| To use Outlook as an email program, you need to | | | | free versions of the email account need to be |
| configure it to work with one or more email | | | | upgraded to a paying version to enable the |
| accounts. The best option for that is to use a free | | | | connection. There's only a small number of |
| Google Gmail account. In case you haven't | | | | Web-based email accounts that allow you to connect |
| encountered it yet, Gmail is a Web-based email | | | | Outlook for free. Google's Gmail is the biggest and |
| service available through Google. If you have a Gmail | | | | best-known of this elite group. |
| account (or get one, which only takes a few | | | | With Gmail, you get a massive amount of space |
| minutes), you can use it to connect Gmail and | | | | (measured in Gb) of mail storage right on Google's |
| Outlook. Once you have that connection set up | | | | servers. It also provides powerful search capabilities |
| properly, people can email you at your Gmail address, | | | | when you search your mail through the web |
| and you can read it in Outlook. Going the other way, | | | | interface (basically doing a Google search on your |
| you can use Outlook to reply to your Gmail | | | | own email). Google supports the Gmail service with |
| messages, or compose new messages that get sent | | | | advertising, but you only see the ads when you view |
| using the Gmail account. | | | | your Gmail account using your Web browser, not |
| Why use Gmail? There are certainly lots of other | | | | when you use Outlook. Google's Gmail is clearly the |
| free email accounts out there, like Yahoo! Mail and | | | | free email service you want to use to connect to |
| Hotmail. But connecting them to Outlook for free is | | | | Outlook. |
| another story. Some of the email accounts you can | | | | The steps required to make the Gmail Outlook |
| get for free are set up so you can view them using | | | | connection are moderately difficult, but most people |
| your Web browser, but they don't allow you to | | | | can make the connection on their own especially if |
| connect to them with programs like Outlook. Others | | | | they have access to someone more experienced |
| (Yahoo! Mail & Hotmail, for example) allow you | | | | should they get stuck. If you want to try setting up |
| to connect to them with Outlook, but they charge | | | | a Gmail account & connecting it to Outlook |
| you a fee for the privilege. With those services, the | | | | 2007, the instructions are posted here. |