Gmail vs. Windows Live Mail vs. Yahoo Mail betas

Which Web-based e-mail service should you use? It depends on your personal taste, of course, but a clean page layout, speed, and security are paramount. We tested: Gmail vs. Windows Live Mail vs. Yahoo Mail betas.

Gmail beta by Google
Every once in a while, a product breaks the mold set by others in the category and forces those established products to improve in order to compete. Google did it with its Internet search engine, and is set to do it yet again—we hope—with its free Web e-mail service, Gmail by Google.

What i like:
*Speed. We found Gmail to be the fastest online e-mail service; our messages seemed to appear the instant we clicked on a header.
*The gigantic 2.5GB of storage per user—that's roughly 1,000,000 pages of text—blows away Windows Live mail(2GB) and Yahoo! Mail (1GB).
*The interface is very simple, quick and easy to use.
*E-mail thread view.
*Keyboard shortcuts.

What I did not like:
*Gmail scans your messages and serves up targeted text-based ads based on their content. That has a lot or privacy advocates up in arms, and may be too Orwellian for some users.
*There is no virus filter (though you can automatically block certain file extensions, such as EXE) . *There is no way to white-list addresses in the spam filter.
*The contacts management in Gmail is also primitive at this stage compared with Yahoo! Mail's more advanced address book.

Summary:
As it did with Internet searching, Google is looking to raise the bar in the Web e-mail category with its Gmail service. A very quick, responsive service with a simple interface, bellying a more complex, useful online email client.
Helpero rating 9/10

Yahoo! Mail beta
The original Yahoo Mail web-based client is now looking somewhat dated compared to offer newer offerings.The new beta is the most impressive out of the three products being examined here. The interface is very clear, easy to use, very quick to respond and is more reminiscent of a fully fledged desktop client than a browser-based utility.

What i like:
*Yahoo! Mail scans for spam and viruses effectively.
*A WYSIWYG HTML editor lets you compose rich emails easily in Yahoo! Mail.
*Yahoo! Mail offers 1 GB of storage for free.
*The multi-tab viewing window that allows, for example, your inbox coupled with a preview panel or a newly invoked tab displaying an individual email, is easily one of the best interfaces for web-mail I’ve used to date.

What I did not like:
*Big banner ads.
*Limited antispam controls.
*Yahoo! Mail does not thread messages, lacks virtual folders and clever searching

Summary:
Excellent functionality, competently able to replace your desktop mail client on Firefox or Internet Explorer.
Helpero rating 8/10

Windows Live Mail beta
Much like the ongoing renovation of Yahoo! Mail, MSN Hotmail is getting a face-lift that makes it resemble a desktop e-mail client. The code name for this work in progress is Kahuna, and it promises big changes for its tens of millions of users.

What i like:
*The look and feel of Kahuna is radically different from that of the current Hotmail, with an interface divided into three columns similar to the three-pane work space of Microsoft Outlook and Yahoo Mail Beta.
*Security. So far we prefer Windows Live Mail's approach to spam and other threats
*Keyboard shortcuts. Let you send and manage messages without relying on the mouse.
*Organizing content. By allowing you to drag and drop messages into folders, Yahoo and Windows Live spare you the manual labor of using a tiny check box to move content around.

What I did not like:
*The Ajax-based requests seem to be slower than either of the other two sites.
*Getting used to the new layout may be hard for die-hard fans of Hotmail.

Summary:
If you're using Web-based email and are looking for the best experience, keep your eye on Windows Live Mail. This is one fish that you just might want to land.
Helpero rating 5/10

Conclusions:
If you're a longtime user of Yahoo or Hotmail, these upgrades may seem heaven-sent and intuitive. This is especially true if you're already accustomed to Outlook or Eudora's multipane layouts, which let you organize messages by dragging and dropping them into folders. But all this dragging and dropping seems primitive next to Gmail's automated labeling options. I give the Web 2.0 edge to Gmail for thinking outside the box. Gmail's integration with Google Calendar, Chat, and Maps feels logical and not forced, and if there have to be ads on the page, I prefer Google's text messages off to the side over banner ads any day. Furthermore, true to the Web 2.0 spirit of sharing, Gmail's open code enables devotees to hack new features.

written by Florin C.
Source: Helpero