Today Google announced its web based e-mail, GMail, will include IMAP support. What’s so exciting about it? Let’s put it this way: IMAP, the acronym for Internet Message Access Protocol, is an application layer Internet protocol that allows a local client to access e-mail on a remote server.

The above explanation is still technical mumbo jumbo? Then read this: IMAP is the best way to access your email from multiple devices, because it keeps the same information synchronized across all devices.

Or, as David Murray, Associate Product Manager, explained on the official GMail blog: “For example, I can: read an email in GMail, then move it to the "Starred" folder on my iPhone, then archive it by moving it to "All Mail" in Thunderbird, then see all of those changes on my Blackberry (or any of the above devices for that matter).”

Now you see why IMAP support is such great news? So, in order to turn on the IMAP feature in your GMail, (come on, I’m sure you already have an account), you should access the "Settings" link at the top of the inbox screen. If you see only the "Forwarding and POP” label, don’t panic. Google will activate IMAP for all accounts for free.

But once you've enabled IMAP in your GMail account, just configure your mail client or wireless device to download GMail messages.

According to Google, the mail clients which work with IMAP for GMail are Outlook Express, Outlook 2003, Outlook 2007, Apple Mail, Windows Mail and Thunderbird 2.0. iPhone is also compatible. If you are using another client, then Google has a page with full instructions on how to enable IMAP support here.