Gmail vs. Yahoo
I have been a satisfied (actually “Delighted!”) Google mail (Gmail) user and advocate for over a year. I’ve fallen head over heels in love with Gmail’s minimalist style, where it does just enough to get the job done.
Although some smart people don’t seem to get it, Gmail’s “search don’t sort” philosophy is simple and powerful compared with traditional folder based message stores.
But I love to try new stuff. I’m a pathological early adopter. You know where this is going, right? I am struggling with a decision: should I even try the new Yahoo Mail? Wait a minute, it’s in beta and I have not been invited. So this discussion should all be in the future tense.
Even so, if I were hypothetically given a Yahoo mail invite, will I invest the time to check out Yahoo mail?
In a word, “no.”
I am married to Google, at least for email. My vows said, “Forsaking all others…” and “through sickness and health, until death do us part.”
That’s cute, but there’s an even better reason to be faithful (to Gmail). I believe competition works. If Yahoo (nee Oddpost) delivers genuinely Great Things, that army of bright people at Google can sort out the key features and modify Gmail so it remains simple and powerful and highly functional.
The Gmail team needs to beef up Gmail contacts, big time. They need to make searching more flexible so I can qualify a search when that makes sense.
I simply love Gmail the way it is. I do NOT want to return to “mail folder hell.” A little lipstick or eye shadow would be OK. But please, no botox and don’t even consider a nose job.