as he said, solidifying the brand. specifically: i get the feeling a lot of developers here want to be all knowing of the "cool new thing." many of them think thats DDG, and a DDG email address would be a badge they show off. I know for sure if I switched from my gmail address a TON of people would ask me why and what the hell DDG was.

I think it helps solidify the brand. Makes it seem more like a services company that won't go away over night. Not a bad idea.

Hell, just offer an extremely tiny "DuckMail" beta with 8 users and never take it public -- it's the thought that counts IMO.