11-18-2004, 07:00 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
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Good-bye Hotmail, Hello GMail
I have had my Hotmail account for years, going back at least to 1999 and possibly as early as 1998. I started using it a bit more than just as my Passport/Instant Messenger account when Outlook XP was released and it supported Hotmail accounts. I have never cared for the Hotmail web interface. Too slow and it used to insist on putting any link you click on in a frame. This summer I got a GMail invite and figured what the heck. You can never have too many email accounts, right? :wink:
GMail gave me a gig of storage, which should last me a few decades for normal text emails versus Hotmail's 2MB, but Hotmail allowed access from Outlook, so it was an even trade. Hotmail 1, GMail 1.
Last week, GMail began offering SSL POP3 access and they turned it on for my account a few days ago. It works quite nicely. The only issue is emails in your "Sent" folder on the GMail service appear in your Inbox when you download via POP3. The service is still in beta but even if they don't change that "feature" I can live with it. Hotmail 1, GMail 2.
Recently, ;878462"]Microsoft began turning off Outlook/Outlook Express access to new Hotmail accounts and are starting to do so for existing accounts. It appears mine got turned off yesterday. Hotmail 0, GMail 2. GMail's SSL POP3 access also works on Windows Mobile 2003 and higher inboxes, which is a bonus. Make that Hotmail 0, GMail 3. :mrgreen:
If GMail were to start charging $20 per year, the price Hotmail wants for premium access, I'd do it in a heartbeat. The POP3 access is great and their web interface is the best web mail UI I've ever seen. I wouldn't pay $20 for lifetime access to Hotmail's service that is only available on desktops with Microsoft only software and their busy web interface.
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