Yahoo launched this week a Beta version of their latest web-based email client. The new interface and tools are now available to users in the US as well as other 18 countries. The new Yahoo Mail has been well received, following Web 2.0 trends, which give the web client a desktop application look and feel using AJAX.
According to various sources, the new client resembles the look of the popular Microsoft Outlook, and even on its usage it works seamlessly as it adds dragging and dropping as well as keyboard shortcut functionality. Yahoo has also integrated mapping, weather, and calendar services into the mail client promoting its own site features to visitors.
As is to be expected the new Yahoo Mail still has its flaws and might not be as responsive on slower connections. Nevertheless, it's a step in the right direction in order to compete with similar services offered by Microsoft (Hotmail), and Google.