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Old 03-31-2009, 02:00 PM
Jon Westfall
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Default A Windows Man Goes Google

About a month ago I decided to try something. For over 4 years I'd had a Gmail account that did little more than filter SPAM before it passed up to my exchange server, yet I kept hearing about all the awesome things you could do with Gmail. Sites touted various features and gizmos, the ability to search easier and the quicker load times than my existing solution, Outlook. So I decided to take the plunge and go Google for a bit and see how I felt about it.

Photo Credit: flickr user murilomernardes

On February 26 I disabled Gmail's forwarding to my exchange server, and now after 1 month, I'm ready to share my impressions. First, I'll share a bit about my motivations regarding the Google experiment. First, Outlook can be an awesome product if you exist solely in 1 email strata. If you're using it for your corporate mail, on your corporate laptop, for your corporate buddies to send you corporate things, it's awesome. Aside from slower than preferably load times, it provides everything you'd need to be productive. But my situation isn't strictly corporate. In fact, my exchange server has 3 users on it. This left me wondering if a product geared toward consumers may be a bit more useful to me.

Another thing that intrigued me was the strange mystique GMail has. If someone tells you that their official public email is [email protected] or @yahoo.com, you may wonder why they would use a service that doesn't provide a professional domain name. After all, yahoo @ hotmail are the addresses favored by angst-ridden teenagers everywhere. But if someone publishes a @gmail.com address, they tend to be cast differently - a psychological oddity where one free e-mail service appears more "professional" than others. This made me a bit less leary when sending e-mails that stated in the from line as "on behalf of".

The GMail switch went seemless on my desktop after I dumped my calendar & contacts in Google, but I had one problem: My beloved Pocket PC. Gone was easy Exchange activesync for e-mail, although it still existed for calendars and contacts. Moving off Exchange e-mail on my Pocket PC to clunky old imap was one of the hardest parts of the entire experiment (Even after I found this software, which I then patched - gotta love Open Source). So critical is e-mail to me, that imap simply was unacceptable as a solution (at least in Windows Mobile's current imap implementation). Third party apps were too bulky, and so my experiment prompted what may be the first surprise revelation of this piece: I stopped using my Windows Mobile devices as my primary phone. Yes, you read that right - a Windows Mobile MVP who had used Windows Mobile for 6 years without missing a beat switched. And what did I switch to? A G1, after all, it fits in with the Google experiment, right?

So now that all of the exposition is done, how do I feel after 1 month? Well, here's the points I have to make. You're welcome to comment on any or all of them.

  • Google's suite of services is dang impressive for consumers, yet seems a bit unfinished. I told you that I had a GMail account, and this means I also could log into other Google services. I hardly ever did though, except for iGoogle which I used as my homepage. Switching to GMail for e-mail caused me to begin heavily using Google Reader to catch up on website, Google Calendar, Google Docs for quick document creation & sharing, and more. Given what was available in 2003 when I went to Exchange/Pocket PC/Office full time, I'm amazed by how much Google offers, and for the low price of free. However the 'beta' labels I saw throughout my Google experience, coupled with a few oddities made me wonder how acceptable Gmail is as a full time solution. What oddities? Oh, maybe this outage, or labs features being taken for granted (After all, beta means nothing in Google land right?). And of course, a pseudo-real offline client.
  • It is unfeasible, when working and playing with others, to ditch Office. This may be a bit controversial, but to a person who has all Office using colleagues and friends, it is not practical to switch away from Outlook, Word, & Excel to Gmail, Docs, and Spreadsheets which arguably would be the next transition to go from Microsoft to Google. It also might not be all that safe.
  • Android is not ready for prime time. One of the more interesting parts of the experiment has been using an android phone. While some parts are very nice, the only reason I have stayed on Android for the last 2 weeks (and I've been an Android user for 3 weeks now) is the seemless E-mail, Contacts, & Calendar sync. If Google offered e-mail through Activesync (Which is rumored to possibly come in the future), I'd switch back to Windows Mobile full time tomorrow. Android shows a lot of promise, but simply isn't there yet. Examples? Well, how about the Marketplace application. The same apps stay at the top, the search options are terrible (especially for a Google product), and the reviews are hit and miss (here's a piece with more ranting on it) . Another example? Well the homescreen isn't too customizable unless you use a third party (Seriously Google, 2 widgets? Why have them at all?). And a last example that bugged the heck out of me? The built-in maps program is so bad that when navigating, it doesn't even keep your location updated regularly (Which renders it useless for driving). One bright spot though - it would let me use T-Mobile's 3G network for the first time, if I lived in a place with 3G coverage.

There are my three observations after one month. Google seems to work well for the individual, Microsoft works well for the corporation. I'm an individual academic, so where do I fit in - I'm neither kooky one-man hipster blogger type (If I was I'd be on a Mac right?) or corporate drone. In a sense, and I guess the principle finding of my Google Month is this: I could switch from Microsoft to Google, but it wouldn't cause any fewer headaches.

So what do I plan to do in April? Well my bloodlust for Windows Mobile devices stilll runneth deep within my veins. Translation: I have a new device waiting at my local post office, and it ain't an android phone. For now I'm back on Exchange, but I'm keeping Google sync'ed up with my Calendar/contacts/e-mail. Why? Well for one, I may use the G1 again when travelling to T-Mobile 3G coverage areas (Especially with this hack I found) and next month I'll probably play with it when the next major Android release drops. And second - it's always nice to have options (especially with a self-administered Exchange box running off a DSL connection). So there you have it. Google wasn't my messiah - and while I may not be a cool hip blogger guy talking about his favorite GMail tweaks, I do have years of Windows Mobile and outlook experience to continue to share!

Jon Westfall is a decision making researcher, tech enthusiast, Windows Mobile MVP, and all around great guy. He writes for Pocket PC Thoughts, a member of the Thoughts Media Network.

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  #2  
Old 03-31-2009, 02:36 PM
heliod
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Jon,

I have three comments on this outstanding writeup:

1. First, I happen to agree with all your conclusions.

2. Secondly, maybe I am quite paranoic, but I have a very big problem in my mind in putting my contacts, calendar, and email into the mailbox of a company that defines itself as a search engine and declares it can do anything with any data it has in its servers.

3. Last, I would like to hear about what problems you have in opening many mailboxes in your Outlook. I have 4 boxes open all the time (one corporate, two from PocketPCFreak, and one from home - none of them is in POP3 mode, all in Exchange mode, you can do it as long as they are in the same server), and the only inconvenient is that it is a little slower than when I have only one.

Best regards,

Helio
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  #3  
Old 03-31-2009, 02:44 PM
Jon Westfall
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Quote:
Originally Posted by heliod View Post

3. Last, I would like to hear about what problems you have in opening many mailboxes in your Outlook. I have 4 boxes open all the time (one corporate, two from PocketPCFreak, and one from home - none of them is in POP3 mode, all in Exchange mode, you can do it as long as they are in the same server), and the only inconvenient is that it is a little slower than when I have only one.

Best regards,

Helio
It's not so much a slowness once Outlook is up and running - it's too slow on the load in my opinion. I click the icon, wait 15-20 seconds to get the Outlook Anywhere (RPC over HTTP) login dialog (even if it's set to try HTTP first), then type in my credentials and wait another 15-20 seconds to log in. Updating the mailbox takes around a minute afterward. I understand these things take time, but if I want to open Outlook and just view something already cached on my computer, I should be able to click the icon, hit Escape on the credentials dialog, and be browsing my folders in 10 seconds - tops!
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Old 03-31-2009, 03:06 PM
darren-lin
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1. Google now offers Google Apps so that you could use you own domain with GMail. So I make it my spam filter since I think its capability is better than Exchange Server. The conversation view of GMail is simply awesome and in the future Office & Exchange 14 will included conversation view like GMail. What's more, Outlook Web Accessit be renamed Outlook Live, which will support other browser such as Safari, Firefox and Chorme with full features.

2. The Outlook 2007 problem has been fixed by Microsoft when you install Office 2007 SP2, which will be released in the near future. However, you could install the Cumulative Update according to the blog post.

I have tried it and it really works. The performance is significantly improved.

http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/20...24/450881.aspx
 
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Old 03-31-2009, 04:27 PM
emuelle1
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I've been moving away from Outlook lately. I used it for years, but I got tired of instability. I also got tired of ActiveSync duplicating my appointments and tasks and contacts for no good reason. It usually happened after a hard reset or when I started syncing with a new computer, but sometimes it just happened for no apparent reason.

I use FlexMail 4 on my Samsung Epix for email, but on the desktop or laptop I use gmail's web client. I started putting everything on Google Calendar. I know, privacy concerns, but it works and it syncs with just about everything but my wife's paper calendar on the fridge.

For tasks, I've been using Remember The Milk. I finally bought the pro subscription yesterday. I'm completely out from under Outlook, so I can ditch Windows Mobile when I get a new device. I should have gotten an iPhone instead of the Epix, but I was too dependent on Outlook at the time.

I agree that Outlook is slow. I've also had stability issues with it, especially while syncing with my phone.
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Old 03-31-2009, 04:37 PM
adamz
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I don't know, I think having a Gmail address is exactly as unprofessional as having a Yahoo, Hotmail, or AOL address. Any kind of free-mail domain that doesn't identify you as being part of a unique business is unprofessional. I hear you can attach a unique domain to a Gmail account though so that you can use Gmail's services without appearing to be an angst-ridden teenager.
 
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Old 03-31-2009, 06:06 PM
BevHoward
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A year or so ago, I had an "aha!" moment understanding google apps when compared to other vendors and it centered around that critical factor, money and I'm guessing it will come into play here in the near future.

The traditional software model is based on the given that the vendor develops the software, then the user pays for it. The problem with that model is that the vendor has zero motivation to support, fix or upgrade the software other than to prompt the user to repurchase the app.

Since Google's revenue source begins after the installation and use, if you review any of google's offerings, you can see that user considerations are of prime importance plus their improvement time lines are way better than any other software house.

We've all been watching GMail since it's intro, and it would be hard to deny that the above principals are not in play.

Beverly Howard
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  #8  
Old 03-31-2009, 06:08 PM
Jason Dunn
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First up: great article Jon!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon Westfall View Post
It's not so much a slowness once Outlook is up and running - it's too slow on the load in my opinion. I click the icon, wait 15-20 seconds to get the Outlook Anywhere (RPC over HTTP) login dialog (even if it's set to try HTTP first), then type in my credentials and wait another 15-20 seconds to log in.
I don't see any of that - but I'm on Outlook 2007 and Exchange 2007. My Outlook experience is *awesome* for the most part. Are you running an older version of Exchange, or an older version of Outlook?
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Old 03-31-2009, 06:25 PM
Ed Hansberry
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon Westfall View Post
It's not so much a slowness once Outlook is up and running - it's too slow on the load in my opinion. I click the icon, wait 15-20 seconds to get the Outlook Anywhere (RPC over HTTP) login dialog (even if it's set to try HTTP first), then type in my credentials and wait another 15-20 seconds to log in. Updating the mailbox takes around a minute afterward. I understand these things take time, but if I want to open Outlook and just view something already cached on my computer, I should be able to click the icon, hit Escape on the credentials dialog, and be browsing my folders in 10 seconds - tops!
I think this is a network issue, not OUtlook per se. I see the same issues you do when my laptop is at home, but at work, I don't. And my Exchange server is 800 miles away at another office, so both home/work are accessing over the internet.
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Old 03-31-2009, 07:25 PM
RogueSpear
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Quote:
Originally Posted by adamz View Post
Any kind of free-mail domain that doesn't identify you as being part of a unique business is unprofessional.
This says a lot more about you than my @gmail.com says about me. Grow up already.
 
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