Which works better POP or IMAP?

I'm sort of fed up with my WM6 phone so I'm ditching it for BB. But hopefully someone can help me avoid going through painful trial and error I went through setting up my e-mail.

I have 4 e-mail accounts I use (3 Gmail and a POP/IMAP server). I regularly check mail from different locations. I used Outlook 2003 as my PC client. Before I got the WM6 phone all the accounts were set up as POP because I only used the PC to access e-mail. When I got the WM6 phone I switched everything over to IMAP so I could have both the phone and the PC synched. It didn't quite work as I had hoped. Sent folders didn't synch and it turns out the Outlook is near useless as an IMAP client. So now that I'm switching to BB, I'm wondering whether I should stay with IMAP or switch back to POP. I guess I'll be using BIS to take advantage of the BB features.

Here are my questions:

1) With IMAP and BIS, is incoming mail instant push, or polling every 15 minutes, then pushed, or is it pulled every 15 minutes?

2) With POP and BIS, is incoming mail instant push, or polling every 15 minutes, then pushed, or is it pulled every 15 minutes?

3) Does Gmail (or Yahoo or Hotmail) behave any differently than the run of the mill POP/IMAP server from the BB?

4) If set up as POP, will read mail on the BB show as unread mail on the PC and vice versa? I assume mail deleted on the BB also be deleted on the server, but if already downloaded on the PC it's still on the PC? Also mail deleted on the PC will still be on the BB if it was already downloaded?

5) If set up as IMAP, does the Sent folder on the BB synch to the server?

6) Has anyone tried setting it up so the BB is a POP client and the PC is an IMAP client? How would that work?

TIA

First IMAP on the BlackBerry isn't full IMAP. There is no IDLE and not folder sync. Can't even view your folders.

All email is pushed immediately to your device from the BIS server, but the BIS server polls your accounts and the rate varies. IMAP polling with GMail has recently gotten much faster and has been instant for me lately, but polling can be up to 15 minutes.

GMail behaves differently than any other email, but that is no different on any other device. GMail doesn't use folder but instead uses labels, so you need to filter your BIS account so that you don't get your sent email from your device sent from the BIS Tleaving you with two copies on the BB).

With POP there is no way to sync anything (read status, etc.) For that you need IMAP. No different that any other device.

As for the mail on the server, you need to have Outlook leave the mail on the server, or Outlook could grab it from the server before BIS and then there will no longer be any new mail to push to the BB.

Sent folder (and no other folder sync) on the BB with BIS. BES is required for that.

Mixing POP and IMAP will give you nothing. POP to the BB will still see the mail on the server that same as always unless you delete it on the PCan which will delete is from the server leaving nothing for BIS or the BB to see.

As for IMAP support, your not going to beat Window Mobile with a BlackBerry. You might want to take a look at FlexMail for your WM device before giving up. I was beta testing FM4 on my PPC before switching to a Curve and FM worked very well for me.

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I'm not sure I understand how IMAP implemented on BB if there is no folder sync and you can't view folders? I have 4 accounts, so is there just 4 inboxes without the ability to create additional folders? No trash, junk mail etc? But the e-mail still syncs right? So if I read or delete an e-mail either on the PC or the BB, the change will be reflected on the other device right?

Can you please elaborate a bit about how to use the filter to eliminate dupes?

I didn't realize that WM has better IMAP support than BB. In what ways is WM's IMAP better than BB? One of the reasons for my move is that BIS gives me quasi-push e-mail which is better than WM (w/o MS Exchange Server) but it never occurred to me that WM would be a better IMAP client.

I'll look at FlexMail, but part of the reason I'm switching is my hardware is deficient. Are there good 3rd party IMAP clients for BB?

The BB doesn't really do IMAP the way you are used to. It's not possible with the way that RIM is setup as server-sided push. BIS simple pushes what it recieves and it recieves from a basic poll of your inbox nothing more. BES is different and will sync folder, etc. but requires an Exchange server and a BES server. You can subscribe service to get this type of service, but is additional monthly fees. I haven't used anything beyond BIS so no personal experience here. As for IMAP the best I get is read and delete syncing for my Inbox.

No third-party full blown email clients that I'm aware of. There is a simple application for GMail. A bit different than a full blown email client like FlexMail.

Just depends on what your looking for. If you need full folder support, then you will need to use the GMail app, which obviously only works for GMail, or justify Exchance and BES service in addition to the BES data from your carrier. While this is possible with Windows Mobile with just data. Really depends on personal preference and need. The battery life on my Curve simple outweighs the folder sync that I had on Windows Mobile.

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