In the Gmail era, Hotmail might feel like a historic relic, but there are still millions of people (my mother included) using it, so it’s good news that Microsoft has finally opened up POP3 access to the service for Australian users (along with a bunch of other countries). While Microsoft’s announcement of the service emphasises using it for mobile phones, it’s a bigger boon for anyone who wants to access their Hotmail account via a PC client such as Outlook or Thunderbird. Microsoft previously charged for making Hotmail available on a PC via its Hotmail Plus service, so it’s good to see market economics prevailing. While Microsoft promotes its Connector software for accessing Hotmail via Outlook, I’ve found it too buggy to be useful, and plain old POP3 seems a better bet. One caveat: the setup requires using a secure connection (which is a good idea but one many home users ignore), so check through the settings guide carefully (note that the information about needing Hotmail Plus is now redundant). Thanks Jason
Microsoft Opens Up POP3 Hotmail Access In Australia
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