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Comment by masnick | Hacker News Reader

Yeah, because random Flash ads are way better than text ads that possibly add value for the user. https://skitch.com/masnick/g6fn9/hotmail

I understand that Google needs to make money to provide a great service like Gmail for free, and I appreciate that they aren't shoving animated shit down my throat. If they have to algorithmically read my email to do that, so be it.

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I think the ads are absent from the Google Apps for Business suite - if you pay for the service, they go away. Isn't 365 a paid product? In fact, it's 20% more expensive than Google's product.

isn't this an ad for Office 365, which is a different beast than hotmail?

Much like Office 365 competes with Google Apps for Business, not Gmail. Gmail is Hotmail's competitor.

This ad is for Office 365, whatever that is.

I created an account, the whole thing looks pretty good and works from Firefox. Unfortunately I can't send inbound mail 10 minutes after creation of the account, it bounces, but I can send outbound mail.

EDIT: works. This could be a real competitor to Gmail/apps for SMBs.

Office 365 is a cloud-based office setup from MS - which includes email and office docs its aimed at corporations. It is a newer version of what was BPOS. Google have been trying to expand into that corporate world. MS are fighting back since it represents their bread and butter.

According to Gartner, Google Apps for Business represents .5% of Google's almost 40 billion revenue. That would be about US$ 200 million a year. What are Microsoft's BPOS/365 revenue numbers?

I have no idea about the numbers but by MS's "bread and butter" I was referring to business software sales of offline office suite. MS's response to google's entry into that market was to ramp up their own online versions of their more familiar office products.

You missed pointing out the huge ad at the top telling you to "Get Hotmail on your Smartphone" in your picture. I mean, this is what like 10%-15% of your screen devoted to ads in hotmail? It's like we're back in 1998.

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