GMail is uber.
GMail is going to start offering POP3 and SMTP services for their users. Who knows if this is a 'bait and switch' ... or rather ... a 'bait and charge' ... but in the mean time, I will enjoy my POP3 capability.
A note: The spiffy GMail features you may be familiar with (Labels, HQ Search, etc.) will not be functional if you plan to use POP3. There are, of course, supplements for such functionality.