After a decade of staunch and relentless support for using Microsoft Outlook in conjunction with the POP3 protocol, as opposed a webmail service, I have made the switch to using Google Apps with my domain.
This is not a big step for me; it is a huge one.
Ever since I stopped using Hotmail around 1999 or 2000, I have had my own email accounts on my own domain names. This was a switch I never once considered going back on; the convenience of POP3 was simply too much to resist. By downloading my emails from the server via POP3, I could always have my messages available for me offline. When Hotmail crashed and my friends lost all their folders and emails, I had mine backed up on compact discs, and later in PDF files. I never had to worry about unwanted ads being injected into my email messages, either.
After a few years of using email clients like TheBat!, and many others, I settled on Microsoft Outlook. For years this application was my main communication device. The 2003 version was great. The 2007 was better. Recently, when I gave the Office 2010 beta a test run, I was pleased to see that Outlook had once again been improved. It was getting even better!
A few weeks ago, however, I started looking into different ways of improving my time management system by using something like Outlook’s Calendar to keep track of the ever-increasing list of things I need to remember to do. I own a Palm TX, and wondered if I could find a way to keep it easily synchronized with Outlook. As it turns out, Palm TX does not sync with Outlook 2010 yet, and even with 2007 a software suite called Documents To Go is required. It is an expensive suite, especially for something that requires frequent updating at an extra cost whenever Microsoft decides to tweak Outlook or Windows.
Looking into alternative options, I heard about Google Apps. I had heard of it before, but I had not previously looked into it. While I did have a Gmail account, I never used it for much, for I was not a fan of web-based email; the interfaces were always clunky, and basic features left a lot to be desired. Not to mention the fact that Gmail’s default template just looked awful and uninviting to me.
Google Apps’ features were impressive. I found out that even lowly mortals like myself could link Google Apps’ services to their personal domain. My college had started using Google Apps, but I did not know that was something I could do as well, and at no cost.
After extensive research, and with the knowledge that everything could be undone if I did not like the outcome, I proceeded to switch the email service from my hosting provider over to Google. It was fast, painless, and the outcome was fabulous.
I can schedule events on a calendar linked to my Google Apps email account, and get email notifications or even free text message reminders about them – to get SMS reminders with Outlook, I’d have had to subscribe to an expensive third-party service.
I can also use Google Docs to save and edit various documents online.
The big question mark I had about having Google take care of my email instead of Outlook was offline access. Even if the cable modem dies, Outlook still has all my emails. This is not a service typically provided by webmail providers, for obvious reasons. Yet, Google allows me to keep synchronized offline copies of all my email going back up to five years, in case I should need offline access.
Using a desktop application to write emails is not without its definite charms; it can be faster and more convenient in certain ways. However, I am yet to find this new email solution in any way less convenient. I reformat my computer frequently, and from now on I never have to worry about remembering to take backups of Outlook files.
Mika Salakka is a Finn living in the United States. He is a nursing assistant, a creative writer, a devoted husband, and an observer of the human condition. His interests range from music and literature to psychology, sociology, medicine, technology, and spirituality.