Outlook Express To Be Updated For The First Time Since 2001

It's been so long since I've used Outlook Express I overlooked the fact that Microsofy haven't been updating it.  This week Microsoft announced that it is to release a new email client for
public beta testing. The new email client to be called the Windows Live
Mail Desktop beta will become a free replacement for the current
Outlook Express currently bundled with Windows XP.

The new mail client will incorporate much of the new functionality
that has emerged since Outlook Express was released in 2001,
principally areas such as RSS feeds and blogs.

The client will double as an RSS reader with the ability to read and
forward RSS feeds within the standard client window. All the usual
features expected in an RSS reader will be present such as drag and
drop to folders, read and unread posts, and folders to manage
subscriptions with the option to map several feeds to a single folder.
Windows Live Mail Desktop (WLMD) will also contain features like a
'Quick Search Box' so that as you type, the messages are filtered so
only those that include the search text are shown. For RSS this will
include searching the title and blog description.

The beta of Windows Mail Live Desktop will be available in the next few weeks at the Windows Live Ideas page.