Free Google Gmail for all

pigeonpie

Gmail's great but 2 quibbles -wish that UK googlers weren't stuck with googlemail. I set mine up in the EU to get gmail (I know it works to send an email to gmail when you have googlemail but....)
Wish it had the Reply, Forward buttons at the top of an email too as they are still just at the bottom, unless I am madder than usual. It's a long way down to click reply on some mails - I don't use keyboard shortcuts as can't remember them.
I do find some targeted ads a bit spooky but on occasions they've actually been useful too.

gromituk

Google performed a very effective viral marketing campaign with its "invites" (sic), convincing people that they were joining an exclusive club which was hard to get into. Think of the number of times you've seen references to gmail "invites" in people's signatures. All great free publicity - topped by the fact that Martin has just given it a whole lot more free publicity by publicising the fact that this fake "invite" system has now been abandoned.

Did anyone who wanted a gmail account seriously have any trouble getting one?

Yahoo's spam filter used to be dire, but very recently it's got an awful lot better. It doesn't chuck many of my MSE notifications in the spam any more, and it catches most of the real spam. I can't compare it to gmail's but I can compare it to itself a week or three back, and it's a lot better now.

j_davies

pigeonpie wrote:

Gmail's great but 2 quibbles -wish that UK googlers weren't stuck with googlemail. I set mine up in the EU to get gmail (I know it works to send an email to gmail when you have googlemail but....)
Wish it had the Reply, Forward buttons at the top of an email too as they are still just at the bottom, unless I am madder than usual. It's a long way down to click reply on some mails - I don't use keyboard shortcuts as can't remember them.
I do find some targeted ads a bit spooky but on occasions they've actually been useful too.

You can setup googlemail as gmail in OE as it will accept both versions so you can have xxxxxx@googlemail.com or xxxxxx@gmail.com when setting up in Outlook Express and also tell friends your address is xxxxx@gmail.com even though its googlemail.com as it will still reach its destination.

gromituk

pigeonpie wrote:

wish that UK googlers weren't stuck with googlemail.

This is due to a trademark dispute. Google weren't able to get their way against small companies in the UK and Germany already using the term.

stinky985

It is also possible to access gmail via outlook/outlook express as well as other email clients like Thunderbird. I have not yet done this myself as rebuilding a new PC, but if look here you should find it - on the 'About Site' : http://email.about.com/od/gmailtips/qt/et010605.htm
they also review gmail against other alternatives for those interested here: http://email.about.com/cs/freeemailreviews/tp/free_email.htm

j_davies

Getting setup so that Googlemail can be scanned by AVG Antivirus.

Firstly Enable POP in your Gmail account Page

To configure your client manually: To enable Gmail for Outlook Express


Open Outlook or Outlook Express.
Click the 'Tools' menu, and select 'Accounts...'
Click 'Add,' and then click 'Mail...'
Enter your name in the 'Display name:' field, and click 'Next.'
Enter your full Google Mail email address (username@googlemail.com) in the 'Email address:' field, and click 'Next.'
Enter 'pop.googlemail.com' in the 'Incoming mail (POP3, IMAP or HTTP) server:' field. Enter 'smtp.googlemail.com' in the 'Outgoing mail (SMTP) server:' field.
Click 'Next.'
Enter your Google Mail username (including '@googlemail.com') in the 'Account name:' field. Enter your Google Mail password in the 'Password:' field, and click 'Next.'
Click 'Finish.'
Highlight 'pop.googlemail.com' under 'Account,' and click 'Properties.'
Click the 'Advanced' tab.
Tick the box next to 'This server requires a secure connection (SSL)' under 'Outgoing Mail (SMTP).'
Enter '465' in the 'Outgoing mail (SMTP):' field.
Tick the box next to 'This server requires a secure connection (SSL)' under 'Incoming mail (POP3).' The port will change to 995.
*The order of 'Outgoing' and 'Incoming' mail server fields varies by version. Make sure you enter the correct information in each field.
Click the 'Servers' tab, and tick the box next to 'My server requires authentication.'
Click 'OK.'

How to set up Outlook Express and AVG for scanning email.

You will have to change a couple of settings in Outlook Express first.

Tools, Accounts, (highlight account) then Properties, Servers Tab, and change POP3 server name to 127.0.0.1 and leave smtp as smtp.gmail.com and tick my server requires authentication.

Now on the Advanced Tab go to SMTP & tick This server requires a secure connection (SSL) and change Outgoing Mail (SMTP) to 465.

On Incoming mail (POP3) Untick This server requires a secure connection (SSL) and Incomong mail (POP3) should be 995.

Now for a tweak to AVG.

Double click the AVG Icon by the PCs clock then click Properties then click on configure then untick Check Outgoing Mail, then click OK the reason for this is that mail being sent out can be timed out as its being scanned and a server will in most cases cut the transfer as the server will think there is no email being sent, Its waiting for an answer.

Now click on Properties and then the Servers Tab then click any previous Gmail POP or SMTP and click delete be sure not to remove any settings for any other accounts.

Now click on Add, and just choose POP3 then click on the newly created setting and click on modify, change to fixed host and the name should be pop.gmail.com and change the Local Port used to 995

Untick use APOP and select Secure to dedicated port TLS and then tick activate this server for sending/receiving email then click OK, OK, OK, and then click the red cross to exit.

This should now allow anyone to send email with no problems but also allow incoming mail to be scanned by AVG email scanner whilst using Gmail.


FOR THE BENEFIT OF SOME PEOPLE, THEESE WORKINGS ABOVE ARE MY OWN WORK AND HAVE NOT BEEN COPIED FROM ANY WEB SITE APART FROM THE LINKS ALREADY PROVIDED AND THE TEXT EXPLAINING THE SMTP AND POP CONFIGURATION.

Martin81162

talkshop wrote:

It's not gmail anymore for EU users and has not been for some time now.

We have to have googlemail addresses.

If your email address is fred.smith@googlemail.com you will still get emails if they are addressed to fred.smith@gmail.com so you can give this out as your email address if you wanted to.

One feature I would like to see with the calendar is an email reminder like on Yahoo where you receive an email on a specified date before an appointment.

marklar_2

Gmail is head and shoulders above any other web-based email service. Ive been using it for a long while now and when I try and use 'Windows live mail' it almost makes me cringe at how bad it is compared to google's offering.

Get one!

Leonie

I've been with gmail since quite early on - it wasn't that easy to get an invitation then, existing members were only allocated about 5 to give out!

I don't notice the targetted adverts at the side, unless my email relates to something I'm searching for - then they have quite often been useful. It's given me great service. I know a lot of people were doubtful about the fact that Google automatically scans your emails to target the ads, seeing this as an invasion of privacy - but no email is totally secure any way.

I haven't checked recently, but the last time I tried to use the spreadsheet facility, it wasn't available to Linux users. Does anyone know if it is now? (or I could go and have a look myself of course!).

I have two accounts - I don't know how long the facility to add on to an existing address has been available (to avoid spam), so I just made another one when I wanted to join a dating site. Glad I did because I get the most appalling spam on there (Xrated!) - I use that one any time I'm not sure of a site's privacy policy. It gets loads of the damn things, all designed to avoid the spam filter - but Gmail still finds them and puts them in Spam. My first account, never casually given out, gets maybe 2 spam messages a week - very rare.

I still have 97 invites left - a bit superfluous now, Martin!

gromituk

Marklar: Your first statement isn't justified by your second - is it head and shoulders above Yahoo's new version of its webmail?