When Google first announced its Gmail online, back in 2004, the 1GB mailbox capacity seemed unreal. Having multiple accounts wasn't really deemed necessary because here was an account that could store all the mail you ever needed.
As time went on, and the Internet evolved, Google introduced larger mailboxes. The new limit wasn't fixed. Instead, a rolling counter was added to the Gmail homepage to show off the ever-increasing mailbox capacity. At the time of writing, the average Gmail mailbox had a capacity of 7.5GB.
Even that generous amount of storage can't circumvent the need we have now, for multiple mailboxes. Our Google accounts are multifunctional, offering Web-based office applications, RSS readers, photo storage and more, and Google offers businesses the option to set up a Google Applications site. This means employees can have a Google-hosted account, offering all the aforementioned functionality, at their company's domain.
It's not unimaginable to have two or three Google accounts, now, and to make it easier to manage those accounts. The search giant has started rolling out a new multiple-login option. Over the next few weeks, more users will gain the ability to simultaneously log in to their Google accounts. A drop-down box, in the top right-hand corner, will let users select which account they're working from, in any of the supported services.
Previously, it was only possible to simultaneously log in to multiple accounts when using separate Web browsers.
This doesn't act as the unified account some users have been hoping for, but it's a step in the right direction. Google also says the feature is currently desktop-only, and won't work on mobile browsers.
The new feature also doesn't support offline Gmail and offline calendars.
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