Why you should not buy a Windows RT Tablet!

LinuxMan

LinuxMan

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Heads up on anyone interested in purchasing a Windows RT Tablet..

Only to find out it doesn't support POP or IMAP (Default Mail Client)
This is a big downfall if you do some reading online..

I even tried the client's IMAP email address with no joy :/
Just told them to take it back.

Here are some reference's:

Using email accounts over POP on Windows 8 and Windows RT

The Mail app, which often comes with Windows 8 and Windows RT, doesn't support adding email accounts that use POP (Post Office Protocol). If your email account uses POP and you want to access it on your PC, here are some options:

If you want to use the Mail app and keep your current account, contact your email provider and ask if they can change your account to use IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) or EAS (Exchange Active Sync). This change is especially useful for people who want to get to their email in multiple ways (phone, personal computer, work computer, etc.), as those protocols do better than POP at keeping track of new, unread, and deleted messages and automatically saving your messages. Note that some providers might charge extra to switch.

Use your email account provider’s website to get to your messages. For example, if your email account is from Contoso, go to www.contoso.com and sign in.

Look for an app in the Windows Store that supports adding email accounts that use POP.

If you want to use the Mail app and are willing to switch to a new email account, you can stop using your previous account and start using a web-based email account like Outlook.com, Gmail, or Yahoo!. If messages from your original account are saved on your PC and you want to get to them in the new account, you can sign up for an Outlook.com account and then use the Mail Migration add-on to add them. Once you’ve moved to the new web-based account, you can add that account to the Mail app.

ANOTHER REFERENCE FROM A USER:


rolfepope
1 month ago
Nov 09, 2012

It turns out that normal email does not work on an RT tablet. You cannot do Pop or imap email.

If you want to do either, the microsoft solution is for your to log into a web email account, and have that account download your email.

I don't know about you, but I want to access my email directly via pop or imap.

I spent 3 hours at the Microsoft Store in Arlington, VA on Monday, 11/05/, and no one in the store could get the imap email to work. Store personnel tried both on their RT tablet, and my RT tablet, but it would not work. Further, it is either a deep dark secret inside Microsoft, and they will not tell anyone, or I was the first one to bring it to their attention.

Either way, it an RT tablet cannot directly access POP or imap accounts, I am afraid this product is going to be a disaster.

For me this is really to bad. Even after owning both a Mac, iPhone, and iPad, I still like MS products better than Apple.

Again, from what I have seen so far, the RT table is going to go over a cliff.
 
Can't speak for RT, but if you use win8 mail, you need to set up a windows mail account in order to log in, the same as is required with all mail servers such as google, telkom, mweb etc etc. Having done that, you can link other pop accounts ( and probably imap as well, but I cannot personally confirm) to your mail account.

did you create a microsoft mail account and liink existing mail?
 
Yes I created a Microsoft account first..
I understand what you saying, but seriously you shouldn't have to link accounts etc... Just setup as usuall, simple.

I tried linking their personal domain email that supports both pop and Imap with no joy..
The same mail accounts are working correctly on the PC/Android Tab/Android phone and iphone no problems.

Fail on Microsoft's behalf, many disappointed users out there.
 
:wtf:

POP3 is the lowest common denominator, almost all email clients have this. It does not make sense not to have pop or imap support.

It is the customer's choice on what protocol to use.

Epic fail.
 
The Windows 8 Mail App does support Imap, I set it up a week or so ago, so it's strange that RT wouldn't have it?
 
I hear/read more bad things about Windows RT than good things. Then I hear Windows 8 Pro tablets will fix the negativity ... at what price? From what I see so far my ultrabook + Android/iOS tablet combo is better.
 
I'm interested to know what protocol the mail app supports if not POP3 or IMAP.
 
Both my Hotmail and Gmail accounts use IMAP and they worked right off the bat. Mind you, that's because the server information was already there and generally Microsoft's apps work well with automatically configuring itself to the thousands upon thousands of known servers out there. The method Microsoft offers using an Outlook.com account should also be investigated, since that would be the option I'd set up for any of my clients.

POP3 isn't supported in the Mail App, yes, but that's less of a problem with Windows RT and more to do with Microsoft's shifting to a new ecosystem, where you can have the same setup replicated to multiple devices. I understand your client's frustrations and Microsoft should have more clearly indicated how far support in the Mail app goes. IMAP or EAS is way better in any case, IMO, POP3 should be slowly done away with for business use.
 
Last edited:
Exactly, an Android tablet is easier to configure and supports all mail protocols. Apparently this was one of those Tab's supplied by FNB to a client of mine. I agree tho Windows RT has lost the plot in terms of mail support :/
HavocXphere said:
Well fck that...no Windows tablet for me then. POP/IMAP isn't exactly a luxury feature...its a basic requirement.
Click to expand...
 
IMHO, accessing the same mail account from multiple devices using POP is fraught with problems if you do not have a good knowledge of the workings of POP.

POP creates copies of the mail to be created. These copies are not synchronized, in fact when multiple POP clients are used, they are not even aware of one another.

One problem is that a POP client downloads the mail from the server and it is common for that POP client to delete the downloaded mail from the server, which means that when using another device, the mail, which you previously read, has gone missing.

Another problem is the saving of sent messages. A POP client set up to send mail, say, via your ISP's smtp server, where that server is different from the mail account server, will mean that sent mail is not stored in your mailbox, and again, opening the account from another device, will mean that sent mail is missing.

Yes, I do understand that, by using advanced POP setup options, it is possible to work one's way around this, but it will be beyond the capabilities of a casual email user.

OTOH, using IMAP removes all of these problems as all mail is stored on the mail server and the IMAP client is a simple terminal. All IMAP clients access the same data and sent messages are stored on the server. As all devices access the same data, the same data is visible in separate clients.

This makes IMAP a far better protocol for use where multiple mail clients/devices are used to access a mail server.
 
HavocXphere said:
Well fck that...no Windows tablet for me then. POP/IMAP isn't exactly a luxury feature...its a basic requirement.
Click to expand...

Seriously, if a mail client doesn't support POP3 or IMAP it is not really a mail client. Methinks someone doesn't know how to use the software.

And there will be other mail client's soon enough. You think the Mozilla guys are just gonna sit back and let Thunderbird lose market share?
 
Erm.. Use another mail app from the store that support POP? You are saying not to buy hardware because one app isn't to your liking? If you really have to use the default mail app, you can set up your Outlook account to sync and retrieve email from any POP email account.
 
Hamster said:
Seriously, if a mail client doesn't support POP3 or IMAP it is not really a mail client. Methinks someone doesn't know how to use the software.

And there will be other mail client's soon enough. You think the Mozilla guys are just gonna sit back and let Thunderbird lose market share?
Click to expand...

Is there an RT version of Thunderbird? AFAIK the only apps running on RT are those ported to RT. X86 apps won't run.
 
Hamster said:
And there will be other mail client's soon enough. You think the Mozilla guys are just gonna sit back and let Thunderbird lose market share?
Click to expand...

Penquin said:
Erm.. Use another mail app from the store that support POP?
Click to expand...

That's not possible. Windows RT uses ARM architecture and x86 apps won't work even in desktop mode. The only desktop apps allowed in RT are the ported versions of Microsoft Office for WART. Apps run in the Start Menu are only available through the Windows App Store - this is to prevent platform fragmentation and emulate the way Apple runs its business.
 
Penquin said:
I was referring to the windows store on RT, when I said "store"
Click to expand...

The only other e-mail app on the store is an x86 one, not one designed to be system-agnostic. Hence, its still not possible to switch to another e-mail app on an RT tablet as things currently stand.
 
equals many unhappy users...
NAG - Wesley said:
The only other e-mail app on the store is an x86 one, not one designed to be system-agnostic. Hence, its still not possible to switch to another e-mail app on an RT tablet as things currently stand.
Click to expand...
 
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