Well this is my first post in probably a year, but I would like to say that Gmail is way easier to use than Hotmail. I have no idea what that Brandon guy is talking about. I remember my Hotmail account had like 2 big picture ads, not text ads. They might have changed that since...
The reply system on Gmail is way easier as it basically combines all the replies on to one page as if a conversation. Gmail also has one of the most advanced, if not the best, spam filters I have ever seen. It has been wrong once in the past 3 months, but the message had so many links that it could have been easily seen as spam if you didn't know better.
Does Hotmail have an e-mail search? Does Hotmail automatically save your contacts for future reference? Does Hotmail have an easy, uncomplex layout?