Windows Live ID users without a Hotmail account can simply visit hotmail.com to sign up for an account using their Windows Live ID. That’s the most comfortable option. Everyone else may use the option to sign up with an existing email address so that no hotmail.com email address gets created during signup.

Some of you sent feedback asking if there’s a way to use these features without the hassle of getting a brand new email address.

We understand. You already have at least one email address and you probably don’t need another. You may also use your existing address for things other than just email, such as signing in to online shopping sites, which makes changing even more challenging. Also, you might have an address that you really like, but a similar name might not be available on another email service. So we looked for a way to make it easier for people to give Hotmail a trial run.

Hotmail walks the user through setting up the connection to the old service, so that existing emails are imported to Hotmail using POP, and that the user can send and receive email messages from Hotmail with the primary email address.

The big question is: What’s the benefit of signing up for Hotmail this way?

Probably the most noteworthy benefit are abilities to make use of Hotmail features, such as the 25 Gigabyte SkyDrive storage that can be used to send large attachments without cluttering the inbox. If you are new to Hotmail you may want to check the Hotmail page over at Windows Live which offers a feature overview, walkthroughs and tips.

Some of the more interesting features include:

Sweep unwanted mail out
View photos and videos in your inbox
Unsubscribe from newsletters
View by conversation
View Microsoft Office files

It is a step in the right direction, to make it easier for users to use Hotmail without having to create another email address. The feature is currently rolled out. According to Dick Craddock, it may take a few days before the new feature set is available for all customer’s worldwide (via).

Here are the information that have to be entered into the desktop email software so that Hotmail can be accessed:

• Incoming Server: pop3.live.com
• Incoming Port: 995
• SSL Encryption: yes
• Outgoing Server: smtp.live.com
• Outgoing port: 25 (use port 587 if the default port is not working)
• Authentication: yes
• TLS Or SSL: yes

Please note that the names might differ depending on the desktop email client in use. The values on the other hand do not change. The username (usually the Windows Live Hotmail email address) and password are the same that are used when logging into the Hotmail website using a web browser.

There is no need for configuration of POP3 on the Hotmail website. This is a difference to how Gmail is handling external access as it has to be explicitly activated in the email web interface before it is possible to access a Gmail account using POP3 or SMTP.