I'm using the HTC mail widget thing for my AOL account. I know that gmail is really the way to go using this phone (for obvious reasons) but i've had my AOL account for like .... 7yrs ... I just can't justify changing over to Gmail just to get an instant notification.
I sent a test email to myself and maybe a minute after the Gmail popped up. Been 5min now and I don't have a notification yet for AOL through the HTC widget.
edit*** for some reason my AOL acct popped up right after the 5min. i dunno why it did it so quick this time!
Not here to slam AOL... well maybe
.... there is a reason they have earned the reputation for "almost online" (AOL).
Now for the bedtime story:..
Once upon a time when computers were doggy slow and no one knew what the internet was, there was AOL.
They served their purpose well and did a good job at dialup "at least considering the competition.. ie: compuserve, earthlink etc....and a few other pathetic services".
However when the internet started becoming popular and speeds picked up, they didn't remain progressive to stay ahead of the curve and buy equipment to keep services fast and clean, instead they do like many cities.... don't improve the roads until there are so many people cramming everything that they have to.. plus, instead of having to fork out proactive monies ahead of the crowds to meet the needs before and as they arrived, they collected monies first as taxes and fees built up keeping them from having to borrow initially to get the job done.
Even so AOL has always routinely failed in maintenance and promotes and gets new customers until the system is do slow they start losing customers.. only then do they buy more equipment and speed things up.. then "just like cities do" its marginal for the load and the cycle repeats.
Fair enough.. "thats one way to survive if your customers don't know the difference" but then greed came into play and especially at a time when the dot.com companies bubbles popped, they went into survival mode and only spent the bare necessities to stay alive.
Again, fair enough.. they are still alive, but rather than support the part of the market where the competition is.. the part that would take more money to combat, they stayed with the older generation that was just discovering online.
They put their money to promotions and getting their product in every home and making it easy for those who where not computer savvy.
It was a win win. People who either didn't know better or couldn't figure out complex configurations to get the faster services going were attracted to AOL as AOL did it all for them but had terribly slow unreliable service and used cheap doggy proxys to get by during peak times.
Why?..again, they didn't put monies back into infastructure to make the company great but rather catered to folks who felt they needed it to be easy.
They developed their own browser, dialup connection software and everything to make the experience mindless and that served a needed purpose at the time.
Yes, it made them popular, but to this day, they have too many customers for the infrastructure they have.
Most people who aren't computer savvy don't know what they are missing and so don't complain.
Without those kind of customers, AOL would have died a long time ago.
DSL.... ooh!.. 20 times faster than dialup.... what a deal!
Never knowing cable was 200+ times faster for pennys more.
Anyway..... none of this was mean't as an insult for using AOL.... just a commentary on why change is good.. when its for the better!
Your contacts list may convert right over to a google account.
If AOL has a way to backup your contacts, I would do so in everyform.... do it to your computer if possible, then you also have it through verizons backup assistant, and you can also backup to your SD card.... all of which should import right over when you get a google account.
Once you get your google account going, everything will sync with your google online account too.
No I don't work for Google, but I've played with computers and internet since the 286boards "pre win95... back just before win3.0" and I can tell you there are much better options than AOL.
AOL plays dirty pool too... without direct accusations but rather assuming they are just inefficient, I wouldn't put it past them to purposely slow the transactions between them and anyone who is not using their services trying to create the illusion its just better to stay with then and not stray... games At&T plays against Verizon!
A verizon customer and send or receive from any other carrier, but if there is every going to be problems, it will be between users of AT&T. AT&T "hates" verizon and is not motivated to be compatible with Verizon customers except out of the sheer need to survive.
The only reason I can see for not using Google is if you have a sophisticated business corporate accounts that are already functioning.
My Dad has a ministry email service through google and sends hundreds of emails back and forth flawlessly.
I used to use outlook express once upon a time, then Outlook, then thunderbird, now I simply use the online google email as its just as fast as using a email browser on my computer and I can access it from anywhere.
Anyway..... something to think about... google is friendly to Android and has reason to continue being so. AOL has no motivation to compete with google in any way as they know better.
