Hotmail can notify you when an important email has been received by issuing a mobile alert to your phone via SMS. You can can receive alerts for all new messages or all messages for contacts, but you then risk being hit with a lot of text messages to your phone. By using mobile alert filters, you can specify what emails are to trigger the alert.
1. Go to Windows Live Hotmail and login to your account.
2. Go to the upper-right corner and mouseover your name.
3. Select Options.
4. Using the menu on the left side of the page, select Mail.
5. Go to Customize your mail and select Mobile alerts for new messages.
6. If you haven’t validated your phone with Hotmail, you will need to do so to proceed. Follow the directions (simply inputting your phone number, waiting for a text message and then inputting the validation code).
7. Under Which Hotmail messages do you want to receive mobile alerts for?, select the Messages I specify using mobile alert filters radio button.
8. Click the Save button.
9. You will then be taken to the Manage rules page. Click the New button to create a new filter.
10. Under Step 1, use the first dropdown to select what field you want Hotmail to check. Options are Sender’s address, Sender’s name, To/cc address, Subject, or Message has attachments.
11. Use the second dropdown to select the proper value (is, contains, contains word, does not contain, begins with, or ends with).
12. Input the proper value (an email address, person’s name, etc.) into the textbox.
13. Under Step 2, select the Mobile alert radio button.
14. Click the Save button.
Repeat the Create Rule steps from above to add additional filters. When you receive an email that meets the proper criteria, Hotmail will send you a mobile alert stating who the message is from and the subject of the email.
