What is your primary email service?

[Digital Skunk]

Now that Mobile Me has lost the iDisk and doesn't provide webhosting anymore it's strictly Gmail.

 

[Zwhaler]

2 gmails, one yahoo. The yahoo is oldest (@sbcglobal.net address) but gmail is used most frequently for business.

 

[TLewis]

Hosted IMAP account. I'm amazed at how many people trust Google or MS with their emails (and their contents), TBH.

While you certainly have a point, a big problem is that there's no other service, free or non-free, that even comes close to gmail's features:

• Push email, contacts, and calendars for iOS devices.
• Unlimited number of advanced server-side filter rules (I have well over 50 rules in my list).
• Large amount of storage (google gives you 7GB+).
• Tags/labels. I originally disliked tags/labels, but I now like them. They're actually more powerful than folders (and I can still get folder-like functionality through the creative use of tags/labels).

IMAP doesn't work for me, because it doesn't support push on iOS.

I've looked at moving to exchange-based hosting, but the cheapest reliable place costs something like $13/month, and that only comes with 2GB of storage. I've also looked at setting up my own mail server using zimbra or zarafa, but I really don't feel like doing email admin.

 

[808?]

Mobile Me.

 

[_Matt]

iCloud. Only iCloud. It's fantastic. Switched from Gmail.

 

[jsgreen]

I've been using Fastmail as my email provider for years, very happy with the service.

http://www.fastmail.fm

 

[sulliweb]

I've looked at moving to exchange-based hosting, but the cheapest reliable place costs something like $13/month, and that only comes with 2GB of storage.

Office 365... Enough said.

$6 a month for hosted Exchange. It's got a great interface, comes with more than just Exchange, but Exchange is easily worth $6 a month. I know it comes down to trusting MS, but I'd rather trust MS with my data (who either has never been smart enough or cared enough to use my data against me) than Google (who data mines every detail to throw more marketing in your face).

As with all things, it's a personal preference. For me, I just like the look of web-based Outlook 2010 or just using Outlook on my computer over G-Mail any day of the week.

Now, all that said, it ain't perfect, but it's worth your time to check it out at least.

 

[rowley]

Other/gmail hybrid

I have my own mail server, but ...
I have a number of pop accounts, they get picked up by gmail.
I access Gmail with imap, and send mail out out using my own domains smtp server.

 

[Alaerian]

Lump me in with the GMail crowd. I'm slowly moving to my iCloud address for the personal stuff.

 

[TLewis]

Office 365... Enough said.

Thanks, I'll check it out.

 

[Invincibilizer]

Google mail always, spam accs I use yahoo.

 

[iDuel]

iCloud. I recently moved from AOL.

 

[Primejimbo]

Google mail always, spam accs I use yahoo.

I see more and more people using Yahoo for spam stuff.

 

[ideal.dreams]

I use iCloud. Love it and I would still pay the $99/year if it didn't become free. Couldn't be happier

 

[Ashka]

2 x Google accounts 'IMAP' so mail is available on iPad.
No other sync ...

 

[wineandcarbs]

I use a hosted exchange.

 

[X5-452]

Gmail.

I would like to switch to iCloud/Me for the integrated ecosystem, but as I've been with Gmail for so long and have my whole digital life associated with that account, I fear it might be too difficult.

 

[takeshi74]

I'm amazed at how many people trust Google or MS with their emails (and their contents), TBH.

It's certainly good to be concerned about privacy but the tinfoil hatters need to remember what Google's core business is and how gmail ties in. If people can't trust gmail then it affects their primary revenue stream.

...and why are you singling out Google and MS? Are Yahoo, Apple and others somehow exempt?

Office 365

That's actually really good pricing for hosted Exchange.

 

[george-brooks]

.mac -> MobileMe -> iCloud for my personal email. (I never saw much wrong with MobileMe)

gmail for my school email address

----------

Now that Mobile Me has lost the iDisk and doesn't provide webhosting anymore it's strictly Gmail.

I'm upset about that too, but I'm even more upset about galleries. That was the only good looking, easy and secure way I could ever find to show and deliver images to clients. Anyone know of a good replacement service that offers password protected albums that can be downloaded??

 

[crawler]

icloud all the way

 

[TimTheEnchanter]

Have my own domain which the email is managed through Google apps, which is basically rebranded Gmail.

Otherwise: 1 other, 1 .Mac, 2 Gmails and 1 Yahoo.

 

[sulliweb]

...and why are you singling out Google and MS? Are Yahoo, Apple and others somehow exempt?


That's actually really good pricing for hosted Exchange.

They're all guilty of it... I always associate it more with Google than the others. MS does it, but never has overtly done anything with it except their own marketing stuff (ie - number of users, copies sold, etc...) After all the other legal trouble they've been in, I figure they wouldn't push that one too hard.

Apple... I'm still waiting. They really in my mind just entered the game two years ago. The iPhone put them on the mainstream map, but they didn't really do anything with it until iOS4 and the introduction of iAds. Since then, location tracking and some other questions have popped up. It's not enough to put them in with Google yet, but it makes me cautious. I kind of want to give them a couple of years more before I weigh in on how they use the data they mine... They haven't crossed a line yet, but it's hard to see past the Apple

As for the hosted exchange pricing, when you think about the other stuff that includes... It's really not bad... And I'd stack Office 365's web interface up against iCloud or G-Mail any day of the week. It's nice! I just can't stand the redesigned G-Mail... too blocky... Though, that's just a personal preference.

 

[takeshi74]

Thanks again for suggesting Office 365. Just made the switch after Apptix announced that they were going to slap users with a $20 "premier support fee" on top of their current monthly service pricing.

 

[barredfreak]

Definitely Gmail. Though I might be switching to iCloud soon.

 

[TLewis]

Thanks again for suggesting Office 365. Just made the switch after Apptix announced that they were going to slap users with a $20 "premier support fee" on top of their current monthly service pricing.

Well, I, too, signed up for office365, and discovered some annoying things afterwards:

1. They certainly don't make it obvious, but password aging is turned on. By default, you are forced to change your password every 90 days.
2. I believe you are only told about an-about-to-expire password if you use the webmail interface. I believe you're screwed, otherwise.
3. If you use only the iPad/iPhone to access office365 mail, you're not told jack -- there is no warning. There are no email messages warning you that your password is about to expire. You only find out about it when your mail STOPS WORKING. Even then, it just looks like a "wrong password" error, and you have to figure it out by reading between the lines when you try accessing your mail via the web interface.
4. Yes, the aging timeout is 90 days, and, no, you cannot change it.
5. Yes, you can turn it off, but apparently:
   1. No, you cannot do it from a web browser.
   2. No, you cannot do it with OS X.
   3. You must do it from windows.
   4. No, you cannot use a web browser like internet explorer (yes, I said this twice).
   5. You must do it using the windows powershell. (OMG, really?)
   6. Which means that you must type arcane command-line commands to change this.

I get the impression that someone in microsoft is actively trying to kill their products and make them sell poorly.

Maybe they'll fix it, maybe they won't.

Edit: of course you can set a calendar reminder for telling you that your password is about to expire, but, seriously, something like this should be automatically done. It's unbelievably user-hostile to simply cut off email service without any warning.