When I tell people that I still use Hotmail I'm usually met with laughter, disgust or I'm ostracised completely. It's not that I like Hotmail (now known as Windows Live Mail but since my address ends with the domain "hotmail.com" and everyone knew it as Hotmail before one of Microsoft's many ridiculous rebranding exercises, that's what I'm going to call it in this post) it's just that I've used it for so long, I just don't know how to say goodbye. I've had a Gmail account since it was launched but I only use it for work related things and my Hotmail has just been for social use. However, the latest incarnation of Hotmail disturbed me so much, that I've had enough and I'm moving wholesale to Gmail.

There are various ways of doing this but most are quite long winded involving manually transferring contacts and mails. The reason for this is that Hotmail does not support POP3 mail forwarding. IzyMail however allows you to forward everything by a proxy POP3do everything in just a few simple steps. IzyMail enables you to access webmail from major providers such as AOL, Yahoo, MSN, Hotmail, Windows Live, Fastmail or Gmail with any eMail application - it even works with mobile devices. Switching from Hotmail to Gmail requires 3 simple steps:

1. Create an IzyMail registration at the IzyMail Control Panel.

2. Define a Gmail import profile

3. Confirm ownership of your Gmail address by clicking on the link in the IzyMail confirmation message you receive.

That's it - you're done! Note that this only means that your mail will be forwarded to your Gmail account. All of your folders and archived mail will remain in your Hotmail account. You'll also have to remember to log into your Hotmail at least once a month to keep it activated.