GMail IMAP- the bane of the traveler
This year has started differently for me than most as I am already in the middle of my third trip this year. In just over a month I have been on the road and in hotels for almost half the year. The trips have gone very well with the exception of one single thing that has continued to drive me mad.
I use GMail which in and of itself is not a problem. GMail is… well, GMail and it just works, the web version anyway. The problem sets in when you use the IMAP ability in GMail so you can use a client email app or a mobile phone to keep up with the GMail.
I have been confronted on all three trips with significant stretches when my notebook mail app cannot connect to the GMail IMAP server. When this happens my normal mail work is dead in the water and I have to resort to using the web version. Don’t get me wrong, the web version is fine it just means that I have an interruption in my normal work routine which is aggravating.
The real problem is that when my mail app can’t access the IMAP server then my iPhone can’t either as it uses IMAP too. That’s a real problem for someone on the road as it means you can’t get your email on the run. That’s a big no-no.
These outages are pretty commonplace I’ve discovered given all this travel. I usually see it happen at least once a day without rhyme nor reason and the outage lasts for variable lengths of time. Sometimes it’s only a little while but other times it can be for hours. This throws a monkey wrench in my normal work routine when typically I am trying to jump on, get stuff done and then jump off again. I have to change my routine during the outages and it’s enough to have me cursing Google frequently. I sure wish Google would learn to do IMAP correctly so it would just work. I suppose this is why Google keeps GMail classified as beta.
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I’m running into the same problems on my travels. Terribly frustrating.
Does Gmail have any plans to offer native MAPI support for third party clients?
I’ve been noticing flaky connections lately too though it seems to be happening more since they launched the offline access. Mobile access (via phone) has been just fine for me … it’s through the netbook on the go that’s making me batty.
Same problem myself. And I don’t travel. I’ve resorted to the POP access method – using Windows Live Mail as the client. Still does not connect sometimes. Just about ready to give it up as a failed beta – but too many people/places have that address
Why not just use the google iphone app or safari iphone webpage when these things happen? They are better than having to bootup and would continue to give you mobile access. I know, I know, it ain’t what is suppossed t obe, but it doesn’t mean things have to shut down, or have to boot up a webpage on a computer.
It is also what keeps Gmail free
I switch back and forth among a (work-provided) Windows laptop using the web version, a MacBook Pro using Apple’s Mail.app via IMAP and my iPhone using the native mail app via IMAP. I have very occasionally had the Mac fail to connect, but it usually only lasts a minute. The thing I love about this setup is that the mailbox looks basically the same from any of the clients, and I only have to handle each message once — when I delete one, it’s deleted everywhere, which is a critical GTD precept. I haven’t tried it from a netbook, though; I don’t know why that would be an issue.
Forward your gmail to fastmail.fm and use imap through it. Its never down and has the additional benefit of consolidating all your email. Might sound messy from my description, but I like it
I’ve not had any IMAP problems, but I’m not really on the road a lot, so don’t check email a huge amount with my iPhone, and have pretty much stopped using any other mail app. The Gmail client is really superior to any Mail app I’ve used, by a longshot, and the offline functionality seems to be working pretty well from my limited experience with it. I do wish there was a better way to handle multiple accounts but still keep them fairly separate.
I do wish there was a true Gmail app for the iPhone, because the native iPhone mail app isn’t that great, IMO. Sure, the Gmail web client works fine, but it adds an extra step and a bit of a delay to the whole mail checking process for me, since I don’t use push at all anyway. I sort of switch back and forth between using the web app and the iPhone mail app. I use the web for personal, and the native app set to check both personal and work (which I’m using through Gmail as well now).
When I had a WM6 phone, I didn’t like the Gmail app. Always crashed on me, was slow as hell, and generally, well, sucked.
I just don’t get it. Why is anyone still using a mail client? I gave up on that years ago and never looked back. Is there something about a mail client that is better than the web client? OK, maybe referring to an old email without connecting, but honestly, I always just connect through a browser (Firefox on the laptop, Blazer on the Centro) to do that anyway. It’s just not worth the trouble (dealing with mail clients) given all the various devices I use.