Syncing with POP3 email accounts

Question

I'm just about at my wit's end, having spent the last few days trying to get MobileMe to do what Apple claims it can do. It can't.
That said, I now must figure out how to get my iPhone to directly access and sync with a couple of POP3 email account I have. I have tried going to settings, choosing "other", and adding in the correct info. It says that it "can't make the connection with SSL" and would I like to try without that, but when I say "OK", that doesn't work either.
Why is this so difficult? I replaced a Treo with this iPhone and am now having second thoughts. I mean, it can't access a POP3 account? What 90% of the world uses? I thought the iPhone was ready for "real" usage and not just a kid's phone. Frustrating. I just want to read my email... this should be "PDA 101"
OK, enough raving. Anybody know what I'm doing wrong?

Answer 1

Regarding email, what I was trying to do was have access to my already existing email, not the me.com email. He told me that I’d be able to sync my existing emails with MobileMe... but you can't, at least as far as I can tell.
A MM account can check the incoming mail server for a POP account - this option is available at the MM website. Messages received from a POP account will be downloaded to the Inbox mailbox for your MM account. The downside is when replying to or forwarding a message received from a POP account. The reply or forward will be sent from your MM account.
The idea is to use the MM email account as your email account. I've had a .Mac account for some time which was converted to a MM account. I moved quite a bit between 2000 and 2004. At the time, I was using the email account provided by my ISP. Every time I moved, I had to change my email address, and most ISPs don't provide or support an authenticated SMTP server. I started using a PowerBook as my primary computer in 2000 and if I wasn't connected to the internet via my ISP, I was unable to send messages with the email account provided by my ISP. I decided to start using my .Mac account as my primary email account which solved a number of problems for me. When moving, I didn't have to change my email address and since .Mac has an authenticated SMTP server, I was able to send messages with my .Mac account regardless the ISP used for my internet connection.
MM continues this for me with my PowerBook and with my iPhone. I can send messages with my MM account regardless the ISP used for my internet connection - with the Mail.app on my Mac, with the iPhone's Mail client, or with Outlook or OE on a Windows PC.
Meanwhile, I’ve set up these two email accounts and both can receive email but neither can send, although my me.com address will send & receive.
Because a MM account has an authenticated SMTP server, and your POP accounts probably don't. Who is the email account provider for these POP accounts?
I spent about 1/2 hour this afternoon with Apple tech support who couldn't figure that out and told me I need to do a complete factory reset on my iPhone, which will bring it back to original factory specs, causing me to loose all downloaded programs, information, etc., although I could back it up first with iTunes.
If you are syncing contact information and calendar events over the air with your MM account and your contact information and calendar events are available at the MM "cloud", this data will not be lost when doing a restore with iTunes. Other than that in regards to contact information and calendar events, the iPhone is designed to be synced with the supported application on your computer. If you aren't syncing contact information and calendar events over the air with your MM account, you should be syncing this data with the supported application on your computer and if so, this data remains on your computer and will not be lost when doing a restore with iTunes.
All downloaded applications from the app store should also be available in your iTunes library, which won't be lost when doing a restore.
iTunes creates and maintains a backup of your iPhone for all data on your iPhone not included with the sync process such as; most settings, SMS messages, notes, recent calls, call favorites, data stored on your iPhone by 3rd party applications, and photos captured by your iPhone - but I wouldn't depend on this one. Photos captured by your iPhone should be imported by your computer as with any other digital camera.
Your iPhone's backup is updated if needed as the very first step during the sync process. Before restoring, the first step should be a sync to update your iPhone's backup if needed.
Since all data available on your iPhone is included with your iPhone's backup or should be available and remain on your computer such as your iTunes content, photos transferred from your computer to your iPhone, etc., nothing will or should be lost during the restore process.
I had a Treo before the iPhone and setting up the email on it took me about 5 minutes. The contacts and calendar sync flawlessly with Outlook, and the setup for that was probably 15 minutes.
Which application did you use to sync your Treo direct with Outlook on your computer for contact information and calendar events?
So my secondary point is that the iPhone is not really ready for corporate life yet unless you are willing to put a LOT of effort into setup, which I was.
A MobileMe account is not designed for business use - it is designed for personal use and the idea is using the MM email address and account as your primary email account/address.
I access my MM account and a business POP account with the iPhone's Mail client. Setup for both took minutes. Both accounts have an authenticated SMTP server and I've never had any problems sending with either account for over a year with my first generation iPhone, or with my iPhone 3G. This is when connected via various wi-fi networks with different ISPs and via EDGE or 3G.
If you are trying to access legacy POP accounts that don't have an authenticated SMTP server, you will have problems. I don't know what was different with your Treo in this regard, but the device has nothing to do with an ISP blocking the use of SMTP servers that are outside of their network or not provided by the ISP being used for the internet connection unless the SMTP server is authenticated. Most if not all ISPs block the use of SMTP servers that are outside of their network or not provided by the ISP unless the SMTP server is authenticated. This has nothing to do with the iPhone.