advise needed on email provider and sync addressbook.app

[fedjagr]

hi guys,
I was wondering if any of you could give me some advise. I currently use Apple's MobileMess, but it is just not going to allow me to send email using my workaddress (via webmail, which I use a lot). I therefore am looking for another service, because I am fed up with Apple's email service.
This what I need:
an email service with good IMAP and webmail, that has the ability to combine all of my correspondence. So I let everything be forwarded to 'MobMe-alternative' (work and personal email) and then have the possibility to reply to those emails with ANY from-address. There are several companies that offer this, but I really need the syncing between contacts online and addressbook.app as well. I do NOT consider using Gmail, because I don't like their privacy policy and the way the are selling out. I don't mind paying for it if it's a good (and fair) service.

Thanks for any advise!

 

[lordhamster]

hi guys,
I was wondering if any of you could give me some advise. I currently use Apple's MobileMess, but it is just not going to allow me to send email using my workaddress (via webmail, which I use a lot). I therefore am looking for another service, because I am fed up with Apple's email service.
This what I need:
an email service with good IMAP and webmail, that has the ability to combine all of my correspondence. So I let everything be forwarded to 'MobMe-alternative' (work and personal email) and then have the possibility to reply to those emails with ANY from-address. There are several companies that offer this, but I really need the syncing between contacts online and addressbook.app as well. I do NOT consider using Gmail, because I don't like their privacy policy and the way the are selling out. I don't mind paying for it if it's a good (and fair) service.

Thanks for any advise!

Check out mail2web. They are basically a hosted exchange server that would fit the bill quite nicely. This service would also provide you push.

On the free side, Yahoo mail allows you to send email from any email address you own. Forward all your email to yahoo and then set your replyto as any other email. Yahoo mail can also sync contacts with addressbook.app, just not the calendar.

 

[fedjagr]

OK thanks. I'll check mail2web out!
Does Yahoo offer IMAP support for mail.app btw?

 

[fedjagr]

checked mail2web out... Need windows on my desktop unfortunately, they don't support syncing with Mac's addressbook.app

Thanks anyway for the tip

 

[lordhamster]

checked mail2web out... Need windows on my desktop unfortunately, they don't support syncing with Mac's addressbook.app

Thanks anyway for the tip

Actually it does support syncing via Entourage, which is included free with their business plan $14.95/month.

 

[fedjagr]

Actually it does support syncing via Entourage, which is included free with their business plan $14.95/month.

Oh, then I'll have another (more thorough) look. Thanks!

 

[lordhamster]

Oh, then I'll have another (more thorough) look. Thanks!

I think there is a detailed thread either here or on Hofo on the subject. I've never used the product myself so I can't help you any more than that, but there is lots of detailed info out there. The think keeping me from using it is that they only give you 1GB included, then charge for extra space.

for now I'm stuck with forwarding my Gmail to Mobile ME and Yahoo, I still can't decide on which one to use exclusively.

 

[d21mike]

I currently use Apple's MobileMess, but it is just not going to allow me to send email using my workaddress (via webmail, which I use a lot).

I understand your point. I was just wondering why you would not consider using a desktop mail client until the Web Interface is updated. I expect that MobileMe Web would someday support changing the "From / Reply To" but in the meantime you could simply use a different mail client. The reason I ask this is because you will most likely have to compromise somewhere along the way with whatever service you use. If you do a lot of email then an email client might be better. Also, if you have an iPhone it is hard to beat MobileMe integration.

However, I do understand that Mail2Web Exchange or another Exchange Hosting Service could be nice. However, for me I think I would have to pay more to get all the features I need. For Mail2Web I would need the $14.95 per month to get the features I need.

For me the Amazon $119.99 MobileMe Family Pack is the most cost effective for me. I am just hoping/expecting that Apple will make the needed changes. Still on trial until Oct 8.

 

[fedjagr]

I expect that MobileMe Web would someday support changing the "From / Reply To" but in the meantime you could simply use a different mail client.

I have been a .Mac (MobMe) member for over a year now. They just won't allow it... It's their policy I guess. Maybe they want us to use their @me.com address so we can't leave after a while. It's just not fair to people who have their own domain (like me).
I also thought -just like you- that they would make it possible in time. But I have been waiting (and paying) over a year now, and I am fed up with it now.

PS: yes I have to compromise somewhere I'm afraid. MobMe looks sooo great. It could have been sweet... but I won't use @me.com. It's silly and unprofessional. I haven't met a single person who likes @me.com. It's going to be a big flop.
Maybe windows users like it > it'll be the end of Apple being hip and alternative ;-)

 

[d21mike]

PS: yes I have to compromise somewhere I'm afraid. MobMe looks sooo great. It could have been sweet... but I won't use @me.com. It's silly and unprofessional. I haven't met a single person who likes @me.com. It's going to be a big flop.
Maybe windows users like it > it'll be the end of Apple being hip and alternative ;-)

For me I will only use my business email for business (I would be suprised if many plan to use me.com as their business mail address). For business I also have myuserid@mycompany.com, support@mycompany.com and sales@mycompany.com. I forward a copy of my email to MobileMe (was Yahoo) so I can get a copy on my iPhone while away from my office or home computer. Also, I want Contact and Calendar Sync. We do not use Exchange at the office so I needed another solution (or I could get Exchange but I explained that before).

My point is when at the Office or at home I use Outlook Mail Client (I can set the from address). While on the road I use the iPhone Mail Client (which does allow me to send from a different mail address).

I have used Web based mail clients but none can complete with a desktop mail client in my opinion (I understand it is a personal thing).

I have been a .Mac (MobMe) member for over a year now. They just won't allow it... It's their policy I guess. Maybe they want us to use their @me.com address so we can't leave after a while. It's just not fair to people who have their own domain (like me).
I also thought -just like you- that they would make it possible in time. But I have been waiting (and paying) over a year now, and I am fed up with it now.

Maybe you are right and they will never support it. However, I am not sure just because it was not supported on .Mac it will never be supported on MobileMe. As you know .Mac was really just for the MAC Community which is relatively small compared to Windows, Right? With MobileMe they are now going after the much larger market (maybe the reason for changing from .mac to .me). Maybe with a much larger market they would be under more pressure to change and add more features. From what I have heard here they have not invested a lot in .Mac. Hopefully this will change with MobileMe. As you know from my other posts I am a Windows User. Also, I would not even be using it had I not gotten an iPhone. I expect there will by many more like me giving MobileMe a try.

 

[TLewis]

for now I'm stuck with forwarding my Gmail to Mobile ME and Yahoo, I still can't decide on which one to use exclusively.

There are significant advantages to using MobileMe only for contacts and calendars, and using a mail provider other than MobileMe:

• You don't have to give out new email addresses (assuming that you're already using one).
• Other providers may have automatic email filtering. MobileMe has nothing.
• Other providers may have secure web mail access. MobileMe's web mail access is not secure (I hope they fix this). (Note that MobileMe's non-web mail access can be secure.)
• You can use the MobileMe push email as a "you have important mail" alarm. With filtering, you can autoforward (to MobileMe) only important/urgent messages. It's very useful if you get a lot of mail, but only want to be interrupted by the important ones.
• Currently, other providers are probably more reliable. If MobileMe goes down, your email still works.
• Other providers may have better email search capabilities.

Me, I'm using gmail instead of yahoo, because:

• gmail is free. With yahoo, you have to pay to get autoforwarding. With gmail, it's all free.
• I don't think yahoo has IMAP access -- only POP. IMAP is virtually a necessity these days, because it makes email backup/restore and migration easy. For example, I recently moved many of the messages in a non-gmail account, to my gmail account, using IMAP; you can't do this with POP.
• gmail gives you unlimited filtering (although there is something like a limit of 20 rules that can autoforward email). Yahoo limits you to something like 50 (30??) rules.
• Personally, if yahoo gets bought, I think that'll be the beginning of the end. Of course, there's no guarantee that gmail will be around for any length of time, but I think that gmail will be around longer than yahoo, at this point.

I'm using MobileMe mainly for the contacts and calendars, although important gmail gets autoforwarded to MM to use push as a "you have important mail" alarm. I just periodically delete all MM email (I only use it as an alarm, and not for mail).

 

[d21mike]

There are significant advantages to using a mail provider other than MobileMe:

When I started to read your post I was thinking you were saying to "not" use MobileMe at all but by the end of your post you were saying to use MobileMe in combination with something like GMAIL so that you get the best of both worlds. Right?

Actually I agree with you. My mail provider is GoDaddy and my important email is forwared to MobileMe for Push to my iPhone (like I was doing with Yahoo Push). I may decide to forward more. Also, I use MobileMe to Sync Contact and Calendar data between Outlook and my iPhone. All of this is working great.

 

[TLewis]

When I started to read your post I was thinking you were saying to "not" use MobileMe at all but by the end of your post you were saying to use MobileMe in combination with something like GMAIL so that you get the best of both worlds. Right?

Yup. MobileMe for contacts, calendar, and only the "push mail" part of MM email. You use your favorite, full-featured email provider for your real email, and only autoforward "important/urgent" messages to MobileMe, so that your iPhone beeps and tells you about them. You then go to your favorite email provider (not MobileMe) to read and reply.

If I have the time, I'll go back and edit the post, to make it clearer.

 

[fedjagr]

OK guys, thanks for all the input. It does show however, that everybody has some complex system. Nothing is perfect. And I was looking for the perfect email provider that is NOT complex. A solution that would just W O R K. I guess it doesn't exist (yet).
Thanks!

 

[psywzrd]

Yup. MobileMe for contacts, calendar, and only the "push mail" part of MM email. You use your favorite, full-featured email provider for your real email, and only autoforward "important/urgent" messages to MobileMe, so that your iPhone beeps and tells you about them. You then go to your favorite email provider (not MobileMe) to read and reply.

If I have the time, I'll go back and edit the post, to make it clearer.

Why not just use a different outgoing mail server and reply right from your iphone? That's what I do for gmail. My gmail is forwarded to my ".me" account and when I reply from my iphone, it comes from my gmail account.

 

[Dimwhit]

OK guys, thanks for all the input. It does show however, that everybody has some complex system. Nothing is perfect. And I was looking for the perfect email provider that is NOT complex. A solution that would just W O R K. I guess it doesn't exist (yet).
Thanks!

You're describing Gmail. It's the closest one out there, anyway.

 

[TLewis]

Why not just use a different outgoing mail server and reply right from your iphone? That's what I do for gmail. My gmail is forwarded to my ".me" account and when I reply from my iphone, it comes from my gmail account.

Well, I do reply from the iPhone, but I use my gmail account to do it.

If my iPhone beeps, it does so because I've autoforwarded important mail from gmail to MM (not all mail -- just the important stuff). I then use the iPhone to read mail from my gmail account, and reply accordingly. The MM account is only on the iPhone to get the push mail notification. I don't want to use MM as a main email account, because that means that my iPhone would beep for each and every message, and I don't want that. While I do want to get email saying that so-and-so has replied to the XXX thread on macrumors, I don't want my iPhone to beep for messages like this. This is a message that I can read later, and doesn't need to interrupt me.

You're describing Gmail. It's the closest one out there, anyway.

If he's looking for perfection, I don't think it's going to come from MobileMe.

As you say, google is probably the closest. If google ever implements push services (a pretty big "if"), a lot of MM subscribers may jump ship to google. However, the ability to sync multiple clients (calendars & contacts) is still an attractive feature of MM. Google's current calendar sync (for outlook) only syncs one calendar (bleah), and I don't know of a good way of backing up google contacts (google's own .csv format seems to have issues, even if you don't mind the ugly method of backing up each group individually).

 

[webguy]

There are several kerio Mail Hosting providers out there that provide this type of service, and it's much cheaper than exchange. Another plus about Kerio is that it does support iCal, and works with Entourage and apple mail.

We recommend www.keriomailhosting.com to our customers. But there are several others out there too.