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iMapIdle simulates push email on the iPhone
The IMAP IDLE protocol allows an IMAP email server to send out notification of new emails to a client. This means its a great way to implement a "push" email system that automatically sends messages out, instead of having to wait for the email client to poll the server (this is what happens, for example, when you set the "Check for new mail" interval in Mail.app). A new application called iMapIdle partially brings this functionality to the iPhone. Basically iMapIdle sits in the background listening for the IDLE commands ("even if you are in sleep/standby mode") and pops up an alert to tell you that email has arrived. You can then use the iPhone's built-in email application actually to get the mail.Needless to say, this requires a hacked iPhone, and since it uses more data transfer it may negatively affect battery life (that said, the IDLE protocol is very bandwidth efficient). The other consideration is that not all IMAP servers are set up with the IDLE protocol enabled. Many are, however, and I've used IDLE based push email on my Treo for quite some time via ChatterEmail. Furthermore, iMapIdle has specific support for Gmail. I should note, however, that I have not actually tested this myself.iMapIdle is a free download (donations requested).[via UNEASYsilence]
Yeah, Gmail does IMAP, it's on Mobile
Gmail does IMAP, story at eleven -- or, well, close to two in the morning Eastern. Anyway, more over at Engadget Mobile, although desktop IMAP enthusiasts will probably also want to revel in the news.
Gmail goes IMAP: finally your mobile email client & Gmail fall in love
It's absolutely no secret that Google has a few humble fans of their email service, whose prayers have finally been answered. G's giving its users free -- yes, free -- IMAP access to their inboxes; great for desktop users, sure, but the people most likely to benefit from this development are those on mobile email clients (especially those unable to use the Java Gmail app). Hell, Google knows it and even whipped up an iPhone setup page to help Apple users get the real Gmail experience (instead of that crap out of box implementation someone so wrongly thought we'd be satisfied with). How do you get IMAP enabled? Well, if you don't see it in your Gmail options, log out and back in again. Still don't see it? Wait. Wait, and check the blogs, friend.[Via DownloadSquad, thanks to everyone who sent this in]
The perfect iPhone email setup
As you may have read previously, I haven't taken the plunge on an iPhone yet (although I heard McNulty did the other day, which means I might be the only one left at TUAW). But I have been considering it a lot (more than is healthy, probably), and one of my considerations is email. Just a few months ago, I switched completely to Gmail, because I wanted one inbox for all my addresses that I could check and send from anywhere. And with an iPhone, I worry how reading messages will work-- I know I can log right into my Gmail account, but sometimes I have hundreds of messages, and I suspect things will get lost in the mix.Catcubed had the same problem with his iPhone, and now has worked out what he calls the perfect solution. He's written up a tutorial to get Gmail, IMAP, and his iPhone all working together nicely. Basically, he's got it set up so that Gmail archives and checks everything, and then forwards messages that make it through the filter onto his iPhone via a special address that's IMAPped to Mail. Outgoing messages from the iPhone are synced back into Gmail (to be archived), and look like they're coming from the Gmail address. So while he's on the road, Cat can send and check directly from his email address via his iPhone, without having to wade through everything that comes in, and everything will still be kept in his Gmail when he gets back.It sounds darn complicated to set up. But once it gets rolling, it sounds like I won't have any problem getting my iPhone email right. Now, I just need to come up with the $500 for my cell phone budget...Thanks, SFSlim!
Synchronica's Mobile Gateway 3.0 trial for iPhone starts next week
If you've been dying without access to your Exchange mail account -- and come on, how many business types just need this? -- from iPhone, fear not, Synchronica's trial for Mobile Gateway 3.0 starts next week. While we've heard some people have had some success using Outlook Web Access (OWA) on iPhone, many haven't and if your IT group won't open the firewall for IMAP, you're out of luck. Synchronica's Gateway works by connecting to OWA, grabbing the mail and then making it available to your iPhone -- and many other types of phones -- via IMAP. So, if you haven't jumped onboard for this trial, we suggest you hop over to the site and get signed up.
Kiwi IMAP email client goes closed source
Developer (and sometime TUAW commenter) Matt Ronge has announced he's closing the source of the upcoming IMAP email client Kiwi he's been working on. It's a decision that's been a long time coming, he says, and most of the feedback he's gotten has been positive towards closing the source, so he's going ahead with it. MailCore and libetpan, the two code frameworks Kiwi is built on top of, will both remain open source, so the possibility of someone else building an open source client off of MailCore is still there.The question is, will Kiwi be worth paying for? The answer, as usual, is "depends." Ronge has some great ideas for how a well built IMAP client could work, but the proof is in the pudding, and right now, all we've got are some screenshots. Kiwi promises Address Book and Spotlight support, LUA customization, and good performance and scalability. If Ronge can make his app do all that, most users will be happy to pay for his hard work.[ via Brent Simmons ]
Mystery Solved? 10.4.10, Yahoo!, and the iPhone
The addition of a Yahoo! sync framework in 10.4.10 certainly seems a bit puzzling on the surface, but after some grinding of my mental cogs, I think I've figured it out.If you will think back to MacWorld 2007 and the announcement of the iPhone, you'll remember that Steve Jobs brought three special guests on stage. Stuffed between Eric Schmidt and Stan Sigman (of Google and Cingular, respectively) was Jerry Yang from Yahoo! who used his time to talk about the free Yahoo! IMAP "push" email that will be bundled with every iPhone.With an email account comes a contact list, and in this day and age of do-everything service providers, a calendar usually comes with it. It makes sense then that Apple would make it possible to edit and sync these things from your desktop– thus the new framework. Sure, I can do all that from my iPhone, but do I really want to enter and tweak 300 address book entries on such a small device?Obviously, this is just idle postulation, but I'd be surprised if something like this didn't get announced before the release of the iPhone later this month.
Sprint launches Mobile Email client
Sprint-Nextel (the company that has one messaging problem after another) has introduced a new combined email client for several of its current phones. With Mobile Email, Sprint customers can access their AOL, Windows Live, and Yahoo! accounts from their handsets. Mobile Email will also be able to add access to other POP3 and IMAP accounts, allow users to set up alerts when new mail arrives, and compose and save email for later use even when they are out of coverage. With this being a zero cost application to download, Sprint is hoping to increase users' dependency for mobile data which will drive other application downloads. Don't be too worried that Gmail didn't make the list of included clients as the POP support should have you covered.
Access Gmail through IMAP in Mail.app
Hawk Wings is at it again, and this time Tim Gaden has tracked down a method for using Gmail with IMAP in Mail.app. It might not be pretty - it's a Perl module that needs a little bit of finagling - but it apparently works. I can't even begin to fake that I know a lick about Perl, so I'm just going to have to point you to the original post to have at it yourself.If any TUAW readers get this to work, feel free to post your thoughts on this most sought-after of (wholly necessary) Gmail features.
WiLMa - location-based settings
WiLMa is a utility for adjusting various settings like Mail servers, default printers and even desktop wallpaper based on which Location you're using (check your Apple menu if you're unfamiliar with the Location menu). WiLMa can even open and close applications and set a default network to join. If you're a nomad who bounces from places like work, school, home and who knows where else, this could be quite a handy utility, though it isn't without at least one disadvantage: it runs as an application, which means you need to have it in your dock if its corresponding menubar item will be accessible. Location X, by comparison, is more of a daemon that runs in the background, watching which Location you're using and automatically adjusting these settings to your preferences, without the need for an app to run in the dock.Of course, with WiLMa's more attractive $12 price tag (Location X is $20), Universal Binary status and unique features, WiLMa definitely has a good thing going for it. A demo is available from Codehackers.
Thunderbird 1.5 RC2 released, gets shinier
Ok so I lied: Thunderbird isn't really any shinier, I just thought that headline might make C.K. download it faster on his quest for a Mail replacement. But seriously, it sounds like they've made some significant updates with RC2, when I thought release clients were simply about squashing bugs. Among the list of updates: better automatic updates, spell checking as you type (how 'bout it Firefox??), redesigned options UI, improvements to podcasting and RSS, built-in phishing detection and more. These sound like nice upgrades to an app that reportedly (and I agree) beats the pants off of Mail in the IMAP department. Still, as Hawk Wings points out, Thunderbird's inability to play well with lots of other OS X apps, lack of applescript support and just plain "butt-ugly" UI can tarnish the Thunderbird experience for some OS X users. Me? In my journey for Mail alternatives, I'm slowly settling into the Gmail way of things. It's certainly a new experience going from a desktop app to a web-app, especially for something as intensive as handling the army of email I collect in a day's time, but Gmail does most of the things that I was using Mail plugins for, such as MailTags. Plus, since Gmail went mobile, I don't necessarily need to keep my PowerBook glued to my head 24/7 to keep on top of things, so it's been working out so far.At the end of the day though, it's nice to see another large choice in email clients besides Mail and *shudder* Entourage, especially since Thunderbird has a few unique tricks like RSS reading up its sleeve.
