Better way of handling my mail

I'm somewhat embarassed to say I don't understand how this all works, so bear with me. I currently use an IMAP account from my personal domain for e-mail. I access it directly using WLM on three separate computers, and my iPhone. On the computers, I log in to WLM with a .live account so my contacts and calendar sync across all computes, much like my Exchange account for business. My e-mails is automatically synced, thanks to IMAP. Now, on to my questions.

1. I know with Live(Hotmail) and Gmail, you can add in POP3 accounts so you can see/check the e-mail through your web-browsers. If I do this, will my mail be available by logging into Live or Gmail from anywhere, negating my need for WLM?

2. Assuming yes, will I have a choice when I reply to an e-mail as to which account the message will come from?

3. Since both services can be added to my iPhone, if I do so, will my POP3 mail be available on my phone as well? *My domain host's mail can be checked from POP3 or IMAP. I use IMAP now so it is available in all places.

Mainly, what I'm getting at is, I have all the functionality I want now, but it requires WLM to be installed and configured on each computer. Can I mimic my current set up by adding my personal e-mail to Live or Gmail by POP3.

I dont know all the answers but maybe some...

1) POP3 downloads mail to the local computer by default. Normally, once the mail is downloaded to the computer it is deleted from the mail server UNLESS the user specifies that a copy be left on the mail server. In outlook there used to be an option to do this. In Gmail, under pop settings, you can choose the option "keep gmail's copy in the inbox". In Hotmail too you can specify that the mail not be deleted. That way you can access gmail/hotmail using a web browser anywhere because the mail stays on the server till you explicitly delete from there and everything stays synced also. Of course all this takes up server space but then theres plenty these days- gmail gives around 7 gb but you may have to backup or do occasional cleaning.

2) Yes, you can send using a different from address.

Sending mail from a different address - Gmail Help

3) Yes, you should be able to access pop3 mail on your phone. I have a nokia e71 and I view all my personal mail (gmail, yahoo and hotmail) on my phone.

Personally I prefer web based mail plus the ability to check mails on the phone before having to open them on the computer.

That's the part I'm stuck on, I think. I know that using POP3 will pull the e-mails off my domain's servers, but then I would assume the e-mails would stay in Gmail or Live's website so I can access them online anywhere, as if I was using a plain live or gmail account.

If that part turns out to be true, then I would wonder if those e-mails would then be accessible on my phone as if I was checking live or gmail accounts on there as well.

I think you misunderstood me on point 1. I'm not using Hotmail or gmail's actual accounts in WLM. I'm using my own domain's e-mail, which can be POP3 or IMAP. I'd like to import them into one of the two web-based e-mail services, yet have the e-mail available on my phone as well. I don't check Hotmail or Gmail in WLM at all, and my end goal is to do away with an actual e-mail app installed on my computer.

Paul Thurrott wrote a series of articles about "Email Consolidation" which includes "forwarding" mail from one service TO another as well as "collecting" mail from one service BY another: Email Consolidation: How to Consolidate Email Accounts in Windows 7 and Windows Phone 7.5

Roderunner said:

You would need to see if your domain mail can be forwarded or accessed by pop or imap.

It can be, I'm already accessing it by IMAP. It isn't a domain, as in a Windows domain, it's a custom domain and website I run. My host (1and1) allows me POP and IMAP access to my e-mail.

I know I can pull my account into Live or Gmail through POP or IMAP, but I would like those e-mails to be available on my phone as well. That's the sticking point as of now.

This page might help.

Attention iPhone POP users - Gmail Help=

Also this.

Using POP on multiple clients or mobile devices - Gmail Help