Microsoft set to revamp Hotmail with Metro UI

After overhauling its search engine Bing, Microsoft is set to revamp its popular Hotmail email service. According to leaked screenshots posted by LiveSide, the revamped Hotmail is already ready and looks more in tune with the Metro-styled Windows 8.

According to leaked screenshots, new Hotmail not only features a cleaner interface but also a new branding as “Newmail”. The new email service looks closer to the recent Gmail redesign and very much like the Windows 8 desktop, for which Microsoft has high hopes.

According to reports, Newmail has a simple, fluid and interactive design, which make it easy to use across all platforms. The tile-style icons enable users to swap between mail, contacts, calander and SkyDrive for cloud storage. The screenshots show some blank spaces, indicating more features are on their way. According to German site WinFuture, there's also a mysterious vertical bar that's not shown in the screenshots.

There's no word on when the revamped email service will be officially released. But it is being speculated the launch would be around the same time Windows 8 is officially announced, around October this year.

The new email service will be available for PCs, smartphones and tablets. What do you think of “Newmail”? Let us know in the comments section below:

Meanwhile, check out more screenshots :

Inbox (showing the full menu)	Instant Actions
Flagged messages	Settings menu