GMail Gets Some IMAP Love

Simple Help and Download Squad are both reporting that GMail is getting the IMAP treatment. It is rolling out sporadically so you may not have it yet (though some report that logging out and then back in may invoke it).

Now you are asking the obvious question of “So? Why do I care?”

IMAP allows for more synchronous usage of email between clients and the web interface. This means that what you do through the web interface or different clients will be shared instantly. If you read a message at work in Outlook it will show as read on the web interface and Thunderbird at home. It’s a tighter communication between client and the server since the server will keep track of what has and hasn’t already been done. There are a bunch of other technical advantages to IMAP, but they are boring to most people.

The other thing to note is that GMail is one of the only web based free email services that currently offer POP and their addition of IMAP (even rarer) will definitely see their user base grow.

UPDATE: Lifehacker has posted a bunch of useful information about IMAP and how GMail IMAP can be useful to you (especially mobile users).