Refresh POP In Labs And Use Gmail to check multiple email addresses

** Update: On March 8, 2010, Gmail introduce a lab feature to refresh all imported email account by click the refresh link on the top of the inbox. To do this, you need to enable this lab feature in the 'Labs' under 'Setting'.

Many user like me have multiple email addresses. Personally I prefer Gmail. But since I have certain correspondence to different email address, I have to log in to different email account everyday to check my emails. That is fine, but I think there should have a better way of checking all my emails from different email addresses.

So I discover IMAP and POP access. This email feature has existed for quite a while (I didn't know till recently!). By using this feature, I can import all emails from different email addresses to one email address, in my case I use Gmail. The best thing is, I can also send email out using these other email address when I am in Gmail!

Here is how to do it,
1) Register or sign in to your Gmail account, Click on the 'Settings' link on the top right.
2) In the Settings page, click on the 'Accounts and Import' link.
3) The first option is 'Import mail and contacts'. I don't use that in this case as it only import the email and contacts for one time. But we need it to continue fetching new email.
3) So, we use the 'Check mail using POP3' feature. Click 'Add POP3 email account' button.
4) You will be prompted to enter your email address that you want to get mail from.
5) In the next mail setting page, enter the respective setting according to your email provider.

-- Username: Your username of the email, usually the name of the email before '@domain.com'. For Google Apps email, enter the whole email address including the @domain.com. (But my hotmail requires the whole email address)

-- Password: The email password you use to log in to your other email.

-- POP SERVER SETTING AND PORT
Gmail Server: pop.gmail.com, Port: 995
Google App server: pop.gmail.com, Port 995
Yahoo Server: pop.mail.yahoo.com, Port 995  *
Hotmail Server: pop3.live.com, Port 995
Exchange Server: Your POP server or IP, Port 995 for SSL, Port 110 No SSL

(If using port 995, you need to check the SSL box)

* You need to enable POP access in your yahoo mail setting. And only upgrading to Yahoo! Plus (Fees involved) to enable POP access feature. However, if you simply switch your language/sites/country setting to Asia, you can enable the POP access for free.

6) You can select your outgoing email to be sent through Gmail, Google email server or the import email original SMTP server for outgoing email. Different is, if using Google email server, that will be a 'On behalf Of' in the outgoing email. But if using original email SMTP server, the email will actually send through the original server.

-- SMTP Setup
Gmail / Google App - Automated
Hotmail Server: smtp.live.com, Port 25
Exchange Server: Your SMTP server or IP, Port 25
Yahoo Server: I can't get it to setup, but some how the email going out without the 'On behalf Of' even though I use send through Gmail.

(With above port, you need to uncheck the SSL box)

That's it! Now you send and receive emails from your other emails addresses. One important thing, Gmail fetch emails from other email addresses from time to time (may range from minutes to a little less than a hour, from my experience). So if you know you receive an email on other email address and want to manually fetch it, you can do it through 'Settings' > Account and Imports > Click on check mail now right beside the email address you want to fetch.

** Update: On March 8, 2010, Gmail introduce a lab feature to refresh all imported email account by click the refresh link on the top of the inbox. To do this, you need to enable this lab feature in the 'Labs' under 'Setting'.