Mail.com
Encyclopedia
Mail.com is a web portal and web-based email service provider owned by the German internet company United Internet
. It offers news articles and videos and a free webmail application with unlimited storage.
Email
Mail.com features unlimited storage and attachments of up to 50mb. In addition to the address chosen at sign-up, users can create up to 10 aliases. Users can configure their mail.com account to collect their emails from other accounts and servers.
, the user interface has been overhauled and replaced by an interface that allows previewing, reading, and writing of emails in separate, integrated tabs. It also supports drag-and-drop as well as accessing context menus by right-clicking items, making it akin to desktop email clients. Furthermore, user can customize the appearance of their inbox through various coloring themes.
and *.csv
formats.
, and Gary Millin, a Harvard Business School student at the time.
They spent a majority of Gorman's wealth to register and promote a total of 544 domains, and later began to buy domain names from other companies. At one time the company owned more than 1,200 domains on speculation, including world.com, usa.com, India.com, Europe.com, Asia.com, doctor.com, kosher.com, and lawyer.com. To raise money to pay the yearly domain registration fees, they offered vanity domain
email services to the public from the domains they owned under the brand name iName, and later began hosting mail services on behalf of the owners of other domains, and for internet service providers. The speculation was often successful. In 1999 the company sold kosher.com, london.com and England.com for $2 million.
By 1999 the company had raised venture financing from Primus Capital
Funds and Sycamore Ventures, and changed its name to mail.com. It conducted an initial public offering
in June, 1999. By 2000 it was supporting 14.6 million email accounts, mostly for free, and remained unprofitable. It sold the mail.com domain and consumer email services division to Net2Phone
, changed its name to Easylink, and changed its business operations to focus on managed file transfer
services in April, 2001, after acquiring Swift Telecommunications, which in turn had spun off the "Easylink" business unit from AT&T
.
In 2004 Jay Penske, son of automobile racing figure Roger Penske
, joined and became CEO of Velocity Services, an affinity marketing
and Internet services company operating as Interactive Digital Publishing Group. The company acquired the mail.com domain, and re-launched it as a new service in 2007. Parent company Mail.com Media
went on to acquire content websites such as Deadline.com
, Movieline
and the Boy Genius Report
.
In September 2010, Mail.com Media sold Mail.com to United Internet
, who plans to integrate it into GMX Mail
.
United Internet
United Internet AG is a German Internet services company. With 2.91 million DSL customer contracts, it is a leading ISP in Germany. It is headquartered in Montabaur, Rhineland-Palatinate...
. It offers news articles and videos and a free webmail application with unlimited storage.
Features
Mail.com offers a free, advertising-supported email service with unlimited storage for emails, choice of over 200 domains, online file storage, collecting of emails from other accounts, organizer, facebook integration, and spam and virus protection.Domains
Users can choose from more than 200 domains for their personal email address including geographical locations, professions, beliefs and interests e.g. London.com, Europe.com, Consultant.com, Accountant.com, Muslim.com, Brew-meister.com, or Catlover.com.Storage
Mail.com offers its users unlimited storage for emails as well as 2 GB online file storage.Interface
After the acquisition of Mail.com by United InternetUnited Internet
United Internet AG is a German Internet services company. With 2.91 million DSL customer contracts, it is a leading ISP in Germany. It is headquartered in Montabaur, Rhineland-Palatinate...
, the user interface has been overhauled and replaced by an interface that allows previewing, reading, and writing of emails in separate, integrated tabs. It also supports drag-and-drop as well as accessing context menus by right-clicking items, making it akin to desktop email clients. Furthermore, user can customize the appearance of their inbox through various coloring themes.
Organizer
The organizer lets the user schedule tasks and events. Similar to desktop organizer applications, the user can set reminders, invite guests and import and export data to and from the *.icsICalendar
iCalendar is a computer file format which allows Internet users to send meeting requests and tasks to other Internet users, via email, or sharing files with an extension of .ics...
and *.csv
Comma-separated values
A comma-separated values file stores tabular data in plain-text form. As a result, such a file is easily human-readable ....
formats.
Mobile clients
Mail.com offers applications for Android and iOSIOS
iOS is an operating system for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and Apple TV.IOS may also refer to:-Companies and organisations:* Illinois Ornithological Society, American state-based bird club...
History
Mail.com was originally formed in 1995 as Vanity Mail Services (corporate name Globecomm Inc.), by Gerald Gorman, an investment banker at Donaldson, Lufkin & JenretteDonaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette
Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette or DLJ is a defunct U.S. investment bank founded by William H. Donaldson, Richard Jenrette and Dan Lufkin in 1959. Its businesses included securities underwriting; sales and trading; investment and merchant banking; financial advisory services; investment research;...
, and Gary Millin, a Harvard Business School student at the time.
They spent a majority of Gorman's wealth to register and promote a total of 544 domains, and later began to buy domain names from other companies. At one time the company owned more than 1,200 domains on speculation, including world.com, usa.com, India.com, Europe.com, Asia.com, doctor.com, kosher.com, and lawyer.com. To raise money to pay the yearly domain registration fees, they offered vanity domain
Vanity domain
In the Domain Name System , a vanity domain is a domain name whose purpose is to express the individuality of the person on whose behalf it is registered. This contrasts with domain names which resolve to an organisation or a service that organisation offers...
email services to the public from the domains they owned under the brand name iName, and later began hosting mail services on behalf of the owners of other domains, and for internet service providers. The speculation was often successful. In 1999 the company sold kosher.com, london.com and England.com for $2 million.
By 1999 the company had raised venture financing from Primus Capital
Primus Capital
Primus Capital is a private equity firm focused on growth capital, leveraged buyout and leveraged recapitalization investments in middle-market companies. The firm invests primarily in companies in the business services, healthcare and for-profit education sectors.The firm, which is based in...
Funds and Sycamore Ventures, and changed its name to mail.com. It conducted an initial public offering
Initial public offering
An initial public offering or stock market launch, is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public. It can be used by either small or large companies to raise expansion capital and become publicly traded enterprises...
in June, 1999. By 2000 it was supporting 14.6 million email accounts, mostly for free, and remained unprofitable. It sold the mail.com domain and consumer email services division to Net2Phone
Net2Phone
-External links:**...
, changed its name to Easylink, and changed its business operations to focus on managed file transfer
Managed File Transfer
Managed file transfer ' refers to software solutions that facilitate the secure transfer of data, in flight and at rest, from one computer to another through a network . MFT solutions are often built to support the FTP network protocol...
services in April, 2001, after acquiring Swift Telecommunications, which in turn had spun off the "Easylink" business unit from AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
.
In 2004 Jay Penske, son of automobile racing figure Roger Penske
Roger Penske
Roger S. Penske is the owner of the automobile racing team Penske Racing, the Penske Corporation, and other automotive related businesses. A winning racer in the late 1950s, Penske was named 1961's Sports Car Club of America Driver of the Year by Sports Illustrated...
, joined and became CEO of Velocity Services, an affinity marketing
Affinity marketing
Affinity Marketing is a targeted way of marketing products and services. By linking complementary brands, it can develop them into lasting partnerships and strategic alliances.- Development of Affinity Marketing :...
and Internet services company operating as Interactive Digital Publishing Group. The company acquired the mail.com domain, and re-launched it as a new service in 2007. Parent company Mail.com Media
Mail.com Media
PMC, formerly Mail.com Media Corporation , is an American digital media company controlled and operated by its Chairman and CEO Jay Penske....
went on to acquire content websites such as Deadline.com
Deadline.com
Deadline.com, part of Jay Penske's PMC, is an online magazine, founded and edited by Nikki Finke.-Publication:The site is updated several times a day, with the infotainment industry as its focus.-History:...
, Movieline
Movieline
Movieline is a website, formerly a Los Angeles-based film and entertainment magazine, started in 1985 as a local magazine and went national in 1989. Known for its cult status and popularity among film critics, the magazine eventually was retooled and named Movieline's Hollywood Life. The magazine...
and the Boy Genius Report
Boy Genius Report
Boy Genius Report is a weblog that specializes in technology and consumer gadgets. Founded in October 2006 by anonymous web personality Boy Genius , it is most well known for being a pioneer in breaking news within the mobile gadget sector. According to Technorati, BGR is ranked among the Top...
.
In September 2010, Mail.com Media sold Mail.com to United Internet
United Internet
United Internet AG is a German Internet services company. With 2.91 million DSL customer contracts, it is a leading ISP in Germany. It is headquartered in Montabaur, Rhineland-Palatinate...
, who plans to integrate it into GMX Mail
GMX Mail
GMX Mail is a German-based free webmail service provided by GMX . Founded in 1997, GMX is a subsidiary of United Internet AG, a stock-listed company in Germany, and a sister company to 1&1 Internet and Fasthosts Internet...
.