Outlook Bar
This is a new type of toolbar inculded on Outlook Express 5. It somehow similar to the one already present in Outlook 98. Inside this bar, which is shown at the left side of the window, you have a list of folders that may be customized.
Hotmail support
With Outlook Express 5, you can now download your Hotmail messages, for offline viewing. You can also create local folders to store your messages. The only major problem with this feature is that Hotmail offile support server is still beta and there is no guarantee that it will work.
Watch/Ignore Conversations
You can now watch or ignore a mail or news conversation. When a conversation is watched or ignored, all the messages in it are shwon with another color than the usual one. Also, you can hide the ignored conversations from your messages panel.
Offline support and message synchronization
You can download News and IMAP folders for viewing offline. Actions performed offline (such as sending messages and moving messages within an IMAP account) will be performed when you go back online.
Contacts pane
The contacts in your Windows Address Book are now visible in the main Outlook Express window.
Enhanced message rules
Enhanced rules support for more criteria and actions, including blocking message senders with a single click, and offering rules for newsgroups.
Multiple signatures
You can create an unlimited number of signatures, and each signature can be associated with one or more mail or news accounts.
Phone dialer integration
It's easy to place a telephone call to a contact in the Windows Address Book using the phone dialer installed on your system.
HTML source editing
You can easily edit the source of an HTML message to include advanced HTML tags.
Stationery wizardIt's now even easier to customize HTML stationery, including setting up margins, fonts, background images, and colors.
Improved connection management
Outlook Express 5 can share connection settings with Internet Explorer 5, and detects when you have disconnected your phone or have disconnected from a LAN. When a connection is needed, Outlook Express will now connect automatically or prompt you.