Best Way to Synch Outlook E-mail?

[JazzyJeff]

Just got an iPhone and found out it can't synch the mail in the PST file. Created an IMAP account and moved existing mail. Works good for synching. Glad to not be dealing with Activesync anymore.

However I'm seeing some drawbacks and looking for some tips on possible ways to get around them...

1) When I delete messages it just puts a strikethrough through them. I have to Edit, Purge Deleted Items. But seems to be the same as going to the Deleted items folder and permanently deleting. I like to delete items then permanently delete them once a month in batches. Is the only way to achieve this to drag the mail from the IMAP folder to the Outlook Deleted items folder. I also don't want deleted items accumulating on the IMAP server. Help!

2) I've got about 6 mailboxes I check. With POP they would all funnel into the inbox. With IMAP it appears I need a folder tree for each mailbox. Anyway around that, maybe with a rule or something. Whatever the solution, I need to be able to reply using the return address of the mailbox the e-mail was sent to.

Any help is greatly appreciated!