Email Address change

[RonH]

Our (local) phone company has advised that they are closing their POP3 email service, end May, one which I have used 'for ever'. So I have to change.
Difficult to decide if I should select our (other) local phone/broadband company for an email address or if I should elect to use eg Google GMail. Either can be picked up from another location eg when travelling.

Are their any advantages/disadvantages in choosing one of the international email addresses such as Google/Hotmail I should perhaps mention that I use email via Windows Live Mail
Thanks Ron

[HansV]

Microsoft's Hotmail has been succeeded by Outlook.com; the number of complaints about this new webmail service has been rather high, so it may not be the best choice currently.

Google's Gmail has been around for quite a while and it generally performs well. You have to keep in mind that Google scans ALL messages in order to fine-tune its advertising. If this bothers you, don't use Gmail for sensitive information.

[stuck]

Our (local) phone company has advised that they are closing their POP3 email service...

and not even offering you a webmail service instead? That's odd.

My ISP does both. I generally use POP3 to download mail to my desktop PC at home but I can also access the same email account via a webmail interface (my ISP uses Roundcube to allow users webmail access).

Obviously stuff that's been POPed from the ISP mail servers doesn't appear in the webmail folders but it is handy to be able to use my home email address away from home.

Ken

[RonH]

Thanks Hans & Ken ... the phone company we are with are getting right out of the business and concentrating on phones and mobiles. They sold their broadband business a while back. We could get new addresses with our new broadband supplier or vote to get say a Gmail one. Not sure what might be the best option, both being free.
My knowledge is kinda rusty on this stuff ... can I link say Gmail into my Windows Live Mail programme and into my lady's Vista Windows Mail?
Ron

[HansV]

Yes, you can access Gmail using a stand-alone mail client such as Windows (Live) Mail using POP3 or IMAP. See Gmail Help.

[JoeP]

FWIW, I've been using Outlook.com since it was first released in beta. I've had no particluar issues with it. The biggest complaint that I have is that all the pieces don't have the same UI theme (the new flat stuff).

If you are using a client program to access email you should not have any problem.

Joe

[RonH]

Sorted thanks all
Ron

[DaveA]

Or you can buy your OWN domain and control the email address yourself. This way as long as you keep the domain active and hosted the email address will be valid.

My domain host (ISP) provides my email server and at this time I can have "unlimited' number of email addresses with 2 GB limit of online storage each. But I use Outlook, so the storage is not a factor.

But when I am on the road I can access my email by going through the ISP online email service.