If you are just looking for an email address independant from an ISP, then why not use a Hotmail, Yahoo, or Google Mail?
The main advantage - it's free.
I can personally recommend Google Mail, I've been using it for over a year now, and it is by far the best email service I have ever used, including email services provided with my domains.
Google Mail has full support for POP3 so you can also use it with an email client.
As Google Mail is not publically avaliable, feel free to PM me and I can send you an invite.