Gmail

Advantages: huge storage capacity, very fast, in-mail chat, searchable
Disadvantages: none

When Gmail first came out, people were scrambling left and right to get invites to open their own accounts. The word was out – Google had come out with the best free web-based mail. There were all sorts of hype as to what Gmail had to offer. Very large storage space, filters, labels, searching, no need to delete old emails – all these and more. Now that Gmail has been around for some time, it is safe to say that Google lived up to its promises. Countless people who used to have email accounts with other free web-based email services have had a change of heart and switched to Gmail. Even though you still need an invite to open an account, there are so many invites available that it is not an issue anymore.

Next to the much-hyped up storage capacity, usability is what makes Gmail the best. My favorite new feature is not even about email! Recently, they introduced the Gmail Chat. It is a feature which allows you to chat live with your contacts within the Gmail window. Gmail contacts from your address book are automatically added to your chat contact list on the left hand column. Much like any messenger service, you can see whether they are online or offline. You can even put your own status message. One thing that seems missing is the “invisible” option.

Another thing is that when you are logged out, you cannot receive offline messages. Of course, Gmail is about email really, not chatting.

Speaking of email, one of Gmail’s main selling points is that you never have to delete old emails again. Just tag them, label them, and then archive them. Using Google’s searching capabilities, you can find any email that you have in your archives. Now isn’t that neat?

When you exchange a series of emails with another person, you will get each mail under the same thread. This is much like the threads in forums. The result? You avoid cluttering up your inbox with emails with subjects such as Re:Re:Re:! However, this can be annoying to people who do not use Gmail as they will get a long thread each time.

I also like how much easier it is to view and download attachments. You can even choose to download all attachments in one go. They will be saved in one zip file.

With all these features, it’s no wonder many other email providers are following Google’s example.

Dictionary.com

Dictionary.com is a free website that offers a wide range of features. Obviously, the main service is to give definitions to words you look up. When you key in a word, you get a lot of useful information. Different meanings and usages will be presented, together with the pronunciation guide. One drawback of this guide is that you have to be familiar with the pronunciation symbols. You can also find out the origins of the word on the same page. More than that, you can find links to other specialized dictionaries which may have the same word.

What I really like about this online dictionary is that you can search for an idiomatic expression or slang and chances are, you will find it there. It also shows the meanings of different collocations for a particular verb. This way, if you are not really sure what you want, you are able to choose from a wide range of words.

From the main page, you can access an online bookstore, a thesaurus, an encyclopedia, feature articles, puzzles, and a translator. You can even make use of tools such as the http://Dictionary.com toolbar. If you need to look up a foreign word, there are links to foreign dictionaries as well. Do you want to improve your vocabulary? You can click on the Word of the Day link and even subscribe to the email for this feature. Are you a sucker for historical trivia? You can increase your knowledge by subscribing to a ”What Happened on this Day?” email. For writers, there are links to writing styles and grammar usage guides. Even if you are not a writer, you will benefit from the simple, straight-forward http://Dictionary.com Style Guide.

If you want to hear how a word is pronounced, you have to subscribe to the premium service. Another advantage of this service is ad-free access. No more irritating pop-ups every time you enter a word. You will also have access to color illustrations not available from the free site. The fee is not too high, only about $19.95 per year. Subscriptions are also available on a monthly basis but the rates are a little bit higher.

I haven’t tried the premium service but I think that the free service offers enough in terms of features and information. If you use the dictionary very often and you have no idea what the pronunciation symbols mean, then you can opt to shell out a few dollars for premium service.