There are three major free webmail providers: Microsoft Live Hotmail, Yahoo!Mail, and Google GMail. I have used all of them, starting from Hotmail - way before it bought by Microsoft - as the pioneer of the webmail. Then when Yahoo! started their free email, I also created my email account with it. Then, the last but what I believe is the best is GMail, with its massive initial 1GB email storage (now 2.8GB) and one of the early adopters of Web 2.0 (which makes web-based application performs like normal application). Well, Yahoo! then increased its bet by providing unlimited storage now - it's good - but I still love GMail and I believe it just a matter of time before it also will provide unlimited storage.Microsoft has revamped and upgraded Hotmail and adopt Web 2.0 - following GMail - and enhancing its anti-spam filter (because it's anti-spam is the worst among the three). But, the improvement is a problem to other email hosting provider, because if they don't follow Microsoft rule, their IP will be blocked and marked as spam processor. It did happened to my company's email hosting provider, some users complained they were not be able to send email to Hotmail accounts. Well, one of the temporary solution is using my company's internet provider SMTP to make sure the email can get through (see my previous blog on this issue).
Facing that inconvenience, GMail come to my rescue and give me solution. Google expanded its free email service with its 'Google Apps for Your Domain' through its free (Standard Edition) and paid (Premier Edition) services. Its free Standard Edition is already good and sufficient enough because it gives 3GB email storage, allows max. 20MB attachment size per email, POP3-support, allows you to use your own domain instead of using gmail.com - means, you can keep your current company's email address, and provides the best anti-spam/junk mail filter. The implementation procedure provided by GMail is pretty clear, just follow its step-by-step instruction.
One nice surprise 'undocumented' feature is its capability to 'synchronize' your email in GMail mailbox and Microsoft Outlook (and probably other email software as well, I haven't try yet). It is simply like this: when you create and send email from your email software using GMail SMTP server, you will have it as well in your GMail. Vice versa, when you send email from your GMail, you will have it also in your Outlook, so there is no issue of whether when you use Outlook you have to just use GMail as your POP email server, or, you must drop your Outlook and just using GMail. Final word, you can use both and you have all your emails in both!!
On the implementation issues, the only thing that you might need other party's help is when you need to change MX record from your current email hosting to GMail. Most of domain hosting providers (where you park your domain name) are quite cooperative to help you change this MX record, some of them even give you additional rights to access and change the record by yourself. After the record change, it needs at least 24 hours (usually 48 hours) to propagate the change to all available DNS servers in the world.
I will share my experience on using this 'Google Apps for Your Domain' in another blog.
So, if you haven't use GMail yet, create one and start using it and you will love it and agree with me that GMail is simply the best!!
