Worth Switching from Exchange to Google?

[joel65203#AC]

First Android phone - EVO. I came from a Treo 800w using a personal exchange server. I was pleasantly surprised that the EVO just downloaded everything and set things up perfectly.

I have been reading and getting confused about the use of gmail in lieu of the exchange server. Most threads are about set up, but I want to know if there is an advantage to switching from Exchange to Gmail? My Exchange account is working just fine, but it is $12-15/mo. Not expensive, but that amounts to half the cost of adding Mobile Hotspot, so I am wondering if it would be worth my effort to migrate my data from Exchange to Google, and then terminate the exchange server account altogether. I understand that Google is not quite ready to handle tasks well, but that is ok. As long as I get my calendar, email, and contacts.

So....any advantage to switching over to Google?

 

[Gekko]

IMO it's a no-brainer. the Google/Gmail free instant PUSH email is a beautiful thing. and the Contacts and Calendar are great too. the integration with the phone is tight and who knows what kind of cool future integration with all of the other services they are cooking up? ie Google Voice etc.

i say save/invest/bank the $10-$15/month and switch over to Google/Gmail and don't look back. send it to a mutual fund every month. why piss away money when you don't have to?

good luck.

 

[gksmithlcw]

IMO it's a no-brainer. the Google/Gmail free instant PUSH email is a beautiful thing. and the Contacts and Calendar are great too. the integration with the phone is tight and who knows what kind of cool future integration with all of the other services they are cooking up? ie Google Voice etc.

i say save/invest/bank the $10-$15/month and switch over to Google/Gmail and don't look back. send it to a mutual fund every month. why piss away money when you don't have to?

good luck.

I'm with Gekko. I was using a hosted Exchange account up to the point when I got my Evo. I made the switch to Gmail and I won't ever go back. If I need EAS in the future, Google will give it to me cheaper than any other place I've seen.

 

[rabidewok]

wow, the gmail is so much better!! I made the switch myself and it works perfectly with EVO. So much better.

 

[anon26174]

Gmail is nice, love the way it syncs web with phone, but the real bummer for me is the inability to cut and paste from Gmail to another app. For example, I had a UPS tracking number and to cut and paste it, I needed to go to the browser Gmail instead just to nab the number and put it in the UPS site.

 

[joel65203#AC]

I guess what I am looking for is -

1. Why is gmail BETTER than an Exchange server (other that cost). Frankly, I'd just as soon thoroughly dump Microsoft (switched to make a year ago), so there's that too.

2. I have already sync'd up my phone with Exchange. If I switch over, will all those contacts and calendar events stay there once I delete the Exchange account, etc.

 

[wirelessness#AC]

You would need to migrate your contacts to Google Contacts. This is very easy as you can just export the list from Outlook to a .cvs file and import them into Google Contacts.

I'm not sure about all of your old emails though.

Deciding which type of email account is better is fairly subjective. Gmail is not perfect but it works pretty well. The beauty of Gmail is once you migrate everything to the Google Cloud you never have to look back. If your device is lost or you change devices there is no worrying about lost data or synchronization. Once you log into Google all your data there...and you can access it from ANY computer.

 

[Cory Streater]

I use both an Exchange hosted provider and Gmail. I much more prefer the Exchange option than Gmail. For one thing it offers seamless integration with Outlook and provides OWA support. I never have gotten used to Gmail's web interface. And as mentioned above, cut & paste is lacking as is support for many file attachments & the ability to select multiple messages at once for deletion. Also, there are much cheaper options for hosted Exchange than what you are paying right now. However, if you're looking for free, Gmail is the way to go.

 

[berdinkerdickle]

What are you guys using for a desktop solution when your PC isn't online?

 

[aweedman]

Google Apps Premier

I switched my company account from hosted Exchange to Google Apps Premier and haven't looked back. You can keep your URL and the MS Outlook sync application works great. The only thing it doesn't do it sync tasks. Check it out. $50 per year.

http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/business/outlook_sync.html

 

[Gekko]

What are you guys using for a desktop solution when your PC isn't online?

Thunderbird - It’s All Yours

Zindus

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/2313/

OR

Sync Palm Desktop, Microsoft Outlook, ACT!, Lotus Notes, GroupWise, and GoldMine with Google and your phone | CompanionLink

 

[Execute]

I guess it depends on what you need. Im not familiar with exchange, but I do know that free gmail has everything I need. I wouldnt pay for email, but like I said before, I dont know if exchange offers something more that you need to justify the cost. Gmail integrates into Android seamlessly, and all your contacts are stored on the cloud. It offers encryption from you to their servers from what I understand, and has a generous 25mb attachment limit. Again, it definitelt has everything I need, and works great on Android devices. And unless Im missing something on what Cory was talking about, you are able to delete messages in batch mode. Just check the boxes next to as many messages you want and hit delete. But its gonna be a preference thing, so I would suggest giving gmail a shot to save some cash! I know id rather be paying for mobile hotspot than email!

 

[Cory Streater]

unless Im missing something on what Cory was talking about, you are able to delete messages in batch mode. Just check the boxes next to as many messages you want and hit delete.

You are right & I stand corrected! I swear that feature wasn't there a while ago

 

[RayStinkle]

Gmail is nice, love the way it syncs web with phone, but the real bummer for me is the inability to cut and paste from Gmail to another app. For example, I had a UPS tracking number and to cut and paste it, I needed to go to the browser Gmail instead just to nab the number and put it in the UPS site.

No worries, the froyo update fixes this and brings copy paste to the gmail app I'm using it now on my nexus.

 

[RayStinkle]

You are right & I stand corrected! I swear that feature wasn't there a while ago

Yeah what happens is in the gmail settings there is a "batch" check box and sometimes I accidentally uncheck this, which removes the ability to select multiple emails at once.

 

[gksmithlcw]

I'm not sure about all of your old emails though.

The way I did it was to add Google as an IMAP account to my Outlook along side my Exchange account and just drag and drop from Exchange account to Google. It took a bit of time (I have a lot of emails) but it was simple and easy.

 

[CruiSin]

I debated about that since I had my personal exchange account and a work exchange account. It was fine on the Pre but in preparation for Andoid (since Sense only allows one exchange account) I started looking around. I found the Google Apps that I can have a domain hosted there. I signed up, redirected my MX records, started testing. I exported everything out of my Exchange account and imported Calendar and Contacts into the new account. I haven't found anything that I can't do, and in some ways I find the Gmail interface faster than OWA when I need to do something from work. For my needs of calendar, contacts, and e-mail, it works great.

 

[rfs830]

why not have best of both worlds. i dont know if you can do this in a non google apps account email but on I have email with company but I wanted to set it up with google. I set up a google apps free account and then set it ups so that that address looks like my work address. I have all my emails forward to my google account. The only address that a person will see if my work email address but all goes from my google account. I must say that works great

 

[BL117]

I switched from my home exchange server about 3 months ago. I have upgraded this exchange server from 5.5 to 2010 (have used exchange for years as that is part of my job). Honestly speaking it was the greatest thing I've ever done.

To sync your email, contacts, calender google has a tool called the mailbox sync tool. I believe others have posted a link to it in this thread already but if not a quick google search will find it. Actually Google gives you a link to it when you sign up for Google apps. I signed up, got my domain moved over, and started my mail moving over in an hour. Here are the advantages...

Instant access to your email, contacts, and calender from almost every web enabled device on the planet. I have a family calender created and shared which also updates to my phone but various family members can post get together, birthdays, when they will be on vacation... anything.

Ability to mark spam as spam from your android device.

Anytime you wipe your phone, your email, contacts and calender just magically appear back on your phone after putting in your email and password.

Free unless you upgrade to the paid version which I did. I have enough email that I needed the extra mailbox storage space (I'm a photographer on the side so sometimes people refuse to use my ftp and email me design layouts.) The paid version also lets me use exchange sync with my iPad (Yes I know it's a fruity product but for someone who does email and shows proofs to clients it makes things simple. At least until we get an android tablet... hint hint). I doubt I'll ever move back to hosting it myself, this is just too easy/cheaper/convenient.

 

[joel65203#AC]

Thanks to everyone who responded. I went ahead and made the switch. Exchange is, right now, more sophisticated that Google's system, but the details are not important to me. Mostly, for my purposes, they are the same. One thing is important for MAC users (as I am now at home): Exchange is not fully functional over the web for Safari and Firefox. Really very annoying. The interface is really bad, but workable if you have to. Google has not figured out how to sync notes or tasks, etc. But I figure this is in the pipeline and I can wait on that. I'll keep the exchange server account a little while longer, but I think it is headed for cancellation in the very near future.