MANY OF THOSE who have been using the Web for a few years will have ditched their desktop-based POP3 account in favor of a free webmail service, such as Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo.

But the widespread availability of free webmail . accounts poses a problem. Gmail's larger storage limit tempted me to stray from Hotmail a few years back, which means I have to regularly check myoid account for any messages from acquaintances who haven't updated their contacts lists. This is a time-consuming, irritating process, yet necessary to avoid missing potentially important mail.

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There is an easier way to manage multiple email addresses, however. Thunderbird and Zimbra are not only free but able to access and collate mail from other clients. In the following workshop, we'll demonstrate how to set up Thunderbird to monitor all your mail.

If Google has its way, you'll ditch the desktop completely, instead using a browser to send mail, manage contacts and use office applications. The search giant launched its own Chrome browser in September, in what has been seen by many industry spectators as a challenge to Windows' desktop dominance. Analysts believe Google intends to make Chrome the window to web-based alternatives to all the programs that reside on your Pc.

While Google is some way from achieving such a feat, Chrome shows promise and warrants attention. Turn the page for our top eight Google Chrome tips and tweaks and discover whether the newest browser on the block is a viable alternative to Internet Explorer, Firefox or Opera.