Yahoo launches its updated inbox

Yahoo has begun the final rollout of its new "smarter inbox" system -- which has been in beta since October -- adding redesigned user profiles, a now familiar Friendfeed-style activity monitor, and integration with third-party apps.

The path upon which Yahoo has taken its Web mail service is well trodden. Not two weeks ago, the company's one-time chief suitor Microsoft bundled its Windows Live services into a single portal through which both Live and third-party mailboxes are accessed.

Like Microsoft, Yahoo's third party integration will not be immediately available to users who receive the inbox update. It will instead be tested by a select group of users in the US and Australia, before being rolled out in the first half on 2009.

The rest of the changes started rolling out to users yesterday afternoon. The updated inbox puts additional emphasis on "Connections" (a.k.a., other Yahoo users), prioritizing their e-mails, and showing their activity in the "Updates from my connections" feed. Based upon the connections of your connections, the new inbox suggests new friends for you as well. Like the old inbox home page, there is a Yahoo News top story window, but it is no longer girded by advertisements.

All of this information, including third party activity, will eventually be accessible through a new Yahoo Toolbar which will be available to preview this week. Both the updated inbox and new toolbar are expected to be fully ready by mid 2009.