iOS is one of the most popular mobile platforms out there. This Techspirited article looks at some of the best email apps available for this platform.
Apps galore!
As on June ’13, there are an incredible 900,000 apps in the App Store.
It is no secret that iOS is one of the most popular mobile platfroms in the market today. Although it has had some serious competition from the likes of Android, and more recently Windows Mobile, iOS has managed to hold its own amongst smartphones. What really works in its favor is the flexibility, and security level that the OS brings in. Add to that, the fluidic touch interface, and the abundant resource of apps, and we have a clear winner on our hands.
One of the fundamental uses of smartphones these days is the ability to check messages and emails on the go. Push emails are especially important for people who use the iPhone as their business phone. While the default email application on iOS is pretty adept at handling multiple email accounts, and has all the basic functions, it is still found to be lacking for power users. The Apple App Store has a very handy solution to this problem, with the many email clients on offer. Here’s a look at some of the most popular email apps available for your ‘iDevice’.
Triage: Email First Aid
Southgate Labs
App Store
1.99 USD
Triage comes as a relief for iOS users who can’t stand the stock email client on their iDevices. The app is not a dedicated email client, instead it does pretty much what its name says, administers first aid to the ailing email client on your device. It helps you organize your mails better, using a rather simple yet effective approach. The app stacks your mail together, placing the most recent unread mails on top, which you can then choose to archive, or mark as unread, by simply swiping on the mail card up or down. The overall design of the app is rather simple and minimalistic, and focuses on reducing the clutter around your mailbox.
Dispatch: Action-Based Email
Clean Shaven Apps
App Store
4.99 USD
Dispatch sets out to give you back the control of your inbox, and make email management a breeze; it manages to do just that, and more rather effortlessly. The Dispatch function works really well, wherein you can just swipe to delete, archive, mark as read, etc. Another nice feature of the app is that it can be used to share data with various other apps like Evernote, Things, 1Password, etc.
Boxer
Taskbox
App Store
5.99 USD
Box (formerly called Taskbox – Mail) is lite and extremely useful email client. It links with various email platforms, and supports multiple accounts. It relies on simple action tabs, along with the standard swipes to perform any action. On first launch, the app runs a tutorial, in the form of a slideshow, explaining its basic functions.
Mail Pilot
Mindsense LLC
Mail Pilot takes a rather unconventional route to sorting your inbox, by resorting to making it a rather complex to-do list. This app, which started off with Kickstarter, has one of the most beautiful interfaces there is for an email client. It also features a unique date-based email organizing system, which makes searching for old mails real easy. The interface has a lot of tiny icons, each carrying out a specific task, along with the usual swipe features found in most other email apps.
Dedicated Third-Party Email Clients
Mailbox
Orchestra, Inc.
Currently catering only to Gmail, Mailbox is a simple app that goes about its business of sorting your mail with minimum fuss. It uses some intuitive swipe controls to carry out basic functions like delete, archive, or snooze mails. The app functions really smoothly, and is expected to support other email platforms soon.
Gmail
Google, Inc.
App Store
FREE
Gmail is the official email client of the most popular email platform in the world. Anyone with a Gmail account would feel right at home with the app’s interface. The controls have been customized for touch, and you can simply swipe your way through all the functions. The app may not match up to the many features offered by the other email clients, but it gets the job done.
Yahoo! Mail
Yahoo!
App Store
FREE
Yahoo! Mail, the official mail client of the online giant, is fairly simple to use, and has all the necessary features, and that’s it. No bells and whistles here, as the usual swipe actions found in other email clients are missing here. The app does a good job of handling all the mail, and searching through old mails is fairly simple.
Mail+ for Outlook
iKonic Apps LLC
App Store
5.99 USD
Mail+ for Outlook brings a huge cheer to all those who’ve been longing to sync their mails from Outlook with their iOS devices. The app is simple and straightforward, focusing on functionality rather than looks. It has all the basic functions needed for an email client, and syncing mail is real smooth, and fast.
You could install one of these, or sticky to the tried and tested Mail on you iOS device, to keep the mails rolling in.
Disclaimer: Prices mentioned in this article are subject to change without prior notice and do not include any promotions or offers.