What is your PRIMARY mail?

[bplat]

Me, I'm using myrealbox for public addresses, then use fastmail to gather it all in. Occasionally I use operamail for those times when you have to enter some email address.

-bert

[ReuvenNY]

Here is what I recently posted on another forum. I think it answers the original question posted here relating to selection criteria:
---------------------------------

There are some pre - requisites before I examine the features of a prospective service: Reliability, Speed and Support. Also, my personal assessment of the people behind the service is important. I do not think I have to elaborate on these. I'll only say that if I am unhappy with even ONE of the above, I'll dismiss them before I look at their features. I believe that all the three services in question pass this test. (I have an account with all of them).

When it come to features, my list below represents pretty much the order of importance:

1. IMAP support
2. Ability to read HTML messages automatically, without any additional clicks.
3. Spam/Virus protection
4. Ability to host with them my own domain.
5. Clean and pleasant user interface
6. Flexibility in designing the features (storage size, bandwidth etc.)
7. Adaptability to the changing conditions in the email world
8. Value (price/features ratio)

Typically, I will try a service for a year or so, before deciding whether to stick with them in the long run. That will allow me the time needed to examine the most crucial aspects mentioned above.

[claven]

Fastmail! There are a lot of great reasons to be a paying customer, not the least of which is these forums! I've been burned a couple of times on providers gone astray, so I'm particularly interested in:
- service reliability and speed,
- customer support that actually responds and fixes problems quickly,
- stability, growth, and commitment of the provider to keep the service at or above the industry norm

If the price is ridiculous, the interface painfully cumbersome, or the mailbox tiny, that's just a non-starter in today's competitive market!

Fusemail is also making a very good early impression!

[LrdVader]

Primary: FastMail
Backup/signups/spamtrap: Yahoo

Probably the best thing about FastMail is that they have a webmail interface that I don't mind using! I've always used POP accounts, and considered webmail to be a lousy substitute for a real mail client to be used only in a pinch.

I tried Runbox, Mailsnare, and FastMail. FastMail was the only one that didn't feel awkward or leave me wondering "How the heck do I do ______?" only to discover a few minutes later "Dangit, I can't!" I'll admit it took a bit of getting used to, but I've fallen in love. I just can't get over the fact that I'm using webmail full-time, and not feeling like I'm using a second-rate, feature-deprived service. I didn't know it was possible for me to actually *like* webmail.

I used to use The Bat!, but I abandoned it when I got my FastMail account last month because it didn't have good IMAP support. I've been dabbling in Mozilla and Thunderbird, but I actually keep feeling like they're more awkward than the web interface. Trust me, it's quite an accomplishment to have me liking webmail, let alone paying for it. The entire FastMail team should be congratulated!

As for Yahoo, I signed up mostly out of laziness some years ago, when most webmail was either Hotmail or Yahoo. I just couldn't stomach using Hotmail since it was an MS product. I was on the verge of throwing away my Yahoo account because of all the spam, but then they finally enabled my Bulk Mail folder (over a year after they introduced the feature, and after ignoring numerous pleas to support to enable it). I love their spam filtering! It's ideal for a spambait account because it's good enough to dig the occasional signup mail out of all the junk. I wouldn't use it for my main account, but it works great for what I use it for.

I don't really have a third account. I finally broke down and got a Hotmail account the other day, but it's strictly to give me a passport login because I don't trust MS any farther than I can throw it when it comes to my email address. It's consolidated into my FastMail account in case I ever get a message on it, and the less I have to log into it directly, the happier I am.

[trew]

At home I have ADSL so could use both webmail or pop3 or imap. I have tested many but are poor at deciding wht to fidn best.

some of my isp cause you could make a phone call and ask how to do things. glocalnet.net

yahoo.ca with english for india or australia to get AddressGuard and pop3 for free.

Gmail and ThinBrowser and Mailarge and others to experiment with fo rtheir 1 Giga storage.

When mobile it is important to cut cost so important reliable pop3 via the inbuilt email client. I try IMAP at Fastmail.fm too for mobile. Not sure if that is less or more costly due to all the sync activity in imap? Gmail for my mobile works now using the html interface? But some features missing

Trew

[alexu2000]

My primary email came with the hosting account I have. Features:

- Large mailboxes
- My own domain
- forwarders
- autoresponders
- challengespam protection
- SpamAssasin
- 3 webmails by default + 1 installed by myself
- POP, IMAP, SMTP
- unlimited accounts for domain and the posibility to setup accounts on subdomains
- server wide rules

[xbot]

I have several.

Though my two primary ones are:

My xxos.us one:
Customizable disk space (being that I'm admin of my account )
+3 webmail interfaces
+POP, IMAP
+Antispam
+Antivirus
+Possibility for shared mailboxes.
+Fast, Reliable
-Frequently spammed (most blackholed - they send to random addresses.)

My fastmail:
-Little disk space
+IMAP
+Tons of interfaces (my favorite - slipstream)
+Only one spam email (I've only received ONE.)
+Fast, Reliable
-Unless using Thunderbird, messages cannot be downloaded. Using Thunderbird, messages through IMAP can be downloaded.

[registered_user]

I use FastMail. I've never had any problems with downtime or reliability, but maybe I signed up after those problems were taken care of (seems like it).

My criteria for primary mail:

- Reliable. I have to get everything that's sent to me (so far so good with FM in my case).
- Has to let me set up my domain name and multiple aliases/addresses
- IMAP. I can't imagine using POP anymore
- Encryption possible on all client-server connections
- Web Interface to fall back on when I'm at a public terminal or something
- High enough bandwidth and storage quota that I don't have to delete anything (easy with the volume of mail I get)
- Spam filtering that I can configure at least a little bit (FM lets me config just enough, wouldn't mind a little more). Honestly though, if the server didn't have spam filtering, I could always run something on the client side.
- SMTP proxys available for when my ISP blocks SMTP ports or won't let me send mail through their SMTP servers that isn't from my ISP email address

My backup email addresses right now in descending order of use:

Yahoo
My ISP-provided address
GMail (may replace Yahoo once they work the kinks out of it)

[Spin]

Yahoo's my Primary, its Fast and Reliable, Large Mailbox (250mb), and My yahoo ID is short, and matches my Screen name on AIM, and then I use my yahoo address for MSN and Yahoo IM. So thats why I use yahoo. Then fastmail's my backup.

--
Spin

[scruffie]

Apologies, I’m a rank amateur.

After living with gmail for a while, I’ve decided to move back to my original yahoo service. I guess part of getting gmail was to get my name and have 1 gig of storage to play with.

But then I’ve moved back to yahoo as:
- Ive realised not having my name as my email is good for anonymity and deters id fraud. Not that I’ve suffered from it, but id better be safe than sorry. (I know this really isn't a feature, but its a reason why I’m moving back)
- 250 is perfectly adequate. plus I think gmail calculates their mail storage in a different way. just say if you mail out an attachment of 5 mbs to five people. instead of taking up 5mbs in your sent mailbox, i think gmail says it takes 25. i dont know i may be wrong, but I’m way to lazy to check
- i actually like the ads! I’m on broadband so waiting times is not an issue.
- i can send attachments. gmail places restrictions on .exe files.
- yahoo has addressguard. absolutely fantastic. never received a spam mail with my 'real' yahoo address.
- gmail still sometimes has a refresh problem with safari.
- yahoo has a calendar

[jas112804]

Best Primary Email -> Gmail or Promptpost
Best Secondary Email ->Thinbrowser

[Ormrr]

I like runbox and mailsnare. Both are reliable (though runbox has had a few problems recently). Runbox provides more space and bandwith. Mailsnare gives me an online PIM, with calendar, notes, etc. Mailsnare also backs up my files in the online drive and supports the largest attachment size (50MB, while runbox has 30MB and fastmail only 10MB).

[hellie]

Fastmail enhanced is my primary with runbox for back up. Both I think are brilliant. Loads os space and very reliable. Also very importantly I can use IMAP. I also use bluebottle for non important mail.

Helen

[yashsr]

Criterion---

1) Unlimited aliases
2) Decent storage space
3) Unlimited domain support (although I have only one now)
4) Good support and a forum
5) Excellent Reliability
6) My own manageable spam filter
7) Group Features like shareable mail folders, branding etc.
8) Completely ad-free
9) Good speed
10) IMAP (not used yet, but am planning to use MOZILLA THUNDERBIRD).
11) POP3, SMTP
12) Good webmail interface
13) Minimum 25Mb of attachment, that rules Fastmail out, Fusemail has 50Mb.
14) Journal, Calendar, Notes & Tasks (not compulsory needed, but nice to have)
etc. etc.

Primary Email-----Fusemail (Group Basic)
Secondary Email-----Rediffmail, Gmail, Bluebottle (all free)

I cannot pay for any service except Fusemail. I was never going to pay for any mail service, but Fusemail's Group Features changed my mind.

[trew]

here is somebody asking about aliases but some 6 month has gone without answer.

http://www.fusemail.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1343

I've had a fusemail account but out of inactivity maybe got shut down.

trew