If You Use Gmail: Do You Use Apple's MAIL or Gmail Offline? Why? Benefits? etc.?

[HappyDude20]

So, you have two applications in your dock to perform one function?

Yes I do. I use Firefox to go online either way. & I'm sure Firefox is my most used app on my Mac, it's the internet!

But I do understand your thought concerning that. I could get rid of the Gmail icon, Gcal icon and Google Docs icon on the dock, save space and still be able to access them all just by opening firefox and clicking on the same icons in the Google Toolbar...

...But clicking the Gmail icon dock is so much easier, and i use it so much it definately helps to have it on the dock.

I personally use apple mail, but you really can't decide until you try both for yourself. Set up apple mail with your gmail account and give it a try! It you don't like it, you can delete it with no effect on your gmail account.

If you still can't decide, ask yourself this...

Which icon do you think looks better in your dock?

Oh, of course. I'll go ahead and set up Mail w/ Gmail and see how I like it. It was mentioned earlier that an advantage Apple Mail has is you can use spotlight to search all your email messages... but even Gmail offline can search all your email messages.

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I guess it doesn't really matter what system I use on my mac and what system i'll use on my iTouch. As long as they're all in sync. IMAP will obviously take care of this.

I'll go ahead and set up MAIL w/ my Gmail account and see how i like it; it's been at least a year since i've opened up Mail.

The great thing with Mail using IMAP is if I find myself using one of the PC's at my university and sign onto Gmail, my inbox and messages will all look the same and be in sync.

But I love Google's Gmail so much I doubt i'll see Apple's Mail gain in traction.

Though my major concern now is how Gmail will work on the iTouch. (I'm sure this is a question in the iPod Touch area).

We'll see.

 

[317342]

Offline, definitely. Here's why...

Mail is fine, but I don't want to download/sync ALL of my mail via IMAP every time I open my e-mail. Offline lets my sync the last week of e-mail, with or without attachments, and it keeps the same look/feel of Gmail w/ labels. I have Offline set for 1 week, all folders, and 1MB attachments.

Sure, I can turn on Adv. IMAP controls and tell it to not sync specific labels, but it's only the folders I select, and there is no intelligent function to sync only recent mail. Every folder I'd select in Adv. IMAP controls will sync ALL mail within those folders instead of just the recent.

Offline is much more intelligent way of syncing mail for offline (pun) use.

 

[miles01110]

I use Apple Mail. I like keyboard shortcuts.

 

[DKatri]

I use the mail.app mainly because it is simple and was already installed when I set up my mac. Besides which I have my blackberry which gets all of my gmail pushed to it, so 90% of the time using my mac mail isn't even open.

 

[317342]

I use Apple Mail. I like keyboard shortcuts.

Gmail has them too. You have to turn them on in the Settings.

 

[miles01110]

Gmail has them too. You have to turn them on in the Settings.

Just turned them on and the first command listed ("c" to compose a new message) doesn't work. Fail.

 

[Ashka]

Apple Mail app with GMail POP3.
Still able to access GMail online if away from my own computer.
Using POP3 keeps all the spam on the GMail server not on my computer and I have no need to sync with a mobile phone or another computer.
Have been running the same system for 5 years on OSX10.3 to OSX10.6

Capped internet of 4 GB a month (was 1GB) being able to work Offline is important.

 

[mac.by.jake]

I'm in the middle of the same debate. One of the things I love about Gmail are the shortcut keys. I can go through 200 emails very quickly with the shortcut keys. I don't know that Apple Mail's shortcut keys are as effective.

The point about spotlighting emails and having multiple accounts coming to one place are making it hard for me to go pure Gmail. Gmail allows you to pop accounts together but it isn't the same as using a mail client like Apple Mail or Outlook.

 

[317342]

Just turned them on and the first command listed ("c" to compose a new message) doesn't work. Fail.

Try reloading/refreshing your browser. That will definitely "unfail" your Gmail.

(Works fine in Safari 4.0.4 and FFX 3.5.5)

 

[rKunda]

Apple's Mail

Just the way I set it up originally and it works for me

Same for me.

 

[YMark]

gmail is the only one I have seen that does not use folders. so when you get the mail app going you will have all the emails in the inbox. just create folders with the same name as your labels then move the emails into them. this is the way with mac or a pc.

You can also use Smart Mailboxes.

 

[coops]

This is one reason i've always liked Opera browser.... it has a built in mail app. It'll deal with any pop3 or imap account (mines gmail, also an operamail account).

So when i'm online browsing, my mail is in the same app and is accessed from a sidebar easily. It works in a 'database' style - so all emails go in to a central database, and you can sort them (manually, automatically etc etc) in to whatever categories (folders) you like in multiple places but still have only the one email actually stored (hope that makes sense).

Good search ability to....

Shame Opera have screwed up a bit with version 10, now getting 'repaired' (updated) .... and still doesn't support the 3 finger swipe for back/forward sadly...

Coops

 

[jc1350]

I was using Mail.app for the last year, but recently switched to the release candidate version of Thunderbird 3.0. They did a lot of work and it very easily integrates with gmail. For example, all your standard folders (sent, trash, inbox, etc) are automatically mapped to gmail's versions.

I've always liked Thunderbird and I'm glad I switched back. It's good to be "home."