Hotmail test interactive email messages with 'Active Mail'

Hotmail have announced a new technology in their inbox called Active Views, which brings more ‘app-like’ technology to email by allowing it’s contents to be up-to-date and more interactive. In the demo video below, a mailing from a hotel site allows the user to search for rooms using a booking widget and browse results, all without leaving the email. The service is currently in a trial with Orbitz, Monster, Netflix and LinkedIn.

In the past we’ve seen similar tests from both Gmail and Yahoo (in Active Mail). Innovations like these could really revolutionize the email marketing experience for customers, but only if the inherent javascript and iframe based security concerns can be responsibly handled.

More information on this Techcrunch article, the Hotmail Blog and find out about the tech behind the system at Microsoft Web Sandbox.