Yahoo Mail is coming out of beta over the next couple of weeks, Yahoo announced today at the Witching Hour. I'm scratching my head asking "Why tell us today, if it's rolling out in weeks?" The whiles of public relations timing stymies me.

The new service, which started beta testing in October, will be available to 284 million users in 43 markets and 26 languages. "This is the largest redesign of Yahoo Mail in six years, and we rebuilt it with a focus on performance to make it at least 2x faster than previous versions," according to a post on the company's Yodel Anecdotal blog. "In addition, we upgraded our spam technology to ensure that you aren't receiving unwanted messages. Did you know that Yahoo! Mail already blocks more than 550 billion spam messages per month?"

I don't doubt the number of spam messages, which sure seem like a million a month in my inbox. Of course, I've had my Yahoo ID for 15 years, which probably gives it a larger profile than most others. Say, how long have you had your Yahoo handle?

Rather than build out a social networking service, Yahoo is connecting pretty much to everyone else's. The new Yahoo Mail supports messaging for Facebook, Flickr, Gmail and Windows Live, among other services.

"Yahoo!'s vision for online communications brings together all the tools that people use to connect -- email, chat, SMS, and social updates -- and makes it easier for them to share content and engage in conversations with the people that matter most to them," Blake Irving, Yahoo chief product officer, says in a statement issued early this morning. He claims that the new Yahoo mail offers an "engaging and constantly connected experience across desktop, mobile and tablet devices that keeps the conversation going -- anytime, anywhere."

Yahoo is serious about the "anytime, anywhere" thing, offering a revamped mobile experience. Some of that is focused on Nokia users -- for what reason I cannot fathom, since Nokia is going Windows Phone 7 within the year. Surely Windows Live will be the preferred email provider.

"Nokia email and chat services are now "Powered by Yahoo," offering Nokia users an easier, safer and more social email and chat experience," according to the Yodel Anecdotal blog post. Nokia is keeping the Ovi branding on top, but it's pure Yahoo Mail beneath. The service also will be available to other Yahoo partners, including Roger Telecommunications and Verizon. AT&T isn't mentioned, but Yahoo Mail is the provider where I live.

Among the new features:

  • Send up to 100MB email attachments.
  • Chat with Facebook friends from the mail client.
  • View inline videos and slideshows from the inbox.
  • Use "Updates" tab to share to Facebook, Twitter and Zynga.
  • Prioritize close contacts for faster email, IM and SMS conversations.
  • Customize Yahoo Mail with themes (a real catch-up feature with competitors like Google and Windows Live).
  • Respond to messages from Facebook, Gmail (and other providers) and Yahoo groups using the inbox's quick reply bar.

Yahoo Mail users should see an upgrade option from the inbox, which right now points to the beta. Just click the "Upgrade Now" button.