email services

[FarAniSOAD]

Hi guys
I've finally convinced my family that AOL is NOT the best service in the entire world (contrary to their sad little belief) but they still are making a few demands before we switch over to a pretty lil T-3 line. I'm hoping you can help me with one of them. My little brother wants me to try to find an email service similar to AOL-including pretty fonts and colours and (hopefully) quick delivery and stuff like that. I've looked at Juno and I'd LOVE to find something like that (not having to deal through the internet directly like hotmail) but they didn't offer the other things that my family insists on having. Can anyone help me out?
Thanks

[Arnold Winkelried]

If you use another internet service provider that uses POP3 or IMAP4 e-mail, you can use a program like Eudora, or Netscape Mail (the mail program built-in to Netscape Communicator, the web browser) or Outlook to format e-mails with different fonts and colours.

Of course, the person you're e-mailing will have to be using a program that can interpret the mail format of the program sending the e-mail, if they want to see the fonts and colours.

[Akatsukami]

Any e-mail program that is HTML-aware can do the font-color-etcetera thing (whether it's a good idea to be swapping HTML documents as e-mail is another question, but that's not what the OP is about).

I use both Outlook Express and Netscape Messenger for my own e-mail, and both are HTML-aware. There are e-mail programs that are not aware, so it's a good idea to have a program that can switch between HTML and plaintext (which, again, both Outlook Express and Netscape Messenger are).

The ISP that is chosen has nothing to do with how things look in your inbasket.

It should be noted that AOL-to-AOL mail is an internal e-mail system that does not go through the Internet. Basically, there are programs that provide every capability that AOL does without AOL. Just be aware that:
[list=1]
You may to acquire a half a dozen such programs to get all of the capabilities that you want or need. Of course, if you don't want or the need the capability, don't get the program, and it doesn't take up space on your hard drive.
Nothing will have the exact look and feel of AOL. Again, though, if you don't like the look and feel of a particular program, you can toss it and try something else.
AOL is not well managed and regulated. The Internet, however, is not managed or regulated at all; it can get weird out there. Since you obviously have a Web browser, you probably know that already, but I throw it in for the record.

[manhattan]

This is exactly the kind of "I'm looking for input" kind of question for which we created the new forum, In My Humble Opinion. I'll move the thread over there now.

Good luck finding a new email provider!

[Alpha]

http://www.chek.com/domains/index.php3

The best thing is it's free, they won't drop you for being absent a few months (like Hotmail) They have all the current features.

And you can pick from hundred of "domain" names to match your personality.

Sports fans? 50 names like yourname@ubbullsfan.com, steelersfan.org, socceramerica.net, onthefairway.com

porschefan.com budweiser.com mustangfan.com

brainpowerd.com crystal-tokyo.com fanboy.org

[X-files]

I like AltaVista free email, because it lets you forward your mail without paying extra. Good for e-business email.

[OpalCat]

Get any ISP to give you a POP3 email account and then use an email client as others have said. Might I recommend Eudora? It's (IMHO) the best there is, and it isn't vulnerable to those viruses and worms that Outlook is.

[handy]

I don't have, but I like those cute little email only boxes, like the one from Cidco $100 & $10 month. Its a small little box with keyboard sits near your phone. Just plug it in & thats all you have to do. Touch screen.

There is a vga color touch screen thing similar that does the web too for about $140.00 at Circuit city.

[FarAniSOAD]

hey guys thanks for the response so far; you've dropped quite a few options onto my plate that i didn't realize i had. i'm downloading eudora right now...i'll let you know how well that goes. i'm looking foward to seeing what other responses i get. thanks again! i knew i could count on you.