继Google的Gmail之后，Hotmail的Wave4将提供SSL支持。目前Hotmail使用HTTPS保护用户的关键信息，但是邮件本身并未受保护。

此外，Hotmail将支持ActiveSync，这样以后，WM Phone将可以通过ActiveSync同步Hotmail的邮件。

原文如下：

More information is being revealed about the next iteration of Microsoft’s Live-branded products. We know whenthe new programs are going to start rolling out, we know that Windows XP won’t be supported, and we know a lot about the features of the next Windows Live Messenger.

Now Windows Live Hotmail is in the spotlight. The web front-end gets a load of new bells and whistles, but two new features stand out in particular.

Following in the footsteps of Google’s Gmail, Hotmail Wave 4 will offer full-session SSL. Presently, logging in to Hotmail uses HTTPS to protect user credentials from attack, but e-mail itself is delivered over unsecured HTTP. Gmail switched to using HTTPS for the entire session—both logging in and reading/sending mail—by default in January (previously, it was an opt-in feature).

In Wave 4, Hotmail is following suit, offering HTTPS encryption for mail access as well as authentication. With the most valuable part of a mailbox often being the mail itself, not the credentials used to access it, this is a welcome change.

The other big news is Hotmail will offer ActiveSync support. ActiveSync is used by Exchange to provide push mail and other facilities to smartphones. By adding ActiveSync to Hotmail, Microsoft is extending these features to 300 million smartphones, giving Hotmail-using consumers the full seamless sync experience on their phones.

This does still leave Hotmail stuck behind proprietary protocols, in contrast to the IMAP available to Gmail. IMAP, like ActiveSync, supports push mail and mailbox syncing. The upside to ActiveSync is that it works for more than just mail; providing synchronization of contacts and calendars.

Taken together, these new features make for a compelling update for Hotmail users. Live Wave 4 should rolling out in June.