Date: Wed, 20 Aug 1997 00:56:47 -0400
From: Bob Rankin
Reply-To: TOURBUS-Request@LISTSERV.AOL.COM
To: TOURBUS@LISTSERV.AOL.COM
Subject: TOURBUS - 19 Aug 1997 - The Best E-Mail Software
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TODAY'S TOURBUS TOPIC: E-Mail Software Roundup
As I promised in last week's TOURBUS issue, here's a roundup of several
e-mail programs. Many people use whatever e-mail package their Internet
provider hands them, but if you're serious about e-mail productivity, you
owe it to yourself to check out these top-rated products.
When I started my research for this issue, I quickly learned that
there are more e-mail programs than you can shake a stick at. But
instead of boring you with a detailed review of each one, I've chosen
to highlight five of them here.
I haven't listed them in any particular order, and I decided not to
assign ratings, since they're all quite good. It's up to you to pick
one that best suits the way you work, and the has features that are
important to you.
But before we begin our trip to e-mail heaven, you might like to visit
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Here are my reviews of the five e-mail packages. Each one lists a
company website where you can learn more and download a free trial
version.
Name : Eudora Pro / Eudora Light
Price : $89 (30-day trial version available)
Vendor : Qualcomm, Inc.; 800/238-3672, 619/452-9096
Requires: Windows 3.x, Windows 95, Windows NT, Mac System 7.0
Website : http://www.eudora.com
Eudora has been a favorite e-mail program for several years, because
it has a slick user interface and a pile of nifty features. Many
people use Eudora for the ability to route incoming e-mail into
folders, and because it can retrieve e-mail from multiple accounts.
The Light version lacks some of the advanced features of the Pro
version, but it's still quite good, and it's free! Recently, Qualcomm
announced that the PGP encryption program is being bundled with both
the Pro and Light versions.
Name : Pegasus Mail
Price : Free
Vendor : David Harris
Requires: Windows 3.x, Windows 95/NT (Older versions for Mac and DOS)
Website : http://www.pegasus.usa.com
Pegasus has an amazing feature set for a freeware program, but the
interface is not as smooth as some other e-mail programs. Most
notably, Pegasus allows you to run an autoresponder or small mailing
list, and has extensive filtering rules which can be applied to both
incoming and outgoing mail.
Name : Z-Mail Pro
Price : $79 (30-day trial version available)
Vendor : NetManage, 408/973-7171
Requires: Windows 3.x, Windows 95, Windows NT
Website : http://www.netmanage.com
Z-Mail sports some advanced features, but is a bit rough around the
usability edges. The ability to automatically ZIP your attachments,
is cool, and the folder search function is excellent. Z-Mail is also
tightly integrated with the Web, which means you can create messages
with embedded tables and stylized text, and you can view web content
directly from your inbox.
Name : BeyondMail Professional Internet Edition
Price : $69 ($39 competitive upgrade)
Vendor : Banyan Systems 800/567-8818, 508/898-1000
Requires: Windows 95 , Windows NT
Website : http://www.coordinate.com/bmail
BeyondMail is a tried and true e-mail program particularly suited for
the office environment. Banyan pioneered the concept of rule-based
filtering and automated mailbox management, so this product does those
things quite well. Corporate users will appreciate the customizable
hierarchical folders and address book which integrates personal,
workgroup, enterprise and global directories.
Name : Web Ink
Price : $39 (30-day trial version available)
Vendor : Sapient Technology, Inc. 703/729-5936
Requires: Windows 95, Windows NT
Website : http://www.stisapient.com
Web Ink is a newcomer that packs a wallop. Sporting a built-in web
browser, mail merge, spell checker, and spam filters, this is a very
complete and easy-to-use e-mail package. A Setup Wizard walks you
through the process of setting up mail boxes, and comprehensive online
help is always close at hand. Message filtering & routing, automated
mail retrieval and multiple signature files round out the impressive
feature set of this program.
I recommend that you take Web Ink for a free test drive then register
your copy if you like it as much as I do. The price is right, and you
could win some cool software too. Switching from Eudora or Pegasus is
painless, since Web Ink will import address books from those programs.
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See you next time! --Bob
P.S. - Although the e-mail component of the Netscape Version 3 product is
pretty anemic, the Netscape Messenger that is part of the newly released
Netscape Version 4 suite is much better. Microsoft Outlook Express is
also a strong contender, but it's not officially released yet. The main
advantage of these two tools is their tight integration with the Netscape
and Explorer browsers. You can learn more about them both here:
Netscape Messenger - http://home.netscape.com
MS Outlook Express - http://www.microsoft.com
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