Switching to Apple Mail 3.0 from MS Entourage 2008
You have switched to Mac and everything Apple, congrates on that! Whats holding you back from using the native email client? Lets be honest, we have been using outlook for song long that it has just become first choice to opt Entourage and MS products. I was exposed to Entourage problems and perils while upgrading to MS Office for Mac 2008 Service Pack 1 (12.1.0)
Entourage stores its data in One big DB file, which can cause the following problem:
- A single file is prone to corruption and can be a big pain
- Not Time Machine friendly, meaning every time you backup, the complete file has to be updated
I didn’t had any other big problem with Entourage, honestly, but haven’t ever used many of the features like Projects, which seemed very fancy initially. The one big problem I had with Entourage and underlying Mac apps like ICal & Address Book, is multiple records entry. And this keeps on growing and growing. Entourage is one big, heavy app., which includes Email, Calender and Address Book under its thick interface. Considering the problems I faced during the upgrade, I promised myself to look at the alternatives and realized that Apple already has given a very neat, light and efficient program for us all – Apple Mail 3.0. We are already familiar with ICal & Address Book; and familiar with their feature set. Apple Mail 3.0 or more often referred to as Leopard Mail, also sports a similar interface like ICal and Address Book. Frankly, it can be considered as Lamborghini of Email clients.
Switching Concerns:
Before any major upgrade or planned move, as always, I always advise a comprehensive “backup“. I couldn’t emphasis it more. Mail imports your email from Entourage like a breeze, no sweat there. You have to setup the email accounts on your own. Mac documentation and help is very comprehensive in this regard. I have tried all type account setups e.g, POP3, IMAP, SSL etc. and all worked like a charm. Google Mail was also very Mail Happy (I had faced some issues with Entourage). So Transfer and mail setup complete!
Mail Features:
Email:
Just Awesome. Reading, Writing and Replying is a breeze. I just love the light-weight and easy to use and eyecandy look while effectively responding to my mail needs
Data Detectors:
Emails in that contain a date, phone number, or a contact (usually in email signature) are highlighted with a drop down menu. Click and select “Create New Contact,” and Data Detectors will select as much as it can from the email; e.g., name, mailing address, email address, phone & fax, and copy them into a contact entry ready for your editing.
Data Detectors also works awesomely great with time and date entries, offering to schedule an event with iCal.
Notes:
Notes are HTML scratchpad emails with rich text, hyperlinks, and graphics or file attachments capability. They work as email drafts, and can be linked to To Do reminders, so a simple event can bring up detailed outline contained in a Note.
RSS Feed Reader
Honestly, I would continue to use Google Reader for my feeds. Though, its be default getting Apple Feeds and presenting them very nicely.
Stationary:
A feature which is very ilifesque. Looks very good, works very good and easily configurable – but not my cup of tea, yet!
Initially, I kept my mailbox on Pop3 and leave on server settings and kept using both clients (Entourage & Mail) for a week. Now, I’m only using Mail and loving it! My favorite feature is “Quick View” within the mail to look at CVs (I’m a recruiter!) Its saves soooooo much time. In pre-Mail days, double-clicking on a doc would open up it in relevant doc (word for .doc files, preview for .pdf etc.), now just click in Quick View and you can easily look at the files.
The other most important feature of Mail and basically Entourage killer is the storing mechanism Mail uses to store data. Rather then storing all data in 1 single large DB file, which is very Time Machine friendly.
Image Credit: Apple Inc.
great article, I love reading it. I hope one day I may get the same. have a nice day.