Adding a new contact in Hotmail The first free webmail service, Hotmail, was launched in 1996 by Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith. Originally Hotmail was spelled as HoTMaiL. The earlier spelled HoTMaiL focuses on the "HTML" in the name. However, in 1997, Hotmail was acquired by Microsoft. The Windows Live Hotmail administration was renamed to Outlook.com in 2012. The www.hotmail.com URL presently diverts clients to the primary sign-in page for all Microsoft accounts, including Store, OneDrive, MSN, Skype, Outlook.com, and others. If you have any issue with the abovementioned accounts you can contact Hotmail customer service number. When we talk about the history of Hotmail: The free accounts offered highlights at the launch of Hotmail. Highlights like spam filters, storage up to 250MB, and enhanced and improved virus scanning. Once the email service was acquired by Microsoft, the users of Hotmail were additionally furnished with a proper calendar.