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Bye to Outlook...Nice try, I guess. That was fun...not.
See my other posts: Outlook file Problems; Outlook Help...Again...and Again...and Again..? Outlook help...AGAIN...and AGAIN...and AGAIN?
There are other threads I've posted, too.
I think I am definitely going to only use MS Outlook for this reason: it integrates well with other Office Programs, the most exciting of which is OneNote, though I have yet to actually use it. Pity Outlook might estrange me so much that I will have lost all interest before I get to the fun stuff.
I predict/think I will only use MS Outlook for a Windows Live account I recently got...and I only got it because it worked better with Outlook than GMail did.
Due to the repeated (6 serious problems, 2 [and soon probably a 3rd] reinstalls) failures of GMail and Outlook 2010 to mesh well together, I am going to go back to GMail and Google Apps for my GMail account. I'll keep my @live account and use that with Outlook/office, but it seems really redundant, and like Outlook failed to do what it's supposed to: provide a full-featured, consumer-friendly, synchronize-able communications hub with a variety of email clients.
The entire reason I wanted to use Office is because of the in-house, integrated, full-featured, sync-able suite that it offered. All I've gotten is a headache, so far. Instead of ending up with fewer programs running, I now have more redundancy--the main thing I was trying to change! I have several emails and different ways of accessing and archiving them and wanted just one program, a hub for all my comm. Outlook is almost that awesome, organized communication and management hub I wanted...but almost doesn't cut it.
As far as I can tell, I'll use Outlook with my Live account because I want that in-house, integrated experience. I know several people with live accounts and messenger, etc. But it SUCKS that GMail just won't work with it. (I know that's GMail's fault, too; labels, IMAP, etc).
Furthermore, the redundancy is ridonkulous. RIDONKULOUS. Vista systems have Windows Mail, etc. Now we also have Windows LIVE Mail, etc. And windows LIVE Office. And Office. And just Outlook. Oh, and every free suite out there. And Google Apps, including GMail... Half of which you have to buy to use.
Again and again, it seems like my solution to this redundancy and failed compatibility (and the solution for many other consumers like myself who want an easy, intuitive, simple, non-cluttered experience) is to stop going after the supposedly "full-featured" suites and instead use the bundled free stuff. With Write, and free fonts offline, you can do pretty much anything you could need in terms of word processing. Paint is pretty upgraded, too. Why not just use the Live Essentials?
On that topic, of easy, not costly products, why not just go FULL GOOGLE, or some other free suite? It's easier, cheaper, faster, more intuitive, just as effective for most consumers...
I feel like my trial of Office has just been...a hassle. I could have done this with half the fuss and half the programs some other way. I'm saddened that my experience with Beta 2010 has just discouraged me thus far. I really wanted to give this MS software a chance. Maybe I'll be happy using Outlook with a live account, and love it, and still use office 2010 beta, and when my trial expires go back to office 2007 and still use outlook...or maybe i'll just forget office, since it's too much (everything: features, hassle, cost), and just use live essentials. Until I get sick of having two accounts, one that may have integration on one level but just takes too much crap to operate and synchronize, and instead just revert to another free suite. Like Google.
Hope this sparks some discussion or is somehow informative. I know it helped to state my opinion/experience on here.
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