Yahoo! Launches Yahoo! Mail Beta; Makes Email 'Faster, Easier and More Social'

Yahoo! has launched Yahoo! Mail Beta, which at this stage, users can opt-in to use for features that make email 'faster, better and more social'. The new interface is consistent across all desktop, mobile, and tablet devices – including Yahoo! Mail experiences on PCs, iPhones, iPads, Android phones and more.

The beta version includes a space where you can update your Facebook status and see a news feed just like Facebook's all from the landing page.

This beta version uses cloud computing infrastructure for improved spam protection, comes with a better search function for email, and in general, more speed and efficiency. The features to gloat about though are the social networking and multimedia functions built into the interface. The inbox is a central destination for viewing and updating social networking accounts like Facebook and Twitter. This version also comes with a slideshow feature where users can view pictures and videos from websites like Picassa, Flickr and Youtube directly within their email messages.

During this Beta period, Yahoo! will continually update and add new features to Yahoo! Mail Beta.  All global users can choose to switch between Yahoo! Mail Beta and the current versions of Yahoo! Mail.