I read the reviews and need to provide some facts to help clarify some things regarding gmail or free email services. I use Gmail and from the experience with Hotmail and Yahoo (have been using them for 7 years but the situation has become unmanageable with spam) I have learnt that I should use Gmail only for communication with friends and not use that account for any subscription service.
Free Email providers need a mechanism to recover the cost of providing space for you. Hotmail and Yahoo advertise extensively, Gmail uses your information to provided targeted advertising and from their statements, it is automated.
To think that any of your email is not being read by a man or program is an illusion. I have administered machines on Internet way back in 1990 and there is no security in email unless you encrypt and the receiver decrypts. If you require security for your email, don’t use free email. Period.
Any email you send anywhere from a free email service can be used for some commercial or intelligence purpose.
Gmail has a nice interface. Use it the way you want it to. I like the interface better than Yahoo/Hotmail.
The bottomline is, pick up the phone and talk if you want secure communication. Unless you think FBI can tap your phone there too. :-)
From a commercial viewpoint, I am wondering about the mechanism to allow POP access to Gmail (even if it meant paying for it) and whether they are going to have it at all.