Google's new mail service, GMail, is a great new web mail client. If you use a web mail service such as HotMail or Yahoo, then I would recommend getting a GMail account and switching as soon as you can! Not only is the GMail web client much easier to use, and generations ahead of anything else out there, but the advertising on GMail is limited to a simple text advertisement along side of the message. And they don't add any advertisements to your mail messages, either.

Perhaps one of the best features of GMail is that you can use your GMail account with any RFC compliant POP3 and SMTP mail client. Such as, for example... Pegasus Mail! Configuring Pegasus Mail to use GMail is pretty simple, but you have to make sure you choose the correct options, or it won't work at all.

First, make sure you have POP3 access enabled in your GMail configuration. This is done through Settings > Forwarding and POP. Choose one of the Enable POP options. Make sure you save your changes.

  1. After you have enabled POP access, go to Pegasus Mail and select Tools > Internet Options.
  2. In the Receiving tab, click the Add button.
  3. Click the New button to create a new POP3 definition.
  4. Enter a name for the definition, such as GMail.
  5. For the Server Host Name, enter: pop.gmail.com.
  6. In the User Name box, enter your full GMail address, including the gmail.com domain name, like this: address@gmail.com.
  7. Enter your password in the Password field.
  8. In the Server TCP/IP Port field, enter: 995.
  9. Check the box marked Delete mail on server....
  10. Switch to the Security tab and click the radio button marked Via Direct SSL Connect.
  11. Click the OK button.
  12. Make sure the new GMail POP3 definition is selected, and click the Select button.
  13. Your new GMAIL POP3 definition should now be listed along with any other POP3 definitions you have. Click the OK button to close the Internet Mail Options dialog.

That's all you need to check your GMail mailbox using Pegasus Mail. Make sure there's a message or two in your GMail box, and download your mail.

If you want to be able to send mail via GMail using Pegasus Mail, then do this:

  1. Make sure you have used the above procedure to create a GMail POP3 definition, and that it works to send mail.
  2. In Pegasus Mail, select Tools > Internet Options.
  3. In the Sending tab, click the Add button.
  4. Click the New button to create a new SMTP definition.
  5. Enter a name for the definition, such as GMail.
  6. For the Server Host Name, enter: smtp.gmail.com.

  7. In the Server TCP/IP Port field, enter: 587.

    Note: Alternatively, you can use port 465 if port 587 is blocked for some reason by your ISP/company/firewall/etc.

  8. On the Security tab, select the radio button titled Via STARTTLS.
  9. Check the box marked Login to the SMTP server using a POP3 username/password.
  10. Click the Select button.
  11. Select the GMail POP3 definition and click the Select button.
  12. Click the OK button.
  13. Make sure the new GMail SMTP definition is selected and click the Select button.
  14. Click the OK button.
  15. Your new GMAIL SMTP definition should now be listed along with any other SMTP definitions you have. Note that Pegasus Mail will only use the top SMTP server listed. If you want to use the GMail SMTP server for outgoing mail, then use the up and down arrows to move the GMail SMTP server to the top, or disable any other SMTP servers using the Disable button. You can also control the SMTP servers by using Identities. (Refer to Identities in the help files for information on Identities.)
  16. Click the OK button to close the Internet Mail Options dialog.

That's it. You can now use GMail as a POP3 and SMTP server. Enjoy!

One page links to GMail:
 . Page Name .   . Last Modified . 
 PegasusMail   May 19, 2006 4:48 pm