Excitement builds for Yahoo Mail beta

There's lots of excitement in the air about Yahoo's new e-mail service, which was released today in a public beta. A contender to Google's Gmail, the new Yahoo service has the look of a desktop e-mail application and promises a cleaner and faster interface, among other features.

Some bloggers say the new Yahoo Mail comes just in the nick of time--even loyal customers have been tempted by Gmail. Others, including some who have tested the new version, say the beta is even better than Gmail.

Bloggers are also noting similarities between the new version and Oddpost, the e-mail provider Yahoo acquired last summer.

Blog community response:

"Seriously, the new Yahoo! Mail is better than Gmail. I know sounds biased. But really, it's great."
--Looks Good Works Well

"I've been a long-time user of Yahoo! Mail Plus for my personal e-mail, but have been reading the mail through Outlook because I couldnÂ’t stand the refresh time. The new beta 'almost' makes it as seamless as Outlook, and I'm seriously considering giving up using Outlook to be able to always have my personal email accessible to me, wherever I am...One problem Yahoo! faces is how quickly it will roll out the new interface and if/when it will switch over to the new platform entirely."
--Charlene Li's Blog

"Beyond putting pressure on rivals (especially Hotmail), it will seek to cement loyalty among users (and prevent defections to Gmail). Mail is also one of the personalization features that can be integrated into Yahoo! Search (another loyalty tool)."
--Search Engine Journal