The MSN homepage will be undergoing some changes very soon. This won’t be just restricted to its style and format but also will have some added functionality. I looked it up on the Bing blog which made the announcement. I used the preview version of MSN homepage which will be available by next year.
The Old and the New
New Version (preview)
- The new version seems to be distinctly white and a lot less blue which has been the hallmark of the MSN homepage for over 10 years now. Also the logo looks different and minimalistic.
- The new version looked a lot less customizable but that is probably because it is still in preview mode and hence might not have all the functionalities.
- From the homepage I can access a feed from Hotmail. That is not a novelty as I can do that with the old version too, but the new one allows me to get feeds from social networks like Windows Live, Facebook and Twitter.
- I also found that Bing search has been integrated in a more wholesome way. The information with Bing search results will take into account the zip code you are living in. This will be a way to localize search content. MSN has had success with this by localizing weather and news updates by using the zip code of the person logged into the homepage.
Soon to be Old Version
Comparing the two, it is obvious that MSN is trying clean up it’s act and prefers to let people explore the website rather than bombarding them with information.