A little over a month ago I posted a
column on free POP3 email services. I've been using several new
ones that I signed up for while researching the article, and I
thought readers might be interested in some follow-up observations on
reliability and performance.
There are also a couple of new free POP3 services that have come
on line since the previous article. First the newbies:
Inbox.lv
Inbox.lv is the
largest provider of free Web-based email in Latvia, based on the
premise that email access should be easy and possible from any
computer connected to the World Wide Web. By adhering to the
universal HTTP standard, Inbox.lv eliminates the disparities that
exist between different email programs.
Inbox.lv offers 8 MB of storage space. If you do not sign in to
your inbox.lv account for 60 days or do not sign-in within the first
10 days, your account will be marked "inactive." Stored email and
addresses will be deleted, and inbound mail will be refused. If your
account stays "inactive" for over 90 days, it may be permanently
deleted.
Inbox.lv can be viewed in a variety of languages. You can make the
language of a Inbox.lv session match the language of the Sign In page
used to begin that session. You currently have your choice of
English, Latvian, and Russian.
Inbox.lv offers both Web-based and POP3 access to mailboxes and
messages.
I've been testing Inbox.lv for several days, and so far it's been
fast and reliable. No SMTP support, though. You have to send mail
through your ISP's server.
NewMail
Good news and bad news about NewMail.
The good news is that it has the fastest and simplest signup
procedure of any service I've ever tried.
Unfortunately, I have been completely unsuccessful at getting
NewMail to work, either with POP3 or their Web-based service. I've
signed up under two different user names and passwords, but nada.
Based on that experience, I can't recommend this one.
Now for some performance reports on previously reviewed
services.
Apple iTools
Mac.com continues to
be very reliable. The SMTP facility is convenient, and mac.com
account checking is fast.
MyRealBox
Not quite as fast as iTools, but also a rock of reliability.
MyRealBox supports
SMTP for sending outgoing mail through their servers.
HotPOP
I've had good luck with HotPOP
as well. Like iTools and MyRealBox, this one has SMTP support (you
must check your inbox before sending).
subDimension
I have to report mixed results with this one, as reliability over
the past couple of weeks has been spotty. In fairness, subDimension
has notified users that they are doing some server renovations, so
these issues are likely temporary. No SMTP support.
E-OmniNet
E-OmniNet is another
excellent service. Very fast and completely reliable so far. SMTP
support requires checking inbox before sending mail.
GMX
GMX has German
efficiency. Nothing to complain about so far. Fast and reliable, and
includes SMTP support. Worth the trouble of wading through the signup
process in German.
ZapZone
So far no problems with ZapZone,
and the custom domain name is fun. No SMTP support.
FreyasLand
FrayasLand is a
ZapZone domain that has not panned out so well. This one quit working
about a week ago. Not recommended.
HowlerMonkey
I signed up with HowlerMonkey
and provided my snail mail address for them to send me my login and
password info (this service is very anal about security). Never heard
from them. Not worth the hassle when there are so many other good
services available.
SoftHome
SoftHome
provides reasonably reliable service and includes SMTP support.
