Back in March, I presented pros and cons of managing e-mail with webmail and with Outlook. Take a look at that post first if you’re new to this blog. Since I use Outlook 2007, it was that version that I based my evaluation on for that post.
Since then, I’ve discovered Windows Live Mail, a souped-up version of Outlook Express, Microsoft’s free e-mail client. I’ve been using it exclusively for a couple of weeks, and I love it! As with anything new, there was a bit of a learning curve, but I think I’ll be sticking with it for the time being. I still have my Outlook 2007 if I change my mind, though.
Read the detailed comparison of WLM, Outlook and Outlook Express by the WLM developers here. The developers are talking about their own product, but I think their glowing evaluation is justified. It does all the things that Outlook 2007 can do, and its FREE.
My favorite feature is the provision for multiple e-mail accounts. I use a Gmail account for my writing and conference communications and a Windows Live (Hotmail) account for personal messages. I also monitor a couple of Gmail accounts for organizations I belong to. Each e-mail account is listed separately, and your incoming and outbound messages are contained within that account’s section. With Outlook, all incoming messages come to the same inbox, and it’s up to me to sort them out and be sure I respond from the correct account. With WLM, as long as I’m functioning within my Gmail account section, my messages send from that Gmail account. With Outlook, you have to remember to choose which account you send from before you click the Send button.
My second favorite feature is the Unread messages section. A picture is worth 1,000 words, so take a look. BTW—you get to choose the color for your background. I chose the coral.
Once you you’ve read all your unread messages, they appear in the Inbox for the specific account they belong to. Neat! I recommend that everyone try it. You can download Windows Live Mail FREE at this link. Help is easy to find as you set up your accounts.
I welcome comments from anyone who has a differing opinion or something better to recommend. I especially welcome comments from anyone who uses Mozilla Thunderbird. That’s one e-mail client I have not tried.