Gmail

Gmail is Google’s free web-based email service. Gmail is different from AOL, and other email websites. I chose Gmail as my tool because I think it is an application we should all use. As we enter the professional world within the next few years, it is important to have another email account besides our school email. I believe Gmail is an appropriate, professional email account.

Michael Arrington “blogged” about the comparison between Hotmail, Gmail, and Yahoo mail. He states that all three applications “make up the vast majority of the 500 million or so webmail users around the world.” When you think about it, almost everyone in this day and age has one of these accounts. I have both an AOL and Gmail account, AOL for personal use and Gmail for professional use. He believes that Gmail is the preferred application because the performance is consistently fast. Emails on Gmail can also be tagged, making search much more effective. Neither Yahoo or Hotmail have this feature. Gmail groups’ emails in a thread into a single line on the inbox, making things more organized. This makes emails easier to read and reply. This way, you don’t have to search for an old email from the sender, it will simply be in your thread. Gmail also offers Google talk, also known as Gtalk. This enables text and voice chat between users. You can send instant messages and make free long distance calls to people anywhere around the world. This feature is very similar to Skype – it depends on what you’re using the tool for. Gmail offers email as well as the video chat and instant messaging. Gmail also allows to web searching. Described by Eric Holter, “Gmail’s search is practically instantaneous.”

http://techcrunch.com/2007/02/08/a-comparison-of-live-hotmail-gmail-and-yahoo-mail/