Gmail IMAP

IMAP Settings

2011-02-16T07:36:00.000-08:00

As Google mentioned that :
All IMAP clients differ, and you can configure your mail client's settings to best suit your needs. However, to work optimally with Gmail, we recommend certain settings. Click on your client below to view our recommended configuration.
iPhone

Thunderbird 2.0

Apple Mail

Outlook 2003

Outlook Express

If you're not using one of the above listed clients, as a general rule, we suggest the following settings:
Sending:

Do NOT save sent messages on the server. If your client is sending mail through Gmail's SMTP server, your sent messages will be automatically copied to the [Gmail]/Sent Mail folder.
DO save draft messages on the server. If you want your drafts in your mail client to sync correctly with Gmail's web interface, set your client to save drafts to the [Gmail]/Drafts folder.

Deleting:

Do NOT save deleted messages on the server. Messages that are deleted from an IMAP folder (except for those in [Gmail]/Spam or [Gmail]/Trash) only have that label removed and still exist in All Mail. Hence, your client doesn't need to store an extra copy of a deleted message.
Do NOT save deleted messages to your [Gmail]/Trash folder because this will delete a message in all folders.
Do NOT save deleted messages to your [Gmail]/All Mail folder as some clients will try to empty this folder and ultimately fail. This can lead to delayed mail access or excessive battery consumption on a mobile device.

Junk mail and spam:

Do NOT enable your client's junk mail filters. Gmail's spam filters also work in your IMAP client, and we recommend turning off any additional anti-spam or junk mail filters within your client. Your client's filter will attempt to download and classify all of your existing messages, which may slow down your client until the process is complete.

IMAP price

2011-02-16T07:31:00.000-08:00

Fee per account, or pay once for multiple IMAP accounts

Is there any different between IMAP and POP?

2011-02-16T07:27:00.000-08:00

MAP and POP are two different communications protocols that e-mail programs (such as CULink Web Client, Outlook, OS X mail, etc.) and e-mail servers (such as culink, spot, etc.) use to communicate with each other. They are the way e-mail programs interact with e-mail servers to retrieve, store, and manipulate messages.
At CU-Boulder, the preferred method of connection is the IMAP protocol. Campus users are encouraged to move away from the older, more problematic POP protocol in favor of the IMAP standard. IMAP offers several advantages over POP, including: better functionality in manipulating the inbox, the ability to manage mail folders besides one's inbox, and superior online performance.

With IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) you read your mail while it is still on the mail server. Because your mail remains on the server, you can access it from any IMAP-configured computer with internet access. Whether you are at work, at home, or traveling around the world, all of your messages are available to you.
POP (Post Office Protocol), on the other hand, is designed to handle offline operations. POP downloads e-mail to the PC, generally removing it from the central server. After messages are moved onto the desktop of the current local computer and deleted from the server, you then manipulate them on your desktop. Therefore, POP e-mail is only available on that specific desktop computer. e-mail stored locally using POP may not have a back-up system in place and would be vulnerable to loss in the event of a computer crash, whereas with IMAP, e-mail messages and folders are backed up nightly by ITS and are available in case of loss.
Because POP downloads messages to the local PC, it is possible to disconnect from the server while manipulating messages. Some people find this ability to work offline very useful and therefore prefer using POP. However, IMAP can also be set to work offline if desired, because messages can be moved onto the local computer as with POP. This brings up the same issues stated above, namely that messages are no longer available from other computers and that one must devise a local back-up solution.
POP also causes issues that affect all users, even those who do not use POP. For example, performance problems often occur server-wide when a just a few people using POP configure their clients to leave the mail on server. This results in enormous inboxes which severly slow down the server every time the inbox is accessed. This performance decrease affects everyone, which is not an efficient use of scarce campus IT resources.
Because of its many advantages, IMAP is the preferred method of connection for campus e-mail users. At this time both are still supported on some of the central campus e-mail servers: ucsu, spot, and rintintin. However, CULink may only be accessed via the IMAP protocol.

What do we mean of IMAP?

2011-02-16T07:24:00.000-08:00

What do we mean of IMAP?
As google mentioned
IMAP, or Internet Message Access Protocol, lets you download messages from Gmail's servers onto your computer so you can access your mail with a program like Microsoft Outlook Express or Apple Mail, even when you aren't connected to the Internet.
IMAP creates a constant connection between mail clients (desktop and/or mobile) and Gmail.