Google or Live Services

[Phillip Dyson]

I'm looking to retire my ISP's email address and move to another set of services. I currently have both a Gmail and Live emal sitting on standbye.

I currently have my ISP email forwarding to my hosted exchange account.

I'm not just asking about email though. I currently have a Nexus One and like it alot, but I'm also very excited about Windows Phone 7.

I would like to hear from the Thoughts family about which set of services they either prefer, or wouild recommend.

Thanks

[Phillip Dyson]

No one has any thoughts or opinions on this?
I know there are a variety of users in the Thoughts community...

[Phillip Dyson]

Well, for the time being I'm going to transition from my ISP email account over to a gmail account. Just looking at email I suppose it is the better solution.

Although I would like to have all of my services together. If Microsoft ever releases OneNote for Android I would be making use of Skydrive.

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

I've discovered Springpad and for me that works better. :D

[Phillip Dyson]

Thanks Lee,
I've gone with Springpad myself. I'm using using it very heavy now but I like what I see.

I still can't believe no one has an opinion on Google services versus Live services.

[Sven Johannsen]

Well, to be honest, there isn't anything compelling in WP7 at this point to recommend WLS over Google. You would think SkyDrive and Office hub would nail it, but unfortunately...no. Yes there is an Office hub, but without Exchange and Sharepoint, and 2010 to boot, you have to go to Skydrive via IE to get your documents (other than OneNote), and once on the device, there is no way to put them back. Don't have Live messenger on the device. Hotmail does work great. Using Exchange AS it is like being hooked to an Exchange server with push, folders and everything.

Don't know how Google's stuff integrates on Google's phone, but MS's stuff doesn't work any better than Google's stuff on MS's phone. Yet.

Have you tried opening the Web based OneNote on your Nexus?

[Phillip Dyson]

Have you tried opening the Web based OneNote on your Nexus?

When I log in to Live.com I can't even find OneNote. To be honest I can't find any of them. When i go to office it just directs me to My Documents. I suppose I could check to see if I could open a pre-existing Onenote document, but if I can only read then it doesn't have much point for me.

[Sven Johannsen]

One Note is very functional, read, write, add pages, delete, whatever. It also syncs with the Office Live copy, and that one with your desktop copy if you wish. OneNote does what the entire Office Suite should do with Skydrive. Try going to Skydrive.live.com and see if you can't get to your office web stuff there. I actually find it works much better if you have IE set to default to mobile mode than desktop. Too much pinching/zooming/scrolling in desktop.

Note there is one specific Notebook setup to sync, Personal (Web) that is set up to start. You can get others to sync but need to create them in the cloud and open them the first time from Skydrive it seems.

Sadly OneNote on iPhone syncs just as well with that same Cloud based Notebook.

[Phillip Dyson]

OneNote documents are even worse for me. They don't render at all in the browser like Word and Powerpoint docs. When I selects it it attempts to download. Which ultimately fails.

[Sven Johannsen]

Hmm, wonder why. Do you have the browser set to mobile? I've demo'd to a couple of folks, creating a new NoteBook on a PC (in web apps) getting to it on the phone via IE/skydrive, and sucking it down into the Office Hub. It didn't try to open in the browser (unless I was in desktop view), and the download just worked.

[Phillip Dyson]

Sven,
What kind of device are you using? I don't have IE.
I remember looking this up awhile ago and Android's browser wasn't officially supported for the web apps.

I found this article on answers.microsoft.com (http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/office/forum/webapps-onenote/trying-to-access-onenote-skydrive-stored-docs-from/a35be369-e8e6-4d4a-ad51-65ab990aa959)

[Phillip Dyson]

Well, I may actually have a something that might push me towards Live.
I have just discovered that there is no way to respond to meeting invites in the Android native Gmail App.

Since my live email would use the Exchange Inbox app I know it would give me the option.