Here are some epiphanies on how Gmail may well be the ultimate business email solution around.

First, because of its efficient forwarding, POP and IMAP features, 20MB attachment limit, email filters feature, and integration with other Google apps, it may well be the best web-based email to use so far. Other email services simply can’t compare. While Yahoo Mail would have you subscribe to Yahoo Mail Plus if you wanted to have your mails forwarded to another inbox, Gmail allows forwarding FOR FREE. So as we claimed in a past article, Gmail may well be the one “mailbox to rule them all” indeed!

It is exciting to note that users now have better control over their email, and they don’t even need to install a standalone mail client for that. So despite the attractive unlimited storage that Yahoo Mail offers, more and more people are opting for Gmail because it packs more punch and you don’t need to pay a cent for all its features. And I can say 99% of all Gmail users probably don’t reach the 5.7 GB (and growing!) space limit, anyway.

One more reason for opting for Gmail as a business user is the ability to use it as a universal account across all Gmail services. From AdSense to Google Analytics and even Google Notebook, you can login via Gmail–it is nothing short of amazing.

A comment I got from several female friends, though–they would like the ability to customize Gmail to the colors they want.

Surely blue is a universal color and a lot of women would opt for blue if pinks, purples and reds were not available, but female-friendly colors would be a good option for Gmail. Sure, it may sound trivial to some. But I can say that user interface and usability are important. Younger Gmail users happen to like individuality and as email is a medium that connotes personal space for most, I believe it would make quite a lot of users happy to see Gmail in their favorite colors.

Another aspect where Gmail could improve in would be in its use of labels versus folders. I am ambivalent towards the use of labels, though, since it sure makes things more convenient if one wants to tag a message with more than one keyword. But there are days when a good ol’ folder feels more familiar and comfortable, especially with how most of our operating systems structure their file systems.

But as it is, Gmail and Google are maverick institutions that strive to never be like sheep. Its trend-setting and trend-bucking paradigm underscores the design of all the products Google turns out, so innovations like these are things one should respect rather than seek to change.

I still can’t get over how Gmail loads in a flash as opposed to the New Yahoo Mail’s turtle-like speed in loading, especially with RAM-deprived machines. And though this isn’t a business-related function, neither can I seem to get over how the relatively simple-looking smileys animate in the chat application. The simplicity merged with the animation makes Gmail just so charming.

For all it’s worth, and despite the points where I think Gmail could improve, I wholeheartedly believe that it’s fine for Gmail to stay the way it is. The blue interface and the labels and all its trend-bucking peculiarities give it a personality of its own. To me, this sends a message saying, “We’re not sellouts, and neither should a Gmail user ever be.” Which is precisely why I love Gmail. And Google.