What Are Alternatives for New Email Client After Office365

[PeteC]

I am using outlook 2003. I just saw the thread about the first look at office365.
http://www.slipstick.com/outlook/outlookcom/first-look-outlook-com-on-office-365/
That page says,
"Anyone using Outlook 2003 (or older) will need to use web access or find a new email client as Outlook 2003 will be able to receive mail but cannot send mail.".
What am I to do?
Some background:
I have been using Outlook Express forever. I have emails going back to the year 2000.
Last March I finally gave up on Windows XP and "upgraded" to 8.1 which of course forced me away from OE.
I have Office 2003 (and love it and have no intention of paying MS for new versions with things I don't need).
I never got Outlook2003 to work the way I wanted. I could get it do replicate the OE functions but that took a lot of work on my part.
With Outlook2003 I thought here is a good time to "connect" my calender (singular, not plural) and contacts with my Android phone. I have yet to get that to work smoothly. Smoothly means if I add or delete or edit a contact or event on either device it changes on the other device. Simple???? No Way!!!

Up until today I was still trying to get all this to work but now I see that I am on a dead end street with Outlook2003. What can I do?
(1) I have about 35 email addresses, outlook(HM,Live), gmail, yahoo, my ISP,Corporate, etc. I prefer pop accounts. But I need to have only one push to my phone.
(2) I don't need to share my calendar or contacts with others. Just "Connect" them between my desktop and phone.
(3) I am open to getting a new different OS phone (but please, not iPhone unless there is no alternative).
(4) I looked at Windows Live Mail before selecting Outlook. Just too much to try to learn.

I hope I can get some good advice.

Thanks In Advance.

Pete

 

[Diane Poremsky]

you'll probably have 6 months or more before your account is migrated...

With Outlook2003 I thought here is a good time to "connect" my calender (singular, not plural) and contacts with my Android phone. I have yet to get that to work smoothly. Smoothly means if I add or delete or edit a contact or event on either device it changes on the other device. Simple???? No Way!!!

Are you using the outlook connector and syncing the outlook.com calendar to outlook (and connected it to android)? that is the only way to sync outlook to android without using an addin.

(1) I have about 35 email addresses, outlook(HM,Live), gmail, yahoo, my ISP,Corporate, etc. I prefer pop accounts. But I need to have only one push to my phone.

not sure what you mean... are they all delivered to an account that syncs to the phone?

(2) I don't need to share my calendar or contacts with others. Just "Connect" them between my desktop and phone.

Outlook doesn't sync directly to Android - you either need to use outlook.com, exchange mailbox, or a 3rd party sync utility. I'm not sure what is available that works with 2003.

(3) I am open to getting a new different OS phone (but please, not iPhone unless there is no alternative).

The phone isn't really the issue - the only benefit the iPhone offers is that you could use iCloud or iTunes to sync. ICloud needs 2007 and newer, not sure about iTunes. Otherwise, it's the same for Windows phone or Android - sync using EAS (with outlook.com or exchange) or find a utility. Sync tools are at http://www.slipstick.com/outlook/sync-outlook/syncing-outlook-with-an-android-smartphone/#tools - there are some free ones but I don't know how well they work.

(4) I looked at Windows Live Mail before selecting Outlook. Just too much to try to learn.

This is probably your best option - its fairly similar to OE and would be easier to learn than Outlook 2003. They will be updating to support EAS so Outlook.com will sync after the move.

 

[PeteC]

Are you using the outlook connector and syncing the outlook.com calendar to outlook (and connected it to android)? that is the only way to sync outlook to android without using an addin.

First, sorry for the delayed response. Suddenly outlook.com decided email from outlookforums.net are spam. I just found your reply.
Yes I am doing it as you describe. I can add an event to the calendar on either the desktop or .com and it will appear on all three (desktop, .com, phone). But events added on the phone show only on the phone. Desktop seems to have two contacts lists, outlook and outlook.com. I don't know which one shows up on the phone but one of them does.

I can't seem to get your other replies to "quote" so I'll just answer directly.
I don't need to access any of the 35 email addresses on the phone. Just one of them from outlook.com that pushes to the phone. I have that working.

You say, "This is probably your best option -", what is the "This" you are referring to.

Thanks,

Pete

 

[Diane Poremsky]

Are you sure you are selecting the outlook.com calendar when you create the event on the phone?

I was referring to Windows live mail - if you are comfortable with OE, it's very similar. But since you are using only outlook.com account in outlook, not all 35, outlook is fine too. The Windows 8 Mail app also syncs calendar and contacts, although it's not all that great of a mail client.

Where you might run into problems in the future is with Outlook 2003 - they are migrating outlook.com from the old hotmail servers to office 365 and once the accounts are migrated, you'll have an Exchange mailbox. Outlook 2003 will no longer sync as the outlook connector won't work. Outlook 2003 can download mail using pop3 or imap but can't send new mail (it's smtp protocol doesn't support SSL). Outlook 2007 and newer will add the account as an Exchange account and everything will sync very nicely.

The current versions of Windows live mail will also be affected and will no longer sync - but an updated version that uses ActiveSync will be released.

Fortunately, they are moving outlook 2003 and windows live mail users last, so you should be ok for 6 months or so.

 

[PeteC]

I can't seem to have any way to select either the outlook.com calendar or contacts to make changes.

After reviewing all this I have concluded I need to find another email client. I don't trust Microsoft any more. Up until now I have considered Microsoft to be sort of a trusted agent in the war between Apple and Google. I believe those two are in a battle to the death for the hearts and minds and wallets of every person on the face of the earth. Now I get the feeling that Microsoft is placing itself in that same battle making it a three way. This is bigger then the Beta/VHS battle by a factor of 1000 or more.

I will do my best to not be one of their victims. I most likely will loose in the end but I'll be one of the last men standing.

Thanks for your help and time.

Pete

 

[Diane Poremsky]

Try eM client -http://www.emclient.com/

Switch to the folder list view (ctrl+6) so you can see all of the folders in the data files - the outlook.com calendar and contacts will be under the outlook.com data file. Any changes you make in outlook should sync up with no problem - that is one area the outlook connector handles well, better than Outlook 2013's EAS does.

 

[PeteC]

Sorry, when I said,

I can't seem to have any way to select either the outlook.com calendar or contacts to make changes.

I meant on my phone. Sync between Outlook and Outlook.com works OK.

 

[Diane Poremsky]

oh, oops... sorry i misunderstood.

one the phone I'd either use the native app or the outlook app. The big difference is the calendar and contacts are separate on the native app, while outlook has all everything in one app.

I'll have to double check, but i don't think outlook.com contacts are editable on the devices. Appointments should be, but you need to make sure you use the correct calendar when you create new events.

 

[PeteC]

Well, after considering this, and reviewing the troubles with the outlook android app and that my Outlook will become obsolete I decided to change email clients to Thunderbird. I spent five days going through the conversion process and two days making sure everything is correct.

I have a great calendar and the contacts and calendar sync with this desktop, my tablet, and my android phone. And I can plug the phone into the USB and drag and drop files. Then disconnect and the contacts and calendar are still there. With Outlook I had to delete the account and then put the whole thing back in every time I did the USB. Now, no such problems.

I will never forgive Microsoft for putting me through all this. First, last March I upgraded to Win 8.1 and had all the problems changing from Outlook Express to Outlook. Now, 7 months later I have to change again!

Enough is enough.

Thanks for your help.

Pete