YouMail

[MisterEd]

Same thing -- it plays without downloading.

It has been downloaded as an attachment by Outlook when you preview it or you are streaming it which is still downloading it. No matter how you cut it, it has to be downloaded. It's so small a file it may not seem like it's been downloaded, but if it's in Outlook it has.

[caseydoug]

It has been downloaded as an attachment by Outlook when you preview it or you are streaming it which is still downloading it. No matter how you cut it, it has to be downloaded. It's so small a file it may not seem like it's been downloaded, but if it's in Outlook it has.

Well, yes, anything that plays on your computer will be downloaded, otherwise it couldn't play. That is true whether you are using Outlook or gmail or any other mail client, or whether the file is .wav or .mp3. But I don't think that is the way people were using "download" in this thread. The file is not stored on my computer, however. I use IMAP, and only the headers are stored locally. When I play a .wav file, it is streamed, but not stored. Nor do I need to run Windows Media Player. Outlook has a lightweight player that plays the file as "Preview."

[lost_]

MP3 takes more server resource to encode.

Flash attachment is like using a hammer to fix a small issue. Your browser must have an application handler configuration. For example, Firefox tools-options-application, but it's easier to just configure from the OS (e.g, Windows http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307859), then your browser would most likely prompt you to either save or open it with the associated application. XMPlay is a lightweight audio player. When I click on the WAV attachment in my Web-based email using Firefox, I get the option to play it. With Opera, it just plays when I click on the WAV attachment.

That said, we're hijacking this thread. And I still would like to have Google Voice option, Tim

[usa2k]

That said, we're hijacking this thread. And I still would like to have Google Voice option, Tim

That's not YouMail either I agree though, enough said.

I guess there are five camps from what I've read:

1. Add a YouMail option
2. Don't fix what's not broken
3. Improve the current VM system
4. Add another option - like GV support
5. Work on more important things (Documentation and Web Interface)

[caseydoug]

I guess there are five camps from what I've read:

1. Add a YouMail option
2. Don't fix what's not broken
3. Improve the current VM system
4. Add another option - like GV support
5. Work on more important things (Documentation and Web Interface)

Plus 6 - 14: All of the combinations of 1, 3, 4, and 5.

[lost_]

That's not YouMail either

I was responding to Tim's question about having GV/3rd party VM as an option, on whether or not it would be something users would utilize.

Choose two: speed of implementation, quality, cost (I'm in software development, and clients always want all three)

[ctaranto]

Or, more commonly: Faster, Better, Cheaper. Pick two.

/c

[burris]

I wonder....

Except for the handful of frequent posters( a vocal minority) answering Tim's questions, I can't begin to figure out how he can come up with an accepted solution.

In reality, the only single benchmark of whether the service works or not, is whether the service works or not. I suspect that this would be the most important facet of the service.
Sure, a few may bolt because they can't have some esoteric feature that they want or maybe had with a previous provider, but for me, the only crucial feature is that the service works with a high % of reliability. If that does not happen, no feature will take its place.

I know how difficult it must be for Tim to try to please everyone, but I wonder, in the end, if that is possible.
I would also guess that, and I've said this many times before, what would a service be like in quality and price if only a handful of basic features were offered and the development and support minimized in order to keep the costs down.

[usa2k]

Tim could charge for YouMail, just to see how badly some want it
Even if just a setup fee.

[TimThom]

I use You Mail with my cell and like it.