STILL have that Hotmail Account? Import it into Gmail.

I have an old email address that I use just for "junk." I give this address out when I have to fill out a customer service survey, or when a trendy new website I'm signing up for looks like it might send me a lot of crap. For these situations I punch in my trusty Hotmail account and let the spam fly willy-nilly.

In the age of Gmail, the secondary address is less relevant, it's really just a time-sink having to check multiple accounts. But for sentimental reasons, I can't bear to part with my Hotmail. Also, you never know when some old friend you haven't talked to since 8th grade hits you up on your old email. Regardless, this week Hotmail did a mighty nice thing and enabled a feature that means I never have to type in hotmail or live.com again.

Getting with the times, Microsoft has enabled POP3 for all their web email addresses. Pop3 service essentially means that you can download mail off their server, without having to go directly through them. And of course, Gmail has the option to import mail via POP3 from elsewhere. Strangely though, what Gmail Doesn't do is get the default settings right, so you have to do a bit of fiddling. Here's how we do it:

Go into your Gmail Settings

Click Accounts

Add a mail account you own

Now, here's where you have to change a few settings:

There you are. Now you can send and receive from your old-school Hotmail address in your stylish Gmail interface.

If you get a TON of unread emails you want to get rid of, just set up a temporary filter: Go back into settings, this time "filters." in the TO: field, enter your Hotmail address. Click "next" and check the settings as shown. Don't forget to delete the filter when you're done, or it will mark all your hotmails as read forevermore.