Webmail Review
Comparing webmail providers
Webmail takes the task of reading, writing and sending email from an application that sits in your computer and moves it online. It's been around in one form or another almost since the Internet first became popular, but also fits neatly with the red hot trend of "cloud computing" -- doing tasks online, using big company's servers, instead of on your own computer. Doing email online means you can access your emails from any computer -- a big advantage if you work in more than one location. You don't have to worry about synchronizing emails from one computer to another, or between your computer and a Blackberry or iPhone.
Most webmail is free of charge to users, another advantage over email software you install on your own computer. Most computers do come with a basic email program -- on Windows Vista, it's Windows Mail; in Mac OS X it's Apple Mail. To add useful features to Windows Mail (including calendar integration) means buying Microsoft Outlook (*est. $90). The top-ranked online email services, by contrast, throw in integration with calendars, instant messaging and more -- free of charge.
The main drawbacks to using webmail are slower speed and the possibility that the provider's servers will have an outage. Working on your own computer is usually faster than cloud computing -- since an online provider's servers can get overloaded. You also need to be prepared to deal with the typical Internet-related issues, such as heavy net traffic. It also helps to have a fast, broadband connection.
Glitches can happen to your own computer too, but it's especially frustrating when you lose access to all your email if it's stored only online. All three major webmail providers (Gmail, Yahoo! Mail and Windows Live Hotmail) have each had brief outages when users couldn't access their accounts. One solution is to use both webmail and a desktop email program (called an email client).
Most Internet service providers (ISPs) offer free email addresses. You can set up accounts in your computer's email program, but also access email online at the ISP's website. The main drawback is that if you change ISPs (or your ISP is bought by another company) you may have to change your email address and let all your contacts know. Also, some ISPs don't let you keep an email on their server after you've downloaded it to a computer.
Some webmail services synchronize between online use and your computer's email client. This can give you the best of both worlds -- a permanent email address, fast email work when you're at your own computer(s) but online access anywhere. The drawback is that some of these webmail services carry a fee (*est. $20/year).
Online-only webmail lets you work only via the Internet, so you don't have access to email if you lose connection or the provider's service is down. It's a simple solution, however, and it's ideal if you travel a lot or do lots of email by cell phone. The main drawback is that the free webmail services usually attach ads to your emails -- even to the ones you send.
There are other things to consider -- such as the biggest file attachment you're apt to want to send by email, or whether or not you like to store emails in nested folders. Reviews say that storage size doesn't distinguish among the top webmail providers any more; they all provide plenty for most users. Our "What to Look For" section lists some of the features reviewers emphasize.
There are lots of reviews of webmail services, though not all are recent enough to have kept up with the very latest developments. The email guide at About.com compares over 20 webmail offerings, rating each on a five-point scale and giving it a full review. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.) These reviews are undated, however. The recent comparison reviews at Web User (a British Internet-centric magazine), Macworld and Windows Secrets cover the top contenders in detail and are also excellent resources. We also found several older but still excellent reviews at sites like Web Worker Daily, Which? (Britain's equivalent to Consumer Reports), The Wall Street Journal and elsewhere. However, while those reviews are still a worthwhile read, some details have changed, so we suggest checking specific features at the providers' websites.
