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news of 2004-11-12
So, now. Gmail grown up?
Today's news of Gmail offering POP3 access to its free (although still restricted to invitations) 1 GB E-Mail system makes Gmail a grown up E-Mail system that you can use both with your favourite E-Mail application as well as through their great webmail system (the best we've encountered anywhere on the web!).
Gmail is still in beta, however, and however gorgeous and wonderful its system is now, there are a few things Google might do in the future, when it opens the gates to anyone, that may turn the sweets sour.
For example, Gmail being free is mainly supported through the Google AdWords system. If you're reading a message on Gmail's webmail system, you'll see Google's ads just like you do when searching the web using Google or on the right side of this very page you're reading - if you're reading us on the web rather than via RSS. If you're, however, reading the message in your favourite mail client, say Mail.app for example, you won't see any Google Ads right now. That's beautiful. However it also means Google's giving you a free 1 GB E-Mail account without ever showing you any ads. That's free as in free beer, and that can't be, right? My guess is that we'll see some sort of Google Ad system directly inside the messages once Gmail comes out of beta. Or that POP3 access will be restricted in some ways, i.e. you have to log on to Gmail once a week or something through their website.
Another story is this: Gmail has a nice new way of looking at e-mail messages differently. You don't sort, you search. (Btw., even mail sent through their SMTP-server is saved on Gmail's webmail! Good!) That's a good approach, actually, but Mail 2.0 in Tiger is even better at it than Gmail on the web. So all in all, I'm looking forward to using Gmail accounts as my primary e-mail accounts. But will they be able to keep Gmail this good if many users will use it like I do, i.e. without ever looking at an ad? I don't think so. But we'll certainly see in the future.
Btw.: There have been hints that IMAP will find its way to Gmail in a while, too.
[ written by fryke™ on 2004-11-12 at 01:41 CET ]
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Gmail POP3 works fine...
It was my fault entirely. Sorry. Didn't see that _both_ the POP3 and the SMTP connection had to use SSL. pop.gmail.com doesn't answer to port 110, simply because it listens to an SSL port instead. Works fine, works fine. :) Happy camper here.
[ written by fryke™ on 2004-11-12 at 00:53 CET ]
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