Yahoo Mail brings enhancements to its search functionality

While much is made about Gmail from Google and Outlook.com and Hotmail from Microsoft (now pretty much combined), Yahoo Mail quietly flies along getting little attention, but huge numbers of customers. Many people likely have accounts without even knowing it -- if you register for a Yahoo service you get an email address, and the company has several popular arms, such as Flickr. Now it is looking to improve its email offering.

First off, there is now an easier folder search. Customers can select any of their folders from a list and then type a word or phrase to zero in on the targeted email. A dropdown menu on the right allows for the folder selection.

Next up is some refinement of the process -- users can choose the name of the person who sent the message and then add terms to narrow things down. This is something Gmail already does, but its good to see Yahoo get it as well.

Finally, there is "search suggestion". This is essentially auto-complete. As you type, greyed out letters will appear after what you've written. This attempts to guess what you wish to say and it's a handy feature in web search, saving a bit of time and key strokes. If what you want is displayed then simply hit the Tab key to get the results.

All of the new features will be much welcomed by the many people who use Yahoo Mail. While it gets less attention than other services, the company really has made great strides in making it a decent alternative to the competitors.