IncrediMail Free Email Program

The Bottom Line

IncrediMail is a fun and easy to use email client that adds spice to the messages you send while protecting you from spam, phishing and fraud attempts in a convenient manner.
Unfortunately, IncrediMail lacks some productivity features if you have to deal with large amounts of mail.

• IncrediMail is a friendly program, easy and a lot of fun to use
• Plenty of stationery and multimedia content is available for IncrediMail
• IncrediMail offers fast search and can organize email folders in a useful fashion

Cons

• IncrediMail supports IMAP accounts only in a very limited and rudimentary way
• Secure, encrypted email messaging is not available in IncrediMail
• IncrediMail does not offer templates, text snippets and learning filters for efficient email use

Description

• IncrediMail lets you access multiple POP, IMAP (download-only) email accounts.
• Large collections of stationery, animations, emoticons and sounds can be used in IncrediMail emails.
• IncrediMail sports animated new mail notifiers, 3D effects and animations throughout.
• Basic message rules, a fast search engine, flags and folder filters help you organize email in IncrediMail.
• You can set up IncrediMail to accept only mail from approved senders into your inbox.
• IncrediMail Protection Center, a subscription service, filters spam and alerts you about links to harmful sites in emails.
• IncrediMail can block remote images in emails (problematic privacy-wise) and lets you bounce mail.
• It is easy to transfer IncrediMail data and settings to a new computer. Paid option IncrediBackup offers simple backups.
• Anonymous usage data collected by IncrediMail identifies the most popular letters and other content.
• IncrediMail supports Windows XP/Vista/7.

Guide Review - IncrediMail 2 6.26 - Free Email Program

Email is most fun when it works — and includes flashy trinkets, too. Of the latter, IncrediMail has plenty: you can send and receive messages using rich formatting, of course, or apply rich stationery (called IncrediMail letters), add handwritten signatures, send e-cards, insert sounds and what not; you can also change IncrediMail's (somewhat homespun) interface with themes, have animated characters announce new mail and have typewriter sounds accompany your, well, typing.

IncrediMail also works. It downloads mail faithfully from multiple (POP and IMAP, including, e.g., Windows Live Hotmail, Gmail and AOL Mail, of course) accounts into ever growing folders. Thanks to handy search functions, you can focus on certain messages — say, mail from a particular sender, attachments or unread emails — easily in a folder or, of course, search all your archive for keywords and characteristics swiftly.
What is true for emails also applies to people: they are easy to add and to find, can have distinguishing icons or pictures assigned. IncrediMail will also suggest likely people to remember based on your correspondence patterns, and managing groups is a breeze.

Unfortunately, IncrediMail is not so helpful and courteous with composing messages. You can set up signatures, of course, and have IncrediMail send out-of-office replies; IncrediMail does not, however, include message templates or text snippets for faster answers. Free-form message labels or self-learning folders to organize mail in a very personal or totally automatic manner are missing as well.

You can subscribe to a capable spam filter, though, and IncrediMail comes with messages filters that muster the essential tasks. Speaking of subscriptions, it is really unfortunate that IncrediMail's IMAP support is lacking: you can only download new mail, not subscribe to folders and access their online contents.

Warning Fake Windows Update Email

Hmmm,,,, Well Microsoft believes that the grace period is over and wants everyone to jump on board and get Service Pack 2 (SP2) installed. I know everyone has an opinion on the Service, some good some not so good, but it really is only a matter of time. Do you know anyone without SP1 on his or her XP machine? I hope not.
As you may also know, Microsoft has picked the second Tuesday of the month to run their new security patches. These two issues have really set the stage for a new attack on windows users. Hackers have decided to try and slip one by your defenses with a Phishing/Trojan scam. You may get a spoof emails that link to a bogus Microsoft site where the hackers get you. If successful in their efforts, the ambushed PC will be infected with the TrojDSNX-05, a back door Trojan that attempts to gain control over your system. With control of your system the hacker will more than likely use you (of course unknowingly) as a spam server to mail out huge amounts of spam in your name. If a network PC happens to get infected, then a denial of Service, exploitation of network shares, and further infection are something you may look forward to.
The TrojDSNX-05 is not the newest virus on the block and can be controlled if you have decent anti-virus software that is up-to-date.

Microsoft will never send you an email reminding you to update.

Very similar to the fact that companies will never send you an email asking you to reply with your credit card and account info in order to fix some discrepancy with your account. In fact, if you ever receive any emails that seem "Phishy" to you, try going directly to the company website (not the link in the email) and see for yourself what's going on.
As far as SP2 goes, if you haven't installed it yet I suggest doing it on
your own terms, backup all your important data (pictures of the family, documents, whatever is important) set a system restore point.Go out to the manufacturer's site of your favorite programs and see if there are any known issues, FAQ's, or patches. If so, follow the instructions to properly install any necessary components and follow any necessary procedures in the exact manner in which the instructions describe. After this you should have all your bases covered, and feel comfortable installing SP2.