How do you manage Gmail with your desktop mail client?
I use Mail in OSX and my primary Gmail account is linked to it. I like that it’s always running in the background, and I enjoy having a desktop email client instead of relying on webmail. However, I’ve gotten spoiled with an Android phone, which groups conversations the way Gmail does on the web. So now I feel like my Mail program is clunky and slow, in addition to being full of unnecessary emails (that could otherwise be grouped together). I use Outlook at work and am happy enough, this is for my personal email.
Do you use a desktop-based email client? If so, what do you use and how do you like it? Have you experienced my problem, and how did you address it?
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7 Answers
There is no substitute for gmail’s web interface. Is there a reason why you want the desktop email client? For me the whole point of gmail was that it was a step forward.
@tom_g No kidding, why use an online email provider if you aren’t using a web browser? That’s why outlook is horrible.
@tom_g That is not entirely correct. Not only can Mail do the trick (MacWorld this month has a great write up about it) there are other programs that can do the trick. Look at MailTap Pro in the app store. It’s $1.99.
Also Mailplane but it is PRICEY! $24.99
I also don’t like to have to use the web interface for email. I prefer a desktop client.
I gave up on desktop clients in favor of the web interface. I don’t see any reason to tie my email to a particular machine.
Note: I’m not saying that you can’t use an older, less-functional tool to interface with gmail. Rather, I’m asking why someone would want to. Folders? Really? In 2011? Gmail was such a revolution, I am surprised to hear that squeezing that into an old-school desktop client would be desirable.
Also, I took a look at MailTab Pro: “MailTab Pro for Gmail is the ideal app for instantly accessing your Gmail account without having to open your web browser.” Since when is a web browser a bad thing? This also just looks like a wrapper.
I don’t know about Mac email clients, but whatever you choose, check if it can connect as an IMAP client, not a POP client.
The difference being IMAP sees your GMail labels as folders. And when you delete or save messages, the same happens in the GMail account.
So IMAP keeps you in sync with the web client much better.
Try using Sparrow
Great UI, IMAP support, has conversation view, support for labels, and it’s pretty fast and stable. It’s $10, but I think there’s a free ad-supported version.
Personally, I like the web app much better than any desktop app, but Sparrow is the best desktop app around.
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