G-Mail vs Yahoo Mail

Many Internet users are switching from standard E-mail (ie: e-mail addresses provided by your Internet provider) to Web-based mail such as GMail, HotMail, Yahoo Mail, and others. The main reasons are that Web-based mail is available wherever you travel in the world via the World Wide Web and that when you change Internet providers, you don't have to change your E-mail address and go through the hassle of notifying everyone. It is something worth considering.

I am fortunate in that I have my own domain name (Corkrum.com) complete with Web site and E-mail. My hosting service provides a fantastic Web interface so that I have both the advantages of Web-based E-mail as well as my own standard E-mail software on each of my computers. Their Web-based mail program is so good that I have even considered switching permanently to it (but I haven't done it yet). And since my Web-hosting provider has some good E-mail filters, spam is not much of a problem either.

But before I had a Web interface for my own domain's e-mail, I needed a Web-based E-mail program for those times I was traveling. Many years ago, I tried out both Yahoo Mail and Hotmail. I quickly dumped Hotmail because of the amount of spam I received. Yahoo, to this day, has always provided a superior spam filtering software so that it was extremely rare that any garbage mail slipped through. I am sure that Hotmail has improved over the years, but I have no reason to go back to them for anything and they left a really bad taste in my mouth. I feel Yahoo still has a superior product in this area, so I am a bit biased.

Still, it was with interest that I watched a video comparison on CNet-TV of the new Yahoo Mail (Beta version) and GMail (provided by Google). Gmail, although a relative newcomer, has rapidly caught on with users, especially techno-nerds. CNet compared the two e-mail providers on a head-to head basis in several categories. If you don't want to watch the 3+ minute video (see above link), I will give you the bottom line...GMail won, although not by much. Here is a breakdown of how they compare, category-by-category.

1. Interface - Yaho0 wins this one because it has a much better drag-and-drop function.
2. Features - Both have calendar integration, but GMail has the ability to to integrate chat with e-mail and save conversations. However, Yahoo does a better job with RSS feed integration. Tie score.
   
3. Speed - GMail is much faster with screen loading, but Yahoo is still in beta so this might improve with time. Advantage: GMail.
   
4. Organization - GMail wins because of its superior filtering ability.
   
5. Spam Filter - A tie score.

GMail won this competition, but not by much. If the thought of getting Web-based e-mail appeals to you, take a look at both, watch the video, set up a free account, then decide which one works best for you.