Episode #182
I just changed my net provider from MSN to COMCAST. The speed of broadband is wonderful but I can no longer store my E-mail on my home computer with COMCAST. MSN allowed me to store Email on my computer and they said that I can still use their software for around $10/month. Are there any free programs out there that will do the same thing as MSN? I am running XP on a Dell computer.
Bob, San Rafael, CA
You just need to set up a POP3 email client - Outlook, Outlook Express, Live Mail, Thunderbird, etc. - with the proper settings for your Comcast mail.
Warren’s notes: I’m assuming the caller is using webmail client and doesn’t know how to use the server settings on Comcast, so I’ll list off how to do that in Outlook Express, which is likely what he’ll have on hand for desktop-based email. Go into “tools” and choose “email accounts”, and then after selecting your Comcast email specify mail.comcast.net as your server, and then hit the “change” button on the top left. You’ll need to fill out your name, your email address, your incoming server (mail.comcast.net) and your outgoing server (smtp.comcast.net), as well as the user name and password you normally use to get onto webmail. Click on the “more settings” tab, and make sure under the “outgoing server” tab that “my outgoing sever requires authentication” IS NOT checked. Also, go to the “advanced” tab and make sure the port for the incoming server is 110 and the outgoing server is 587. You should now be able to keep email messages on your home machine.
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Air Date: April 25, 2008
TranscriptCaller Questions
- Bob, San Rafael, CA
- Eric, Victoria, BC
- Armand, Lillooet, BC
Sean's Shinies
- Microsoft Zune 80GB
$249
Everyone’s been looking for the iPod killer…well, everyone except Apple that is. When Microsoft released the first version of the Zune there was a lot of snickering from portable music fans — not only was the first generation of the Zune a bit hamstrung by some of its limitations (inability to play files you’ve already purchased from an online store being key), the first gen product was also…well, a bit ugly. The newer version of the Zune is vastly improved from an aesthetic perspective, the menu system is top-notch, and the player even comes with high-quality headphones…take THAT, iPod. That said, some of the problems remain. Despite coming with built-in WiFi—and allowing users to “squirt” songs at each other for a three-play preview—users still can’t purchase tracks from the Zune Marketplace directly from their players. Bummer. That said, the ability to sync your library via WiFi from anywhere else in the house is a real plus…it means the player doesn’t have to be tethered to your PC when it’s not in use.
Shiny
- large screen great for video
- great headphones
- ability to send tracks via WiFi
- sync library via WiFi too
- built-in FM radio
Dull
- Marketplace still not in Canada
- won’t play DRM-encoded WMA
- can’t buy music over WiFi
- 80GB model hard drive can be damaged in dropZune 80GB
Microsoft