Couldn't agree more. I really don't understand why they never did this before.
Most people don't log on to the forums, thus aren't aware of updates.
At the very minimum, there should be a link to the game updates section on the log-in screen.
This one makes a lot of sense and is quick and easy for Anet to be implemented. I am always heading to a browser to figure out what the update is, but it makes a lot more sense that there would be an item on the login screen as well.