On the first anniversary of its inception Google has doubled the capacity of its Gmail service and added new features.

Those invited to have an account now get 2GB of storage, the ability to send up to 10MB of photos in a single message and free POP access. The site also supports many more web browsers.

The 2GB figure is only the start, and Google has said that it will increase the size further.

"Storage is an important part of email, but that doesn't mean you should have to worry about it," said the company in a statement.

"Our plan is to continue growing your storage beyond 2GB by giving more space as we are able to do so. We know that email will only become more important in people's lives, and we want Gmail to keep up with our users and their needs."

The move comes after last week's decision by Yahoo to increase the size of its free account to 1GB. Both Yahoo and Hotmail can offer up to 2GB of storage as well, but users must pay for the privilege.

Google is also testing phishing protection on the accounts. If a suspicious looking email is received the software will warn the user of the potential dangers. A link will then open a page of advice on how to spot phishing emails.