I’ve been using Google for ages, it was mostly the Google Search though… I’ve been using external software for mail management, having unorganized RSS, e.g. Untill August…
Then I started working for Kainos. The Systems folks announced it was impossible to use external software for private mail – security, viruses, POP3 blocked, bla bla blah… I thought, could be better… Still, I could manage my private mail using Webmail software – along with my server I got the SquirreMail web mail panel. This tool could be much better though. It’s is extremely not Web 2.0 and not fancy at all 
I liked the Gmail panel, but I didn’t need another email account – yet I had my favorite email address and wanted to use it further!
Then, my friend told me I could use Gmail as a POP3 client – send and receive emails from other (not necessarily Gmail accounts). Sounded like a good idea! I had a quick play with the settings, and it worked, very well!
Here’s the guide how to set this feature:
- while on the main page of Gmail panel, go to “Settings” and choose “Accounts” tab there
- in “Send mail as:” section, click “Add another email address” link
- in the window that pops up fill in the form – provide the name and the email address you want to use to send messages
- you will receive an email with a special code and instructions how to use it
- now you can sent emails using the email address you provided
- now, in the “Accounts” tab, click “Add another mail account” and do similar as previously
- after that, you can use Gmail panel also for browsing mail from other accounts
If you’re interested in Gmail, I encourage reading official Gmail blog.
