Over the past few years, I've tried a number of Web-based e-mail services. Some were good, most were not. When I first tried Yahoo! Mail, I wasn't too impressed. There were times when I couldn't log in, and other times when I couldn't connect to the site.

But things have changed, and Yahoo! Mail has gotten a lot better. In fact, it's become my main e-mail service for a number of reasons. The first of these is ease of use. Everything is there in front of you, available at a mouse click. Unlike some other online mail services, the Yahoo! Mail functions are clearly labelled.

The second reason is accessibility. You can turn the frames on and off (great if you're using a PDA to access your mail). And all functions are either buttons or text links -- no graphics. Again, useful when using a PDA, or when you're forced to use a slower connection and have to turn your graphics off (as many do).

Then, there are the nice extras. You can view various attachments, from text and word processor files to graphics. The virus scanner allows you to scan documents and files before downloading them. And you can now encrypt your Yahoo! Mail messages.

One feature I really like, which has been aped by other services, is Check Other Mail. For a variety of reasons, I maintain a couple of other e-mail addresses. And I can't always access them when I'm away from my main computer. Using Check Other Mail, I can do this while still keeping a copy of the message on my ISP's server.

My biggest complaint is that I sometimes still have trouble accessing the Yahoo! Mail site. Either the browser won't connect or the log in freezes. It's annoying, to say the least. I also worry about the security of my account. On the main page, you can select a standard or secure sign in. I'm sure most people ignore this. I think secure sign in should be the default.

Overall, though, I'm very happy with Yahoo! Mail. It has all the options and functions I need. In fact, I use it as much as I use the e-mail account from my ISP.



Recommended: Yes