Spellchecking is a very important aspect of writing and it is no less important when writing emails. Typos and spelling errors can make a bad impression with those you write to. With family and friends, typos and spelling errors are usually of little concern. But when applying for a job, or responding to a request for a quote from a new customer, typos and spelling errors can make the difference between winning or losing the job or business.
A large number of people use Windows Live to write emails, so I decided to check which browser in conjunction with the Australian English spellcheck dictionaries gave the best user experience.
To my surprise, the answer was none of the browsers spellchecking worked with the browser's built-in, or add-on spellcheck feature with Microsoft Windows Live.
In the test I created a new email in Windows Live with Internet Explorer 8 beta/IE7Pro, Google Chrome, Firefox 3 and Opera 9. In all cases I was not able to spellcheck the message using the Australian English spellcheck dictionary files.
For me, after the product itself, spellchecking is a critically important feature of any software where the main role is writing. As a result of these tests, I would not use or suggest Windows Live to other people. Many people will however find the Windows Live spellcheck feature is sufficient for their needs. For those like myself who prefer not to use the "ize" spelling variations of words, the Windows Live spellcheck feature will not be sufficient.
If you haven't checked out Windows Live Hotmail you can get yourself an account by clicking on the following graphic.
You can find the Australian English spellcheck dictionary files at www.dictionary.JustLocal.com.au.
Enjoy.
- Kelvin Eldridge
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