Did you know that you can sign into Hotmail with just one click? Neither did I, until I saw this post on Windows Live Chronicles blog. Here's how it works:

1. Install the "Windows Live Sign In Assistant." Currently, this comes with Windows Live Messenger if you check the option to "Install Windows Live Sign-in Assistant."
2. Go to http://mail.live.com instead of http://www.hotmail.com
3. Check "Remember on this computer", and "Remember my password," then click "Login."
4. Repeat process if you have more than one account. (For details on those steps, see their blog post.)
5. From now on, you can access your mailbox from mail.live.com with one click! 

This week we launched Windows Live Hotmail, a new Web-based e-mail platform and the follow-on to its successful MSN Hotmail service. The new e-mail service will not only look a lot more like Outlook, Microsoft's popular e-mail application, but it will integrate with it, too.

Windows Live Hotmail will bring a few changes to Hotmail. Most notably, the interface was designed after Outlook, and will include familiar Outlook features, like right-click and drag-and-drop capabilities, preview pane customization, and auto-complete addressing.

Check out this clip and see it in full action. Then....go get it!

• Reading Pane
• Ability to Drag and Drop objects
• Better Performance
• Integration with other Live services (including instant messenger)

With more then 280 million active hotmail accounts worldwide this new version is bound to make an impact on your emailing services.
Microsoft will also have new software called Outlook Connector which will allow users to access their Live Hotmail accounts in Microsoft's desktop e-mail product.