I just finished tweaking my email application on both my laptop and my desktop. I received my emails (Google, School Email, AOL and T-Online) previously through POP3. I have two more emails that I use (Hotmail and Yahoo, I use their webmail). Yesterday, I just found out that Google Mail does support IMAP and it can also fetch emails from other POP3 accounts (up to 5 accounts).

If you guys are the non-geeky type, POP3 is short for Post Office Protocol 3 and IMAP is for Internet Message Access Protocol. These two protocols are the protocols are used to fetch the email messages from a remote server (Google, T-Online) to your computer. If you are the one that checked their emails at http://mail.yahoo.com or http://www.hotmail.com then you are using a web-based email.

I have 2 computers (3 if you include my ftp/torrent server). So if I am using the POP3 to download my emails, then there will be problem to synchronize my email programs between these 2 machines. IMAP is better. Then you can synchronize it easily. Most of the emails are only accessible through POP3. As I just found out that Google Mail does support IMAP and it can fetch other POP3 emails. I want to give it a try. I fetch my mail from school and T-Online through Google and then to my mail application through IMAP. Genius, isn’t it? Nah.

Google has made it so easy to set it up. You can see the step by step tutorial here. Now I know my emails are always synchronize.

Most of my friends just use web-based mail to get their email. But by using a mail application, you are improving your productivity (and also your geeky level). The 2 best mail application in my opinion is Microsoft Outlook and Mozilla Thunderbird (free). Try it!

If you are having problems setting up your email application, you can Google it, or even email me. I would love to help.