Gmail is an experiment in a new kind of webmail, built on the idea that you should never have to delete mail and you should always be able to find the message you want. The key features are:

• Search, don't sort.
  Use Google search to find the exact message you want, no matter when it was sent or received.

• Don't throw anything away.
  2561 megabytes (and counting onwards by the uses of gmail regularly) of free storage so you'll never need to delete another message.

Keep it all in context.
Each message is grouped with all its replies and displayed as a conversation.

• No pop-up ads. No untargeted banners.
  You see only relevant text ads and links to related web pages of inter

As part of Google's mission to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful, we're testing an email service called Gmail.
Gmail is a free, search-based webmail service that includes more than 2,000 megabytes (two gigabytes) of storage. The backbone of Gmail is a powerful Google search engine that quickly finds any message an account owner has ever sent or received. That means there's no need to file messages in order to find them again.
When Gmail displays an email, it automatically shows all the replies to that email as well, so users can view a message in the context of a conversation. There are no pop-ups or untargeted banner ads in Gmail, which places relevant text ads and links to related web pages adjacent to email messages.

What's new on Gmail?

Just Launched! in April 01, 2004,

English is just another language...
Use Gmail in the language you want! The interface is now available in 12 more languages: Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, simplified and traditional Chinese. And UK English. We like choices.

G is for growth:
Storage is an important part of email, but that doesn't mean you should have to worry about it. To celebrate our one-year birthday, we're giving everyone one more gigabyte. But why stop the party there? Our plan is to continue growing your storage beyond 2GBs by giving you more space as we are able. We know that email will only become more important in people's lives, and we want Gmail to keep up with our users and their needs. From Gmail, you can expect more.

We're not in the plains anymore:
Fonts, bullets and highlighting, oh my! Gmail now offers rich text formatting. And over 60 colors of the rainbow. Discover a land of more than just black and white.

Compose messages using different fonts, colors, and other formatting:

You can customize Gmail messages with rich formatting. Add color to your greetings, underline key points, or make your words bold. Here's how to enhance your messages:

1.       Click 'Compose Mail' at the top of any Gmail page.

2.       Click the icon for the formatting feature you'd like to use in the formatting toolbar above the compose window. If you don't see any icons, click 'Rich formatting >>' to display all formatting options.

3.       Type your message! (Please note that Gmail doesn't recognize HTML tags inserted in the body of a message.)

*If you decide you'd like to write a message in plain text format, just click '<< Plain text' along the top of the compose window.

Bold - bold all or some of your message

Italics - italicize all or some of your message

Underline - underline all or some of your message

Font - select a special font

Font Size - change the font size of all or some text

Font Color - change the color of all or some text

Highlight Color - highlight the text of a message

Remove Formatting - remove formatting from selected text

Hyperlink Text - hyperlink the selected text

Numbered List - create a numbered list in your message

Bulleted List - create a bulleted list in your message

Indent Less - move text closer to the left of the page

Indent More - indent text further to the right of the page

Quote Text - format a block of text as a quote

Left Align - align text along the left side of the page

Center Align - align text in the center of the page

Right Align - align text along the right side of the page

Rich formatting is not available in Gmail's basic HTML view or in your signature settings.

Quick Facts

Cost: Free Storage: 2,000+ megabytes (and counting) Languages: Messages can be sent and read in most languages. The Gmail interface is available in many languages, including UK English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and simplified and traditional Chinese, and we are continuing to add more. Access: Free automatic forwarding and POP3 access JavaScript and cookies must be enabled on all browsers

Fully supported browsers: - Microsoft IE 5.5+ (download: Windows) - Netscape 7.1+ (download: Windows Mac Linux) - Mozilla 1.4+ (download: Windows Mac Linux) - Mozilla Firefox 0.8+ (download: Windows Mac Linux) - Safari 1.2.1+ (download: Mac) Many other browsers work with Gmail's basic HTML view, including: - Microsoft IE 4.0+ - Netscape 4.07+ - Opera 6.03+

What makes Gmail different?

Gmail uses Google search technology to automatically organize and find messages. And because Gmail includes more than 2,000 megabytes of storage, a typical user won't ever have to worry about deleting mail. Everything just gets archived so it can be found again if needed.

There are other differences in the way Gmail provides access to your email. For example, Gmail automatically groups an email and the replies to it as a conversation. That means you always see a message in its proper context. And there are no pop-ups or banner ads in Gmail, just relevant text ads and links to related pages. Gmail's other distinctive features include a labeling system, a spam reporter and a system for filtering your mail as it comes into your inbox.

No more folders, filing or fumbling to find your mail

Email is supposed to be a productivity tool. So why spend time filing messages, then later trying to remember where you put them? And why delete important mail just to stay within some arbitrary storage limit?
Gmail makes email easy. With more than 2,000 megabytes of free storage, you never need to throw messages away. And with a powerful built-in Google search engine, you no longer need to set up folders, file your mail, or remember where you stored your messages. Just search for what you want. You'll not only find the message you have in mind, but all the other messages that are part of the same conversation – arranged in chronological order so you can easily put everything in context.

(1) The secret is search
Google search is at the heart of Gmail. Fast, efficient, effective. Just type a few keywords into the search box and your message appears. You don't have to remember where you put your mail. That's our job.

(2) It's all in how you look at it
With Gmail, you'll see your messages in context. If there was a reply to a message you sent or received, Gmail will automatically display it in chronological order with the original. This conversation view continues to grow as you respond and new replies arrive, making it possible for you to follow the whole back and forth discussion in one place.

(3) Never lose a message again
You never know when you might need to see a message again. So why delete it? With Gmail, you can store your messages instead. A single click of your mouse moves messages out of your Inbox into a secure archive where you can quickly find them with a simple search. With more than 2,000 megabytes of storage, you can even keep all your back issues of the Lemur Lover's newsletter.

(4) Filing email is not the best use of your time
Storing mail in folders with subfolders and nested sub-sub folders is not a productive way to spend your day. What's the point? With Gmail, you can find an entire email exchange organized as a conversation, just by searching for keywords that appear in any one of the emails that's part of it. If you want, you can further organize your messages by creating labels for them.

(5) Frying your spam
Google continues to work on spam filters to keep unwanted messages out of your inbox. However, spammers are deviously clever and adaptive. Defeating them will require your help. If you see a spam message, use the Report Spam feature to squash it. The spam will automatically be removed from your inbox and information about it will be reported to our quality team.

Ever since we began Gmail's limited test, we've been working hard to make it better. Here are a few of the features we've added:

Import Contacts
You've made a list. You've checked it twice. Now you never have to check it again. Move all your contacts from Yahoo! Mail, Outlook, and others to Gmail in just a few clicks. Then simply rely on our auto-complete feature to fill in your addresses as you're typing. Keep all your contacts in one place and keep in touch with all of them using Gmail.

Gmail Notifier
Want to know if you've got new mail? Let us do the checking so you don't have to. Find out when new messages arrive, and even see their subjects, senders and snippets, all without having to open a web browser.

Search your contacts
With the new and improved Contacts list, search for a contact as easily as you would a message in Gmail. Add notes and phone numbers. View messages directly from the Contacts list.

Signature options
From the settings page, create a signature that's automatically added to the end of all your outgoing messages. Change it as often as you like, but always get the last word.

Thumbnails for image attachments
It's like seeing the trailer before you see the movie. Now you can get a sneak preview of your attachments.

And last but not least...Save Drafts!