | 16:49 |
| Windows Live Calendar and @live.com accounts: I had to ask | 23:27 |
