Sparrow 1.5 Update Brings Dropbox Integration, Better Search

[MacRumors]

The OS X version of Sparrow, a popular alternative mail application, has been updated to version 1.5. The update brings bug fixes and 3 new features:

- Dropbox integration. Drag, drop, send (and sync). Sending a mail with attachment has never been simpler.
- Improved search with tokens and suggestions.
- Remote image blocking for a better Spam control.

MacStories writes of the update:

New to Sparrow is Dropbox integration, which uploads large attachments to Dropbox as an alternative to CloudApp. If you'd prefer to use Dropbox over CloudApp (or haven't yet connected to one of these optional services), you can visit the Services tab in the preferences to choose your option. You'll have to log out of CloudApp first if you plan on using Dropbox (you have to restart the app to see the new login buttons). If you upload an attachment that's bigger than 25 megabytes in size, Sparrow will choose Dropbox as the alternative host for the attachment and continue to send your message.

Sparrow is available in two flavors, a free, ad-supported version, and a $9.99 fully-featured version.

Sparrow Free is available from the Sparrow website. Sparrow is available for $9.99 from the Mac App Store [Direct Link]

Article Link: Sparrow 1.5 Update Brings Dropbox Integration, Better Search

[3bs]

I've had a mac for about 3 years but only started using the stock Mail.app about a year ago and I like it. How is Sparrow better?

[rmwebs]

I must have been left behind when this 'popular' mail application was announced. I've never heard of it. Cant beat a good Safari window with gmail.com loaded inside it

[buckers]

I quite like the look of this app, but I would miss not having rules/filters (unless this has been included in the new version)?

[Rudy69]

I'll buy it the moment it supports Hotmail (I doubt it will ever though )

[KALLT]

Originally Posted by 3bs

I've had a mac for about 3 years but only started using the stock Mail.app about a year ago and I like it. How is Sparrow better?

I used Mail ever since I switched to a Mac. I just love the simple and elegant look, it is much more convenient than any web app. However, since Lion I actually hate it a lot. The long-awaited third column is glitchy and cannot be properly customised. The conversation view does not work with most e-mail providers including, to my astonishment, Gmail, whereas the much more useful ‘view by thread’ function is gone. Furthermore, the ‘simplified’ e-mail header is an impairment; it shows not enough in compact mode and too much in extended mode, while the save-attachment button is only viewable in the extended mode. For me, Mail for Lion feels like an unfinished product and I would love to get the old version back.

I think that Sparrow becomes more and more a solid alternative to Mail. It has some refreshing ideas, like the Facebook and Dropbox integration which seem very useful to me. The interface is much cleaner and the overall structure of the program is much more simple. However, I cannot use it as it does not properly support my university and work e-mail accounts. It works well with iCloud, Gmail and Yahoo, but not very well with other accounts. Also, I think Sparrow offers not enough customisation options, e.g. to remove the pictures in the mail list and to view all your folders at once, not only the folders per account (at least the last time I used it).

[lymanicempire]

Originally Posted by 3bs

I've had a mac for about 3 years but only started using the stock Mail.app about a year ago and I like it. How is Sparrow better?

I don't think it's fair to say whether or not it's "better" than another mail app, per se; it's just particularly geared for—though not exclusive to—Gmail users. A few features especially worthy to note are:

• Supports using DropBox and CloudApp for attachments that exceed sending limits on most email hosts
• Has pretty comprehensive Gmail label support (unlike Mail.app's folder system)
• Supports Priority Inbox (a popular Gmail feature)
• Supports Facebook connectivity if the user prefers to link FB friends' images with email contacts (with live updating)

Perhaps development of Lion's Mail.app had been progressing for a while when Sparrow burst onto the scene, but for the uninitiated, many might claim that Lion's Mail stole most (all?) of its key features from Sparrow. In short, it's a rather top-notch program with incredibly helpful and consistent customer support, as well as solid and frequent feature updates.

[3bs]

Originally Posted by KALLT

I used Mail ever since I switched to a Mac. I just love the simple and elegant look, it is much more convenient than any web app. However, since Lion I actually hate it a lot. The long-awaited third column is glitchy and cannot be properly customised. The conversation view does not work with most e-mail providers including, to my astonishment, Gmail, whereas the much more useful ‘view by thread’ function is gone. Furthermore, the ‘simplified’ e-mail header is an impairment; it shows not enough in compact mode and too much in extended mode, while the save-attachment button is only viewable in the extended mode. For me, Mail for Lion feels like an unfinished product and I would love to get the old version back.

I think that Sparrow becomes more and more a solid alternative to Mail. It has some refreshing ideas, like the Facebook and Dropbox integration which seem very useful to me. The interface is much cleaner and the overall structure of the program is much more simple. However, I cannot use it as it does not properly support my university and work e-mail accounts. It works well with iCloud, Gmail and Yahoo, but not very well with other accounts. Also, I think Sparrow offers not enough customisation options, e.g. to remove the pictures in the mail list and to view all your folders at once, not only the folders per account (at least the last time I used it).

So someone is saying it doesn't support hotmail which I use and you're saying it doesn't support your college e-mail. My college e-mail is a microsoft exchange e-mail so I guess that doesn't work with Sparrow either so I have no use for it.

Oh and I'm not sure why anyone would vote my first post down

[achtung!]

sparrow is beautiful, is clean and it's fast! sure it's doesn't have all the bells and whistles like outlook or entourage, but for me it's just perfect. since lion, the apple mail is too confusing while handling multiple accounts. i have 4 mail accounts simultaneously on Sparrow and its just works. i haven't had any trouble with configurations or compatibilities. they have a solid costumer support and Facebook staff, so you can post doubts and expect replies and tips from their teams really quick. i've tested a lot mail apps before buying Sparrow, and it was love at the first sight. do yourself a favor and grab a copy of Sparrow,and be prepare for the iPhone version too! cheers

[designgeek]

I love this update. Sparrow is everything a simple mail app should be. It handles my four email accounts flawlessly and looks great while doing it. I've said it once and I'll say it again, I can't live without it. I'd rather communicate with pigeons than without sparrow (bad pun I know). Some say it's buggy but I haven't had any issues with it at all, that said, I'm sure 2.0 will be damn near perfect. If you're a light weight email user this is really the way to go.

sincerely,
sparrow fanboy

[MrSmith]

Originally Posted by KALLT

I used Mail ever since I switched to a Mac. I just love the simple and elegant look, it is much more convenient than any web app. However, since Lion I actually hate it a lot. The long-awaited third column is glitchy and cannot be properly customised. The conversation view does not work with most e-mail providers including, to my astonishment, Gmail, whereas the much more useful ‘view by thread’ function is gone. Furthermore, the ‘simplified’ e-mail header is an impairment; it shows not enough in compact mode and too much in extended mode, while the save-attachment button is only viewable in the extended mode. For me, Mail for Lion feels like an unfinished product and I would love to get the old version back.

Prefs > Viewing > Use classic layout?

[godrifle]

what about rules? I'd switch for sure if there was support for rules.

[isoMorpheus]

I ain't never gonna switch from Mac Mail.

[punkromance]

Originally Posted by 3bs

So someone is saying it doesn't support hotmail which I use and you're saying it doesn't support your college e-mail. My college e-mail is a microsoft exchange e-mail so I guess that doesn't work with Sparrow either so I have no use for it.

Oh and I'm not sure why anyone would vote my first post down

My uni email runs on Microsoft Exchange, works fine in Sparrow. You just have to configure all the server settings manually.
Unless you got your Hotmail account in some Asian country, you've always have to upgrade to a "pro" account to enable use with external email clients.

[ibnsina]

I like sparrow but I find it lacking in high end features. It's a nice early effort and I like the direction but it is not ready for prime time - at least for me.

You should check out PostBox if you want something with some higher end mail features. I used Mail.app forever and then I upgraded to Lion. Needless to say, I could not stand the new Mail.app. It seemed that all it really got was a fresh coat of paint and nothing more. I tried Sparrow for awhile but found it lacking. I then discovered PostBox - apparently, I played with it before but it did not surpass Mail.app at the time. It has certainly come a long way since. It has a nice progression of features and it looks to be improving very quickly and very well. It may be missing some things and the interface could use a bit of tweaking (some things are hard to find and they should be easier to find, some keyboard shortcuts don't make sense i.e. 'L' to forward email) but overall, a better experience than Mail.app and Sparrow.

I would not recommend buying it from the app store though. From reading the blogs, I saw that they were forced to remove certain features by Apple (specifically, the plug-ins)

For the record, I do not work for PostBox or Apple. I am a developer myself and I like well crafted software.

Cheers,
Sina
--

[legacyb4]

I like Sparrow's support for Labels instead of the normal folder equivalent in Mail.

Has anyone figured out the "correct" IMAP for Gmail that doesn't put it into a permanent double-sync of All Mail and each labelled folder?

[Cantello]

Does Dropbox integration work for you? I only get the spinning wheel and nothing happens. The Cloud.app one loads immediately and asks for username/password, though.

[haze]

Originally Posted by legacyb4

I like Sparrow's support for Labels instead of the normal folder equivalent in Mail.

Has anyone figured out the "correct" IMAP for Gmail that doesn't put it into a permanent double-sync of All Mail and each labelled folder?

http://512pixels.net/downloads/Gmail...l%20OS%20X.pdf

[daonesteven]

Originally Posted by haze

http://512pixels.net/downloads/Gmail...l%20OS%20X.pdf

does this basically ensure a perfect gmail synchronization? I remembered the 2 beefs I had with apple mail and gmail was:
1. double emails
2. deleting on apple mail meant archiving on gmail, and i wanted it to go into the trash instead since I never archive or use all mail.

[enklined]

Originally Posted by rmwebs

I must have been left behind when this 'popular' mail application was announced. I've never heard of it. Cant beat a good Safari window with gmail.com loaded inside it

Oh, but you can. IIRC, Sparrow was made FOR Gmail; it's their specialty. Give the free version a look; I bought the app, and LOVE it. I have 5 gmail (and Google Apps) accounts and Sparrow works wonderfully with them.

[3bs]

Originally Posted by punkromance

My uni email runs on Microsoft Exchange, works fine in Sparrow. You just have to configure all the server settings manually.
Unless you got your Hotmail account in some Asian country, you've always have to upgrade to a "pro" account to enable use with external email clients.

Got my @live account in Ireland and I'm using it on the Mail.app and it works fine

[dfs]

I think that the previous comments miss the real value of Sparrow: it can be a lifeaver for those people who won’t or can’t upgrade to Lion (for ex., the Quicken-dependent). Now we need programs that do the same thing for a calendar and an address book and we’re home free.

[NazgulRR]

Originally Posted by legacyb4

Has anyone figured out the "correct" IMAP for Gmail that doesn't put it into a permanent double-sync of All Mail and each labelled folder?

Yes, follow this guide all the way (including IMAP Prefix [Gmail] etc.):

Originally Posted by haze

http://512pixels.net/downloads/Gmail...l%20OS%20X.pdf

But UNCHECK "All Mail". Instead, make sure that EVERY SINGLE EMAIL that you have has ONE label (but not more!).
Maybe make a label called "Archive1"* or sth like that and put all emails that don't fit into other labels into that one and then show in IMAP the following: Inbox, sent, drafts, spam, bin and ALL your custom labels.

Everything works nicely Conversation view as well.


*for some reason Gmail prevents you to make a label called "Archive" :S


EDIT: Found a way to create "Archive" IMAP label on gmail -> just "archive" any gmail email in your Mail app. It creates the Archive label for you on gmail server, even though it is impossible to do that manually on the webmail app. Neat . Now everything works just like iCloud email.

[superflush]

Originally Posted by Rudy69

I'll buy it the moment it supports Hotmail (I doubt it will ever though )

The problem isn't that Sparrow doesn't "support Hotmail."
The problem is that Hotmail doesn't offer IMAP.
Whose fault do you think that might be.

[roadbloc]

Originally Posted by superflush

The problem isn't that Sparrow doesn't "support Hotmail."
The problem is that Hotmail doesn't offer IMAP.
Whose fault do you think that might be.

Sparrow, for not supporting POP3. Every other mail client does.