GMail, Google’s wonderfully different web-based eMail service, is now more-or-less open to the public. That is the US public only at the moment. As a side effect of the launch of Google Talk which requires a GMail account Google have made it a lot easier to get a GMail account - simply visit https://www.google.com/accounts/SmsMailSignup1 and enter your (US Only) mobile telephone number to get an authorisation code.

Other countries will be supported shortly but this seems like a good way to reduce the number of automated signups and to verify the location of subscribers. I imagine once more countries are supported GMail will officially come out of beta.

Those of you who knew me around the time of lyximer will remember we required a UK mobile number for our signup system and that a user’s username and password was sent by text message (or phonecall if they didnt have a mobile) to ensure we only had UK users…