♥♥Gone to pastures new. Thanks to all of you. You are a lovely crowd, but time does not ...
♥♥Gone to pastures new. Thanks to all of you. You are a lovely crowd, but time does not permit me to do the site justice any more♥♥
Member since:01.08.2003
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When I first acquired a computer, the technology overwhelmed me. I found that Outlook Express was a good mail program for sending out my emails, and although there were several coloured backgrounds that I could use, these were rather dull and limited.
This all ended about two years ago when I received an email with an animated character in it. It amused me. Little things please little minds I know, but in this particular instance, it actually made me smile enough to want to know how to send an email such as this, and I typed the word Incredimail into google because curiosity got the better of me.
Downloading Incredimail was simple and not too time consuming, and when it arrived, it arrived with a package for me to design my own backgrounds although I didn't actually find designing them that enjoyable.
There is such a wide range of backgrounds available that I have to admit, I began collecting many ranges of backgrounds and at first, my enthusiasm took over to the point of stupidity. There are so many different possibilities and collections and Incredimail are not the only people to create the backgrounds for these mails. People of a similar ilk to myself at that moment in time were creating whole websites full of incredimail backgrounds, and typing "Incredimail backgrounds" into Google took me into a host of "exclusive" possibilities.
SETTING UP
Here I was a little concerned because I did not want to lose all my contacts from Outlook Express, although I had no need to fear because at the installation of the program you are asked if you want to import all your information from whichever mail program you use and this worked in an efficient way.
One of the features that I particularly liked with this email program was the fact that you can switch on the noise of typing. Being fifty odd years old, I actually found that I enjoyed typing my emails more with the clickety clack of typing noise. If anything, it encouraged me to write more than usual. There are many features that other email does not have and which amuse. For example, when you send an email, it is almost like it folds itself up and disappears before you very eyes like a paper one.
COMPOSING AN EMAIL
Composing an email is very similar to composing an email on any other program except that at the side of the email there is a little arrow. Pressing this takes you into limitless possibilities of the kind of background, animation, sounds and ecards you can use, and each is set out neatly in its own category to suit its function, i.e. business paper, elegant paper, exclusive paper, etc., and the choice is at the click of a button. Simply press your selection and it appears in the email.
The range of smileys that are available for incredimail are rather good as well and these are obtained at the press of a smiley face on the email you are about to type.
Incredimail got something right and there is a built in spellchecker and also a built in sound recorder, and this was fun to use for sending voice messages, although I found that they should be kept to small files, i.e. a short message of greeting, which has been handy for penpals to actually hear what I sound like.
OPTIONS
Incredimail cater for a wide variety of tastes. In the options section, you can of course filter out junk which is important in this day and age. Another feature in the options is the availability of a dictionary and although I have not used this option, I feel that it would really be useful for people that write in other languages, as the range of online dictionaries available to the program is vast. You can also set up "hot keys" which give you instant access to your email and the default ones in this program are F6 for sending and receiving, F10 for opening up a new email, and F12 to open up the program itself which are very useful keys and save so much time. Setting them up is simple and merely requires the ticking of a box.
JUNK MAIL FILERS.
Incredimail lets you decide who to put on your allowed list. The junk mail filters cannot take care of viruses though, and you should always keep your computer protected with a virus program, bearing in mind that viruses are rife on the internet. You do have a permitted list of people that you will accept emails from and these are transferred from your existing mail program, and it is worth checking them from time to time, as many may be obsolete.
SAFETY
After reading a comment by a member, I would like to reinforce that when you use programs that have adverts of any kind, there is the possibility that spyware gets into your computer. The way to eliminate this is to run a good spyware program like spybot which is freely available from downloading sites. I find running this Incredimail gives me no trouble whatsoever because I also run in conjunction with it a good spyware program.
USING INCREDIMAIL fors and againsts.
To some extent this is a novelty program. It is aimed at people that want fun on the internet, and I am careful with the manner in which I use it. There are people who actually get irritated by receiving mail from a stranger filled with all kinds of animations, and backgrounds, because these take longer for the recipient to receive. I am totally aware of this, as I know that I have experienced the same problem myself.
The space that the Incredimail files take is minimal and downloads simple, most taking a few minutes on my slow connection.
Using the program is fun and I believe that it is suitable for friends and family and those who share your liking of an email being more than just black words on a white background. The element of competition between myself and friends for finding new things to insert has been fun. We have found so many animated little fun things to put into emails, and also ones with sounds, although this program can be used seriously as well, and I write emails without all the fancy backgrounds when they are of a business nature.
INCREDIMAIL HAS EVOLVED
This is the catchphrase of incredimail and it certainly has evolved since I downloaded it. The 3D effects of watching your letter fold or fragment into little pieces is amusing and I rather like the ripping up sound of deleting an email. The choice of fonts available is more than adequate, and I have used beautiful backdrops and lovely writing for sending poetry to friends in need which has been a good experience and a well received one.
When I get bored with certain backgrounds, they are simple to delete and the website is easy to browse in categories and has so many collections of backgrounds to enhance your experience. Little by little over the years, I have watched Incredimail evolve and know that it has enhanced my email experience, though am mindfully aware that not all my correspondents like the pretty letters, and what Incredimail did was let you have the option between fancy letters or plain ones to suit both tastes.
INSERTING ATTACHMENTS.
This has never been easier. A paper clip symbol on the front of your Incredimail email takes you into a search of the file that you wish to enclose.
INCREDIGAMES
Now here is where Incredimail makes its money. There is a section on their website where you can download full versions of all kinds of games from Platform ones that are simple, to the more complex and modern of games and use for a limited period, in the hope that you will get hooked and buy them. The prices are actually very reasonable from around £12 for a game and the quality of the games is very good, and suit computers that use from Windows 98 to the newer versions of Windows. In 27 minutes on a 56K modem, I was able to download their version of mah_jong which is one of the best versions I have come across on the internet.
WEBSITE LAYOUT, DESIGN AND USER FRIENDLINESS.
The website has been made for people who want ease, and going from page to page is simple as is finding the section that interests you. The site is simply explained, and the pages are detailed and there is even a link from your own email background area that gives you the option to download more backgrounds, and to browse the site to see what is new, and take part in the evolution of Incredimail, making your own choices about how far you want this experience to go.
If you are not convinced, a simple trip to their website and a tour of how to use Incredimail will probably do the trick. This tour is without obligation to buy and gives you a chance to chose whether this is a suitable program for your needs.
Personally, I like it. I find it innovative and fun, and when fun is not what I am looking for, the fact that this email caters for simple emailing needs as well as enhanced ones convinces me that it is a better option than Outlook Express.
Thank you for reading. Now get out there and enjoy it. Rachel
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
I had Incredimail for quite some time and used it to send messages to my friends. I then had a number of problems and crashes and they all led back to Incredimail so I uninstalled it. I now have Mozilla Thunderbird which has never crashed or given me problems. The review was great and explained it very well. Dave xx
mystikchick17 17.07.2005 20:14
ooh it sounds like a lot of fun, but i'm so in love with my yahoo account...maybe i'll download this and give it a try just for fun, for the friends who really like getting emails, or to send special ones to my parents/brother/boyfriend/close friends when i'm at college. great review :) ~maya
tastytidbits50 15.07.2005 15:47
I liked your well-organized article. I have given up on Outlook Express-I must have done something wrong when I installed it, but Yahoo works fine for me all by itself.(I don't know it's just for America, however.) I've seen advertisements for Incredimail, and I guess I just don't need all those hoops and whistles. It wasn't clear how "free" it was, by your article. But, it sounds like fun, even if you only have dial-up. --Tait--
Advantages: Its Free, Great fun, some superb options available Disadvantages: Always check the directory mentioned in my opinion and make sure you empty it.
brianlfc 25.06.2001 (01.10.2001)
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