Email Review
NEIRAD enilno edition
AOL, Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo. There are dozens of different ways to get a free e-mail account, but which is the best? Which should you use? Puzzled by the question, I decided to examine the pros and cons of the most popular Internet email providers.
Windows Live Hotmail (5 GB storage / 256.2 million users)
Besides being the email provider with the most users, Windows Live Hotmail is what I would recommend the least. Even though it is easy to use and looks very nice, it is slow and rarely detects spam email. It also doesn’t work well with Macintosh since it can’t be used in the instant messaging program, “iChat”, or with the “Mail”, Macintosh’s version of “Outlook”. I’ve had bad experiences with Hotmail and I definitely do not recommend this service for Mac users. I often steer people away from Microsoft’s free email service.
Yahoo! Mail (1 GB storage / 254.6 million users)
Once signed on to Yahoo! email, the user sees the weather and the latest news from the Associated Press (AP). On the left are the standard menu bar items: (Inbox, Trash, Folders, Contacts, etc.). Once an item is clicked on, a new tab opens in the window. Then each time the user clicks on something it opens in a new tab unless the previous tab is closed. Even though it seems like a weird system at first, it’s a great way system of organization. The menu makes it simple to multi-task in the fast-paced world of the Internet. Yahoo! Mail also offers a variety of great stationeries and word processing functions (including eight of the most used fonts) to make email appear neat, organized, and professional/casual. (Whatever fits the occasion) I’ll recommend Yahoo! Mail to anyone, anytime. In my opinion it’s the best.
Gmail (7 GB storage / 91.6 million users)
Gmail isn’t my favorite, but I still like it. It’s simple, organized (though not as much as others), and contains all the basics. It also lets the user easily use the other 42+ programs Google offers (e.g. Google Calendar, Documents, Reader, Checkout etc...). But besides that it doesn’t offer anything that other providers with the exception of one feature: when the person double clicks on an email, not only do they get that email but also a list of all the other email with the same subject and a response box at the bottom. This lets a person quickly respond to a new email. This feature helps a lot and that’s mostly why I like using Gmail. I still recommend it, but I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite.
AOL Mail (2 GB storage / 48.9 million users)
AOL Mail is my second favorite. That is not to say AOL is not a great email provider. Just like Yahoo! Mail, AOL provides all the basic stuff but includes a super handy right toolbar. This lets a person instant message with friends; see your contacts; review calendar/make new events; review a to-do list, access links to games; check the weather forecast and much more. The user can even access Gmail or Yahoo! email without ever having to leave their inbox. AOL Mail is definitely something I’d recommend! And even though it’s the one with least users, it’s still my number two on the list.
Conclusion: 1st pick - Yahoo! Mail; 2nd pick - AOL Mail; 3rd pick - Gmail; 4th pick - Hotmail
