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diff --git a/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.16.07/Fri/mailplane.txt b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.16.07/Fri/mailplane.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..450f55a --- /dev/null +++ b/wired/old/published/Webmonkey/Monkey_Bites/2007/04.16.07/Fri/mailplane.txt @@ -0,0 +1,25 @@ +The debate between web-based e-mail services and desktop clients came up again recently with the launch of Thunderbird 2.0. An article on Thunderbird earlier this week generated a fair bit of discussion about the pros and cons of both, but yesterday I stumbled across a curious hybrid application that might be the best of both worlds. + +[Mailplane][1] is a Mac OS X application that provides desktop and OS integration integration for your GMail experience. Mailplane is, in a nutshell, a dedicated browser for GMail, but before you dismiss it as *just* that consider a few things. + +Those that would argue that Mailplane has nothing on Mail should consider that when you move and file messages in Mail.app, those changes aren't reflected in your GMail account. Using Mailplane, you get the integration of Mail (iPhoto, Address Book, etc) and the filing and filtering power of GMail. + +Others might wonder why anyone would want to use GMail outside of the browser. I'll admit that's a pretty good question, but if you miss the iLife integration that comes with Apple's Mail.app, then Mailplane can bridge that gap. + +Some standout features of Mailplane include: + +* Drag-and-drop attachments +* Send images direct from iPhoto +* Store Passwords in Keychain +* Growl support +* OS X-style keyboard shortcuts + + +Now most of those features can be had in your browser, but they require tracking down extensions, only work in certain browsers and, so far as I know, there's no way to integrate GMail with the iLife suite. + +The one thing missing from Mailplane, which I should note is still a private beta, that would really give it the edge over even the most extension rich Firefox setup, is offline support. Obviously the developer is probably aware that offline support would be a killer feature, but so far there's no roadmap available. + +Right now Mailplane is in private beta, but you can join by [signing up][2] and waiting your turn in the invite queue. While the beta versions will be free, eventually Mailplane will be released as a shareware app with an as yet undetermined price tag. + +[1]: http://mailplaneapp.com/index.html "Mailplane" +[2]: http://mailplaneapp.com/beta/index.html "Sign up for Mailplane beta"
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