PS if anyone still needs an invite out there who's reading this go here:
I've drop off several invites into a dodgeit.com account ~ first come first serve...
Google decided to go invite only while it was in Beta I believe.
As for benefits:
1. Incredible amount of space 2779 MB is what its up to I believe.
2. Search function that actually works pretty well.
3. Very clean design
4. Decent spam blockers...meh
5. I never have to delete anything!
Im sure there are other benefits that I can't think of
Tons of my friends were skeptical about switching but I've never heard anyone complain about Gmail...
IMO it's an absolutely fantastic service... Gotta love the built in address book, saving 10meg drafts, all the whatnots you could expect.. If anyone wants a invite im me (i have multiple accounts ) w/ your email and I'll send you out one.