Hotmail Instant Messenger

Hotmail is now more flexible than ever thanks to the addition of a nifty Web-based Instant Messenger.

This means easier access to your Windows Live Hotmail contacts, lending to a variety of ways to stay in touch.

Instant messenger through Hotmail will enable you for the first time to see if your Messenger contacts are online.

Receive status presence, notifications and chat just as you would on Live Messenger.

A contact list that’s more than just contacts

The contact list is now much more useful. Besides a new layout and improved look, there are added features that are both fun and time-saving.

Your contact list is unified across both Hotmail and Messenger beta. If your Messenger contacts have a display picture, that picture will appear in your list.

Profile pictures are also visible by choosing 'In Messenger' from the People tab. Just as in Windows Live Messenger - Online Statuses are represented by colour.

When you view a contact, you can see recent e-mail they’ve sent you, send them a message from right in the contact page, and view items from across Windows Live that you’ve shared together.