Yahoo Mail Seriously Kicks Butt
Written: Oct 27 '99
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Product Rating:
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Pros: free, can reach account via an browser (it is web based), it has many advanced features
Cons: only gives you 3 Mb of space, there are banners on the site and ads in your outgoing mail (remember, it is free though), can't reach account via telnet
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| webword's Full Review: Yahoo! Mail |
I use My Yahoo. As part of that service, I use Yahoo’s web based email. I might as well, since I am already at My Yahoo checking news, stocks, weather, and other general information. My Yahoo is a highly configurable environment. And, the configuration process is easy as pie. Easy is good. Many other folks that I’ve talked to use Yahoo’s email. In fact, virtually all of my friends use My Yahoo and Yahoo’s web based email.
I’ve tried a variety of other free web based email services. Netscape, Excite, and Hotmail, to name a few. I don’t like them. They don’t have a good look and feel. And, they tend to force you through more steps to get things done. They don’t allow the same level of configuration and they are not as well integrated with other services. On the flip side, Yahoo’s email is well integrated with other Yahoo services. Further, it looks good (except for the frames), and the navigation is clean.
How usable is the Yahoo email service?
When you sign into My Yahoo, an email account link is listed near the upper left hand corner of the screen. It is an obvious and easy to pick out link. If you have new messages you click on the link and it and it takes you into your mail account (you can also click on the link when there are no new messages). This hyperlink takes you to your email, your calendar, and other useful mail-related stuff. You can search your email, you can update your calendar, you can choose to receive newsletters, and a whole lot more. In just a few clicks you have a highly personalized experience.
The help desk area offers answers to the top five questions asked by users. It also details how to use your account, administer your account, and offers up a few general information tidbits. I rarely use the help since the service works so well. However, when I have used it, I found answers fast.
Cool features:
1) You can sort your mail by sender, file size, date and subject.
2) In two clicks you can erase all of your old email.
3) Creating and choosing folders is a snap.
4) You can easily add attachments to your messages.
5) You can also receive mail from your other mail accounts. This is a great feature for road warriors.
6) Spell checking.
7) You can send greeting cards.
8) You can send email as plain text or HTML.
The list goes on and on. Yahoo has put together a fine package. It is free, pages load fast, and using the service is very easy to use. This is a surprisingly robust mail package.
Some Issues…
I can’t let Yahoo get off the hook without a few jabs. First, I never have enough space. You only get 3 Mb. Seems like a lot, but it isn’t. You’ll use it up fast, especially if you save your outgoing mail. Second, like any web based email package, your email isn’t always sent out (or received) immediately. It can take several hours to get routed. This is rare, but it does happen. Third, I don’t like the user name I chose. There were very few that fit what I wanted. I am stuck with a lame account. Fourth, I can’t reach the account via telnet. I do this often with my other accounts, but I can’t do it with Yahoo’s mail. Fifth, this is not an industrial strength email package. You can’t set up filters or other related services. Your mail isn’t auto-routed to certain folders based on send or subject for example. Sixth, there is no spam protection. Not a big deal, but it can be a pain to get unwanted email.
Overall, this is an excellent, free web based email service. Combined with My Yahoo, this is truly excellent. I can easily put up with ads here and there, and the short (2 –3 line) ads that are attached to each email are reasonable. Note, for this reason, it really isn’t a service that should be used by a business. However, it is highly useful for personal use. I also use my account when I am doing testing that requires email from outside our corporate firewall.
Hope this helps!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
webword
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Member: John Rhodes
Reviews written: 24
Trusted by: 88 members
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