Microsoft, Ask Jeeves To Add E-Mail Space
Microsoft Corp. and Ask Jeeves Inc. are joining the rush to boost storage space for Web-based e-mail, in advance of a service expected from Google Inc.
Microsoft this summer plans to increase the storage available for free accounts on its MSN Hotmail service to 250 megabytes, up from two megabytes, the company said. A premium Hotmail service, priced at $19.95 a year, will offer two gigabytes of storage, up from 10 megabytes. Microsoft, of Redmond, Wash., also said it is improving Hotmail's message scanning for malicious virus and worm programs.
Ask Jeeves, of Emeryville, Calif., is increasing the storage of its My Way, iWon and Excite sites to 125 megabytes of free storage from six megabytes each.
Many companies have been boosting their storage capacity in response to a forthcoming service from Google, Mountain View, Calif. The service, dubbed Gmail, is expected to offer one gigabyte of free storage.
微软和Ask Jeeves扩大电子邮箱容量
鉴于Google Inc. (GGL.XX)计划推出大容量电子邮箱服务，微软(Microsoft Corp., MSFT)和Ask Jeeves Inc. (ASKJ)已加入了网络电子邮箱扩容浪潮。
微软表示，公司计划于今夏晚些时候将MSN Hotmail免费邮箱容量从目前的2兆字节(2M)扩容至250兆字节，而定价19.95美元/年的高级Hotmail邮箱容量则将从10兆字节扩容至2千兆字节(2G)。这家总部位于华盛顿州雷德蒙德的公司还表示将强化Hotmail服务搜索往来信息中病毒及蠕虫程序的功能。
而总部位于加利福尼亚州埃墨里维尔的Ask Jeeves则宣布，将把My Way、iWon和Excite各网站免费邮箱的容量从原先的6兆字节扩充至125兆字节。
为应对Google计划推出的一项名为Gmail的服务，许多公司已经纷纷对各自的邮箱服务进行了扩容。Google推出的免费邮箱容量预计有1千兆字节。
此外，雅虎公司(Yahoo Inc.)也已将其免费邮箱从原先的4兆字节扩容至100兆字节。
