Hotmail
Hotmail is now one big Microsoft Silverlight object, like their Webmaster Tools. Silverlight is a Flash-like plugin used on some sites for playing videos. Some browsers handle it better than others, to put it nicely. Sad. There was a massive Hotmail account hijacking over a few weeks in November, which sent spam to all contacts, with links to malware sites. There may have been password theft from elsewhere. My account wasn't hacked. Hotmail works fine if you are gentle.
Gmail
Google continues to merge every product they have into one. No longer can you just have a Gmail account, you now have a "Google Account" that instantly sets cookies to log you into everything Google owns, from Blogger to YouTube, whether you like it or not. They thrust Buzz right into the mail interface, and insist you create a public "Google Profile" so they can continue brutal attempts at building a "social network" for some reason. Gmail itself is decent, I wish they'd leave it alone. Google already reads the actual content of your emails in order to show you ads. And while they may not directly "rent, sell or share" that data, they don't seem to care about the theft of it. I'll have no problem dropping Gmail in 2011 if it gets any more intrusive.
Yahoo
Yahoo has a simple and fast email system. When Hotmail was redesigned into the current Silverlight interface it basically stole the clean look of Yahoo Mail. Not much to say, other than Yahoo is struggling financially. There are rumors Yahoo may sell Flickr and/or other businesses it owns, but it's unlikely anything will change with their email. It's not like an email platform is worth money in itself.
Excite
I've been using Excite email for many years. It's been through overhauls, outsourcing, and some scary interface changes, but has come through it intact. (Parent company IAC Media also owns Ask, Dictionary.com, Vimeo, and a ton of others.) A bit slow to load, but an acceptable free email service.
Other
Will Facebook messages kill email? Nope.
1) USB stick (thumb drive) - Here's the idea: how about personalizing the gift by pre-loading with music, movies, and/or pictures? 8GB drives have recently been on sale for around $10. Good for backing up data, moving files between computers, or swapping stuff with friends, 8GB is a real bargain for just $10.
video broadcasting or private chats with virtually unlimited numbers of people. Most laptops have built-in cameras, but quality webcams go on sale incredibly cheap this time of year as well, around $20 to $30 (regular about $50 to $80).
4) Car power adapter - Most 12v to 120v car adapters now also have a USB charging port. They can be used for powering laptops, GPS units, and charging cell phones & mp3 players. Not meant for large appliances, but perfect for most electronics. Get a 100-watt or higher model, usually about $30 to $50.