Email

Google quietly removes Sparrow email client from App Store and Mac App Store

It's the end of the road for the beloved Sparrow email client as Google quietly pulled the free iPhone and Mac download from the App Store and Mac App Store, TechCrunch reported Tuesday.

The Internet giant snapped up the French startup, its apps and technology back in July of 2012, much to the dismay of the Apple community, for a reported $25 million.

Existing users who have downloaded Sparrow to their Mac through the Mac App Store, and have a copy of Sparrow for iOS in desktop iTunes, can continue using the app and should be able to install it on their other devices.

The app's been fully removed from iTunes servers and is no longer available for re-download through the Purchased tab of the App Store and Mac App Store. The Mac edition is still available directly from Sparrow’s own web site.

Paperfold redesigns the way you check your emails

Amongst the “inbox zero” hubbub that helps you make your email mess better organized, there are people who just don’t have need for such complex features. Maybe you just want a different way to view your email, a cuter way.

Paperfold is an iPad email app for people who don’t need a lot. It doesn’t offer forwarding, filtering, or task makers. It does, however, make your emails look good. The folding animation is attractive enough to make even the toughest email user wish for the simple life.

TL;DR wants to keep your emails short, and your inbox shorter

TL;DR Email is a new app that aims to keep your emails short and your inbox shorter at the same time. By default, the app will display only the first 30 words of incoming emails in a card-lie format, giving you enough of an overview to figure out what you want to do with the message. Swipe right to archive, swipe left to postpone it to later, or you can of course see the full message, reply to it, or even put it in a folder if needed.

Microsoft releases native Outlook app for iOS

Microsoft on Thursday released the official Outlook email client in the App Store (not to be confused with the native Outlook Web App for the iPhone). Optimized for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, the iOS 8-only app is based on Microsoft's $200 million purchase of the popular mobile email app Acompli.

Featuring a built-in calendar, comprehensive search features, gesture-based interface akin to Dropbox-owned Mailbox and support for popular cloud storage services like Dropbox, Google Drive and Microsoft's own OneDrive service, it brings together the core tools you need to get things done in one sweet package.

Task-focused email app Mail Pilot 2 gets previewed

Following its iOS and OS X debut in April 2013 and January 2014, respectively, Mail Pilot, a powerful task-focused email application by Mindsense, is about to get a whole lot better and prettier.

Mail Pilot 2, currently in beta, looks really nice with its overhauled interface that was redesigned around getting you on your with your day even faster.

Just earlier this week, Mindsense, the brains behind Mail Pilot, has shared some of the upcoming enhancements in a brand new preview video. You may not necessarily need yet another email app in your life, but I urge you to give this clip a quick watch as it could make you reconsider your stance.

Microsoft buys email app Acompli for $200+ million

Confirming an inadvertent leak last month, Windows and Office maker Microsoft on Monday said it's buying Acompli for more than $200 million. For those who haven't heard about Acompli, it's an efficient email app for iOS and Android that features an integrated calendar.

Framed as “part of our company-wide effort to help people accomplish more with their mobile devices,” the deal will bring San Francisco-based Acompli team together with work currently in progress by the Outlook team.

Microsoft's stated goal is to“ deliver fantastic cross-platform apps that support the variety of email services” people use today to help them accomplish more and Acompli seems to fit the bill nicely.

“It will expedite our work to deliver the full power of Office to mobile devices,” said the software giant.

How to access Google’s Inbox service on Safari

A month ago, Google launched a new iPhone app called Inbox, a different take on email which uses Sparrow-like gestures to help you achieve Inbox Zero nirvana and surface the most relevant items that tend to get lost in an avalanche of unwanted emails users get bombarded with.

Available on iOS, Android and Chrome, Inbox leaves fans of Apple's Safari browser in the dark. It's fortunate that there's a quick workaround to that, let me show you how.

Inbox is available free in the App Store.

Dispatch iOS email client gains Touch ID and 1Password support, WhatsApp actions and more

Dispatch, a third-party email client for the iPhone and iPad by Clean Shaven Apps, has received an update Wednesday morning adding support for Touch ID authentication and the new Drafts 4 app, in addition to 1Password integration in the in-app browser, new actions allowing you to send content to WhatsApp and more.

The action-based application permits you to triage your emails and get rid of unwanted ones by swiping, respond faster with snippets and process your mails with other apps.

Dispatch is a $4.99 download.

Mailbox for iOS updated with new interactive notification options

The popular email client Mailbox has been updated this morning, bringing the app to version 2.3.3. As the build number suggests, it's a minor release, but it does include a slew of bug fixes and performance improvements and a pair of new interactive notification options.

Among the many new features added in iOS 8 is interactive push notifications. These allow developers to add simple actions to their app's notifications, which is what the Mailbox team has done in 2.3.3. You can now choose to archive or snooze emails with just a single tap.

Microsoft revamps Outlook for OS X ahead of new Office for Mac version in H2 2015

Microsoft in a post Friday over at the official Office blog announced immediate availability of a redesigned version of Outlook for Mac while confirming that a new version of Office for Mac will be ready in the first half of 2015 as a public beta, and in the second half of 2015 for public consumption.

Office 365 subscribers will get the next version of Office (which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote) at no additional cost, the Windows giant said and added that it will release a perpetual license of Office for Mac in the same timeframe.

Google updates Gmail for iOS with iPhone 6 and 6 Plus support

The Internet giant Google has at last gotten around to updating the native Gmail application for iOS with native display support for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

As a result, owners of these new devices can finally enjoy crisp typography and user interface while taking full advantage of the bigger canvas to see more of their emails and inbox without scrolling.

Now available in the App Store free of charge, the new Gmail version 3.1415926 only lists native support for the new iPhone display sizes.

Apple starts sending email alerts when you sign in to iCloud via a web browser

As noted by Letem světem Applem and confirmed by MacRumors editor Eric Slivka, Apple in the aftermath of the nude celeb pics scandal seems to have taken the first in a series of promised steps to bolster up the security of its cloud.

Now each time you sign in to iCloud through a web browser, the Cupertino firm will issue an email notice which contains a date and time that the account was accessed. This behavior is now enabled by default.

Previously, login alerts had been sent only if there was an attempt to log in to iCloud on an unknown Apple device.