ms live

microsoft finally decides to go the google way through it's Live initiative - i.e. embrace online("live"), free, integrated services (think google maps integrated with local search, gmail integrated with orkut) using a combination of Javascript and DHTML called Ajax

Ajax is cool since it HTML, Javascript and basic database services and you don't need extra plugins like Flash etc. to create lightly animated, dynamic web pages (check out the google personalized page and protopage)

Some of the "new" inventions include"

"It’s all new web mail, built from the ground up. Preview your e-mail without loading a new page each time...."
Gmail copycat?

"Coming soon - This will be the next-generation MSN Messenger. The name is new, but it will still be free to download Messenger and use most of its features"
How about an option to cut out the crappy ads? Right now the only way to do it is through hacking the resource file