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Mailbox for iPhone Almost Rules

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So after a lengthy wait I finally have full functionality on my iPhone for the new Mailbox application that supposedly replaces the native iPhone mail app and beats the Gmail E-mail app hands down.

The Features that are Awesome

The entire purpose of this app is to help you manage your onslaught of e-mail.  In particular, I’ve found it fabulous for handling the problem of timing.  When I get an e-mail that’s important, but doesn’t need a response or action until a specific time, Mailbox allows me to schedule a future time to be notified of that message again.

When you’re looking at messages in your in-box on your phone, a simple half-swipe to the right will archive the message.  A full swipe to the right will delete it.  A half-swipe to the left will allow you to schedule a future notification, and a full swipe to the left will prompt you to add it to a Mailbox list.

The Features that are NOT Awesome

  • Mailbox creates a new “folder” structure in gmail utilizing the label feature.  You’ll immediately notice a label called [mailbox] in your list of labels.  If you organize your mail into lists by labeling them, then you’ll be “sub-labeling” or nesting your labels under the [mailbox] label, which means any labels you already have in Gmail will need to be moved, as Mailbox doesn’t access the labels you already have.
  • If you were using your iPhone mail app to read mail, and you have notifications ON, you’ll want to turn them off, and allow Mailbox to take over.  The problem I have with this is that I can no longer have a custom sound on my e-mails and the phone defaults back to the annoying “bong” sound that has always been difficult for me to hear when there’s other background noise or when I’m driving.
  • In the gmail search field, if you begin typing a label name for a label that you already had, you may see anticipated results, such as label:<something> as you type.  Since Mailbox puts a top level label of [mailbox] in gmail and nests the rest of your labels under that, you can no longer search for mail by the first few letters of a given label.  If you type the left bracket “[” into the search field, you’ll see results for [mailbox]:/<whatever>, but that’s cumbersome and not efficient.
  • On the iPhone, when you swipe a message into a list, the names in the list are not alphabetized.  They must be manually sorted in the Mailbox app settings.

Aside from those few hiccups, the app is extremely useful.  I just hope they can work through some of this stuff.

 

Soonr.com Is Almost Everything I Need

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Soonr.com is an online cloud.  It’s a place where I can store specific files permanently so they are away from my computer.  It works in the background, simply monitoring folders that I specify on my MAC or PC.  When a file is added or changed, the Soonr.com agent which is always running sends that changed file to my cloud on Soonr.com.  Coupled with the iPhone, it gives me a very easy way to access those files.

What Soonr.com doesn’t do is what I really need it to do, and that is keep not only files on one computer synchronized to the soonr.com website, but also synchronized to another computer.

All of my transaction documents, contracts, HUD-1’s etc., are stored in a set of folders which is nested beneath a single folder on my desktop.  Since I use two different computers for most of my work, having quick access to the most recent file on each computer is vital to my productivity and it’s one of the main reasons I am able to deliver such quick responses to document requests.

In order to make sure that a folder on one computer appears on the other computer as well, I employ a simple program called Windows Live Sync.  I’m not a big fan of Microsoft products, but since both of these computers that I’m using are PC’s, and I’ve been working with Microsoft products for years, I figure it’s the best I can do for free.  Windows Live Sync does what Soonr.com doesn’t.  It monitors a folder on your computer, synchronizes it with the Windows Live website, then synchronizes it with any other computers that have been assigned to the same folder.

At the end of the day, a process might look like this.  1) I create a new PDF file in the transaction folder.  2)  Windows Live synchronizes it with all of the computers I have setup for synchronization.  3) Soonr.com shuttles the file up to the Soonr.com site so I can view it from any computer, AND from my iPhone.

With both tools implemented, not only do I automatically duplicate my files for a quick backup to my other computers, but I also send a version to my cloud at Soonr.com, ensuring it’s permanently preserved.

Soonr.com treats each computer separately, and doesn’t link the two together, which means you won’t see a file on one computer that you created on another computer without accessing the Soonr.com site directly and downloading the file.

Until Soonr.com implements this feature, I’ll stick with what I have, which is working just fine.

Synchronizing Tasks with the iPhone

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Before I continue, I’ll disclaim that I use a hosted Microsoft Exchange provider (http://www.exchangemymail.com) to handle my e-mail as I am not a fan of POP3 nor IMAP.  Exchange Server allows me to keep the data in Outlook instantaneously updated with my iPhone’s Calendar, Contacts, and E-mail.

It lacks in one area though.  Tasks.  I have not figured out how to synchronize my tasks without using a third-party application in the $10.00 range from the iTunes App store.  So, I thought I’d use a free workaround that you also can use.

In Outlook 2007, when you create a task it shows up on your calendar at the bottom of the screen where you can manage it.  It is not displayed in your calendar on the iPhone.  Although you won’t have the fancy features of task management, you can do one simple thing to keep track of your list of To Do’s on both your iPhone and Outlook.

  • Create an all-day appointment in Outlook.
  • In the notes field, type a bulleted list of your tasks that need to be completed on that day.

That’s it.  Big surprise.  Make it simple and save yourself $10.00.  Sure, you won’t be able to check them off or move them around, nor will the unfinished tasks roll over to the following day, but this solution is working for me and I think it will work for you too.

Blogging by iPhone

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While impresive in it’s concept it is certainly the most cumbersome way to post articles to the masses. I recently installed the wordpress application on my iPhone and am very impressed with how easy it is to connect to my self-hosted wordpress-based blog.

I’m not so impressed with the speed at which the mobile device allows me to write. Although superior in speed to most mobile phones and smart phones, for someone who is used to typing 80 words per minute, I’m liable to go out of my mind touch-typing.

One of the more impressive features of the iPhone which makes writing this article much faster than expected is the accuracy of the spell check dictionary and speed at which the typos are corrected. It’s as though the phone can sense context.

With a Bluetooth portable keyboard, I can see the day coming where I won’t need my laptop to write compelling content for my blog. Rather, the laptop will become a tool solely for touching up posts and embedding context-sensitive media and a way to modify underlying code to massage and grow the functionality and design of the site. Until then, the wordpress mobile app for yw iPhone will be a fantastic way to start drafts.

Truly One in a Million

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Yes, I’m now an iPhone owner.  After a few years, well, let’s face it, 36 years of waiting patiently by the phone (sorry about that) I finally caved…(needle scratching a record)….CAVED?  Are you kidding, this is one of the best purchases I have made in ages.  From the Apple IIc which I had when I was 14 years old through the ages to the iPhone, with more computing power than a nuclear missile en route to the moon, I finally have arrived.  It’s almost a religious experience, owning an iPhone.  I can flick and touch and tap my way to freedom now!!!

Apple announced this morning that it had sold 1 million 3G iPhones over the weekend since the device’s launch on Friday. The device launched in 21 countries (France, one of the original 22 countries, is sitting this one out until July 17) to long lines that lasted throughout the weekend, making this the most successful device launch yet—at least in terms of sales.

The selling point on the iPhone 3G was the enterprise Exchange Server connectivity, which I utilized with my Windows based phone.  It was the only “feature” that made the Treo 700W worth carrying around.  Now with the sleek and light design of the iPhone I’m enjoying life even more.  The interface just works, and the phone does not crash unless you put it under undue stress, such as running an application from the iTunes application store that isn’t working right.  Other than that, it has not failed, it has not annoyed me, it has worked worked worked every time iTouch it :).

With a cost of only $200, it’s probably the last phone I’ll need until another iPhone comes along with more features that help me lower my costs.  Thank you Apple.  Now I am truly one in a million.