I missed this one, it seems Google has taken the big step of releasing Gmail to everyone without the need of an invite.
From their blog.
Gmail sign-ups are now open worldwide! No more waiting for someone to invite you—just create an account directly at www.gmail.com.
Though still in ‘beta’ I have used Gmail for a long time now with virtually no problems. If you haven’t moved your webmail across from other inferior web email apps, now is the time to do it. Gmail is quite simply excellent.
