Dec

23

10.5.6 Apple Mail Fix

Filed Under Apple Mail, Apple Updates | Leave a Comment

Apple Mail
A boring title and an unassuming 100th post but an important update to let you know about. If you have updated to 10.5.6 and use Apple Mail you may want to know about this patch released today from Apple – a note about can be found HERE. It is supposed to fix frequent crashes so if your Mail application is experiencing such symptoms click HERE for a direct link to the download. Again, back up your important information before updating/upgrading anything like this.

Jul

23

Plugging Into Apple Mail

Filed Under Advice, Apple Mail, Recommendations, Views | 1 Comment

 email

Many of my clients use Apple’s free email program simply called Mail. Some chose it at the beginning of their experience with OS X and some have made the transition to it from other applications, mainly Microsoft’s Entourage (part of their MS Office suite of applications). The great thing about Mail in its current form since Leopard’s (10.5) release is its tight integration with the other Apple applications such as iCal, Address Book and now MobileMe. The built-in data detection of addresses and dates is cool and it supports Quick Look for fast perusal of attachments. It does, however, have it’s critics.

One major complaint is how it draws those said attachments while composing a message. If you’re attaching a single page PDF or an image of almost any kind, the file will draw itself in the body of the message making it difficult to type around the attachment if it’s been inserted between text or inadvertently somewhere you don’t want. Multi-page PDF’s, text documents etc…draw normally as just icons.

Another complaint is it’s inability to categorize messages without creating a mail box that might correspond to how a message might be filed. Entourage users miss a tighter integration with their calendar and to-do lists. Wouldn’t it be great if Mail could do these things properly?

There is an answer. I use two great plug-in applications with Mail that really extend it’s functionality. One is Mail Attachments Iconizer which helps to draw attachments in particular ways and the other is Mail Tags, an amazing add-on that provides keyword tagging, message notation, colour coding and tight integration with iCal for creating appointments and To-dos on the fly. I won’t go into more detail as you can check out their sites directly.

I also recommend the great Take Control eBook on Apple Mail – they have one for Leopard and one for Tiger.

Please note that I am not affiliated in any way with any companies or products that I recommend.