Free email client

[Prashun Patel]

I am looking for alternatives to ms outlook. I have to use excel and word, but if i can wean my employees off outlook i will count it a victory. Any great clients out there?

[Brian Elfert]

Cost aside, what reasons do you have for going away from Outlook? Outlook works best with Exchange, but I assume you aren't using Exchange. What mail system are you using? Are you just using POP3 or IMAP accounts from an external mail server?

[Prashun Patel]

I should have clarified. Yes, we are on Exchange.

The reason is cost. I am deploying microsoft surface tablets to my sales force. There is a lite version of office that ships with the tablets. However, it lacks outlook. End of the day, i can bite the bullet if there is not a worthy alternative.

in fact, our hosted exchange has a web client which i might have them try at first...

[Sean Troy]

Isn't the new Outlook cloud based?

[Brian Elfert]

Are these Surface Pro or regular Surface tablets? Doesn't the regular Surface have an Active Sync mail client that will work with Exchange? Your hosted Exchange should have something called Outlook Web Access that is a web mail client for Exchange.

The Surface Pro is running regular Windows 8. There is a free mail client called Evolution for Windows that works with Exchange. It may not work well with the touch interface on a tablet. Your sales force will probably get enough productivity from Outlook to make the investment worthwhile.

[Brian Elfert]

Isn't the new Outlook cloud based?

You're probably thinking of Outlook.com which is totally different from Outlook used with Exchange. Prashun is using hosted Exchange, but you still need a desktop client to work with Exchange unless you want to strictly use the Exchange web client.

[Phil Thien]

There is a plugin for Mozilla Thunderbird to access Exchange servers. I've never used it, cannot speak to how well it works.

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/smb-technologist/connect-the-thunderbird-email-client-to-your-exchange-server/

[paul cottingham]

Thunderbird is a good email client. I have never hooked it up to an exchange server.

[Curt Harms]

Thunderbird is a good email client. I have never hooked it up to an exchange server.

I've not done it either but there's a way to get Thunderbird to talk to exchange servers (It says anyway).
http://davmail.sourceforge.net/

[Brian Elfert]

Yes, Thunderbird can interact directly with Exchange. I didn't mention it because Mozilla has stopped development of Thunderbird. I don't know how well Thunderbird would work with a tablet anyhow. We don't know if the OP is using Surface RT or Surface Pro tablets. The RT is not going to be able to use Thunderbird or other normal Windows applications.

[Dan Hintz]

I didn't mention it because Mozilla has stopped development of Thunderbird.

Just so there's no confusion... Mozilla stopped development, which means no new features will come directly from them. This is not to be confused with Mozilla no longer supporting it. They will continue to support it and to provide security updates, as necessary. The open-source community, however, continues to develop for it, and it is still my favorite client.

[Prashun Patel]

Thanks guys. It is an rt tablet... i hope it can run outlook proper now....?

[Brian Elfert]

For an RT tablet there is a mail app built-in that can download email from Exchange. There is also a calendar app that can sync with Exchange. Windows RT 8.1 when it comes out will have Outlook RT included at no extra charge.

As far as Thunderbird goes, I would never recommend a business adopt something that is not being developed further. What happens when Windows 9 comes out and Thunderbird no longer works for some reason? The business may want to adopt Windows 9, but it could be that nobody wants to give up Thunderbird in order to allow the business to move to Windows 9. This may not happen with Thunderbird, but I see it all the time in the business world. Development is dropped for an application and the business can't live without it so IT can't move forward due to obsolete applications still in use.

[paul cottingham]

Just so there's no confusion... Mozilla stopped development, which means no new features will come directly from them. This is not to be confused with Mozilla no longer supporting it. They will continue to support it and to provide security updates, as necessary. The open-source community, however, continues to develop for it, and it is still my favorite client.

Yeah. What Dan said.
:-)

[Prashun Patel]

Thank you all for the suggestions. Brian, I am in sync with you. I'm going to spring for the Outlook. It's not that much money.

[Larry Browning]

Thank you all for the suggestions. Brian, I am in sync with you. I'm going to spring for the Outlook. It's not that much money.
Prashun,
You are aware that Windows 8.1 will be released in the very near future and that it will be a free update. Brian reports that a free version of Outlook will be included with that, so why would you want to purchase Outlook now, when you will be able to get it free in a few weeks?

[Prashun Patel]

I will do that on the new ones if that happens soon. But I bought/received one Windows RT tablet as a test, so I do need a solution within a week.

[Brian Elfert]

Thank you all for the suggestions. Brian, I am in sync with you. I'm going to spring for the Outlook. It's not that much money.

Form everything I read Outlook 2013 RT is not available today unless you install the preview version of Windows 8.1 RT. When Outlook is available it will be free.

[Jim Becker]

Thunderbird works well and is free.

[Larry Browning]

Thunderbird works well and is free.
Jim,
He has a Surface RT. It is not capable of running Thunderbird.

[Larry Browning]

Form everything I read Outlook 2013 RT is not available today unless you install the preview version of Windows 8.1 RT. When Outlook is available it will be free.

Have you heard a release date for Windows 8.1 RT? Is it the same date as full blown Win8.1? I think I read where that was going to be around Aug 31. But I'm not sure that was for general release.

[Brian Elfert]

I don't have any more knowledge on release dates than anyone else who can search with Google does. It is likely both will be released on the same day. Everything I read says that Microsoft has not announced when 8.1 will be available for download for existing customers.

[Jim Becker]

Jim,
He has a Surface RT. It is not capable of running Thunderbird.
Sorry...I inadvertently missed that point. It unfortunately limits the possibilities. Worse case...use a web interface if network access is largely available.