14 DAY TRIAL // Sparrow, one of the most beloved email clients on the Mac, has made it in the iOS App Store, where iPhone users can download the three dollar app (2,39 € in Europe) and start enjoying the most efficient and pleasant mailing experience.
The built-in Mail application in iOS does its bit, but many users agree it could get a leg up in some areas.
Perhaps Apple feels a standard email client should be just that - standard - leaving the optional tweaks for third-party developers such as the people at Sparrow.
The company describes its iOS application as “an iPhone mail client designed with love to provide you with an efficient and pleasant mailing experience.”
“With its pane navigation, its new threading system and many new features, you'll never look back,” the developers confidently state. And there’s a good chance they’re right.
Users get full IMAP support (Gmail, Google Apps, iCloud, Yahoo, AOL, Mobile Me and custom IMAP accounts), but the makers note that “Sparrow does not support POP accounts and does not do Push notification yet.”
To continue with the features list, you get a unified inbox, attachments, the ability to swipe up and down a message to navigate a conversation, a Faces feature which puts your friends’ profile photos on the screen, Smart Contacts, quick mailbox switching, thread view, priority inboxes, a powerful search and the ability to pull down to refresh your email feed.
Chances are this is the only email client everyone will ever need on their iPhone (given that they take email seriously).
Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be an iPad-native version of the app, nor is Sparrow universal - which means that it will work on the 9.7-inch device, but only in blown-up (pixelated) mode.
The developers are likely assessing the app’s popularity right now and if the iPad user base starts screaming for a dedicated tablet client, we’re pretty sure they won’t resist the urge to deliver.