Sparrow

We’re back on the Mac! Sparrow for Mac 1.6 comes with one...

Thu, 17 May 2012 08:25:00 -0400

We’re back on the Mac!

Sparrow for Mac 1.6 comes with one major feature: POP support, and a lot of improvements that will make your mail life even easier.

POP

You can now finally plug your Hotmail account in Sparrow or any other POP

‘True’ Unified Inbox

Navigate in your unified Favorites, Sent, Drafts from your Unified account.

Empty Spam

As simple as it is, one click to flush them all.

Composer sender toggle

Quickly toggle down from ‘To’, ‘Subject’ to ‘From’.

And a lot more additions to this new version:

Pull to refresh updates list of starred messages / unread messages / priority messages
Esc on Quick Reply saves as draft
App startup time improvement
Inbox zero message
Fixed avatar behavior (thanks to Ellis Hamburger)
Improved charset decoding
Remove flickering when message list is empty
Fixed scrollers behavior in sidebar
Random scroll in the list when switching folder
Handle additional international subject reply and forward prefix
Periodical log clean up
Improved contacts synchronization from Gmail
Draft icon aligment in conversation view
Refresh folders list periodically
Fixed Asana emails parsing issue

As always, this update is completely free. Get it now on the Mac AppStore.

Dear Sparrowers, Sparrow 1.2 for iPhone is here and comes with...

Mon, 14 May 2012 08:07:26 -0400

Dear Sparrowers,

Sparrow 1.2 for iPhone is here and comes with 4 new features:

Message navigation

You can now navigate all your mailbox messages simply by swiping up and down. When switching from a conversation to another, you’ll see a special separator clearly showing you’re swiping to a new conversation.

Edit and create folder/labels

You can now rename, create, delete all your labels and folders straight from within the app.

Landscape composing

You can now compose messages in landscape mode.

Fluent in 9 languages

Sparrow now speaks English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Dutch, Russian, and Chinese.

About Push

You were more than 16 000 helping us on our Apple quest to get the VoIP privilege. We can’t thank you enough for your support. Unfortunately, Apple has confirmed that they are not willing to do any exception to the rule and that Sparrow will NOT be granted with the privilege.

This means we’ll have to do Push on our side and that it will be integrated as a yearly subscription into Sparrow’s future update.

You can grab Sparrow iPhone 1.2 here. Sparrow 1.6 for Mac is coming soon. Stay tuned.

One step at the time Like on the Mac, Sparrow for iPhone will...

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 10:59:00 -0400

One step at the time

Like on the Mac, Sparrow for iPhone will evolve fast and integrate feature requests and bug fixes.

Sparrow 1.1 is the first step and here is what’s new:

Send & Archive
Show/hide dock badge per account
Only show specific labels and folders
Built-in web browser
Empty trash and empty spam

Bug fix:

Authentication issue with some Google apps account
Custom SMTP for Alias

We’re already working on Sparrow 1.2.

The next update will include localization in 9 languages, landscape mode when composing and will allow you to swipe up and down between messages.

What’s up on Push?

Thanks to your amazing support, we feel confident that Apple might revise its position on the Push API. We’ll submit a first version of Sparrow 1.2 including it. This might delay Sparrow 1.2 validation but we’re already working with some partners to include Push in future versions of Sparrow without needing Apple clearance.

Push is coming. If Apple can’t help us yet, we have other ideas.

What about the Mac?

We’ve been busy on the iPhone for quite some time but we’re back on the Mac. We’re currently working on Sparrow 1.6 for Mac. This next release will include a lot of bug fixes and improvements. The main new feature will be POP support.

Finally, you’ll be able to plug your old Hotmail or Live account in Sparrow.

As always, we’ll keep you posted on our progress here.

"Sparrow iPhone reviews"

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:17:55 -0400

“Sparrow iPhone reviews”

- A week after its release, find what people said about the first version of Sparrow iPhone

It’s been some time that we wanted to say those words: Sparrow iPhone is now available on the...

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 02:11:00 -0400

It’s been some time that we wanted to say those words:

Sparrow iPhone is now available on the App Store.

Like on the Mac, our goal is to offer you a pleasurable yet more efficient way to deal with your mail on your iPhone.

We gave as much space as we could to your content, emphasized the most common actions and made sure power features were quickly accessible and easy to discover.

You can play with the app and discover its features on our website.

Good Sparrowing to you.

"5 minutes on The Verge"

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:43:29 -0500

“5 minutes on The Verge”

- 5 minutes on The Verge with Sparrow by Thomas Houston

Happy new year! Let’s celebrate 2012 with some iPhone...

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 10:00:39 -0500

Happy new year! Let’s celebrate 2012 with some iPhone love.

Sparrow Lite 1.5 is now available from our website (licensed...

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 08:09:58 -0500

Sparrow Lite 1.5 is now available from our website (licensed version) and from the Mac AppStore.

Sparrow Lite is now full-featured.

General IMAP support, multi-account, unified inbox, CloudApp, Dropbox, Send and Archive, extended sidebar… it’s all there.

The only difference with the paid version is that Sparrow Lite is ad-supported and will include a Sent with Sparrow signature in all your outgoing mails.

You can now get the full taste of Sparrow before deciding to get the real deal.

Sparrow 1.5 is here. It brings 3 of the most requested &...

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 03:38:57 -0500

Sparrow 1.5 is here. It brings 3 of the most requested & awaited features!

First. Dropbox.

Drag, drop, send (and sync). Sending a mail with attachement has never been simpler. And without even noticing it, you are syncing your files in the cloud making sure you never lose them.

Second. Block remote images.
Keep control of the images displayed in your mail: once or always.

Third. Search.

With it’s new smart search & Gmail-like tokens, find the mail you’re looking for in a matter of seconds.

Already a Sparrower? As always, this update is completely free for you. Check for update or visit the Mac AppStore and enjoy the new features.

If you’re new to Sparrow, you can get the lite version here or get the full version for $9.99.

As seen on The Verge and Business Insider, here is a preview of...

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 10:18:59 -0400

As seen on The Verge and Business Insider, here is a preview of Sparrow for iPhone.

Sparrow 1.4.1 is live

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 06:09:15 -0400

It took a while but Apple finally let it out.

Sparrow 1.4.1 is here with much awaited bug fixes. This new version fixes the following issues:

Growl 1.3 support
iCloud Support
Mail ordering
Quick reply all
Encoding issue
Quick Look in full screen mode
Keychain issue
Various crash & bugs

Some of you might still experience issues with iCloud despite the update.

Apple is using a custom authentication system for some iCloud accounts and they haven’t shared the details of it with us yet. This explains why it could not work as expected and require you to follow this workaround.

Check for update in the Mac AppStore

"Google pushing hard to get Gmail looking like Sparrow."

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 09:18:43 -0400

“Google pushing hard to get Gmail looking like Sparrow.”

- MG Siegler - A new look for Gmail

Working on Sparrow 1.4.1

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 13:45:00 -0400

Dear Sparrowers,

We’re currently working on Sparrow 1.4.1 focusing on the issues you reported:

Growl support
iCloud Support
Mail ordering
Quick reply all
Encoding issue
Quick Look in full screen mode
Various crashes

The recently released version of Growl does not work with Sparrow 1.4 but it will in Sparrow 1.4.1.

iCloud will also be supported in Sparrow 1.4.1 but know that you can still connect your account by following those steps in the current version.

Some of you have been experiencing connection issue related to Gmail’s 2-step authentication, make sure you have generated the specific password required for third party apps like Sparrow.

Sparrow 1.4.1 will be posted to the Mac AppStore in a few days.

Steve Jobs - 1955-2011

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 05:53:00 -0400

Steve Jobs - 1955-2011

The lonesome death of attachments Sparrow 1.4 is a special...

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 03:14:41 -0400

The lonesome death of attachments

Sparrow 1.4 is a special release for us. We took the time to improve our little bird both in terms of UI and performance. You should notice right away that Sparrow is now faster than ever.

It’s also been a while we wanted to integrate CloudApp. We use it daily at Sparrow and we thought it would make a lot of sense to get it into Sparrow.

A video is worth a thousand words so have a look below to see how it can make you more efficient and introduce a little magic in your mail experience:

All you have to do is activate the option in Sparrow Preferences and attachments should never be a problem again.

Of course, that’s not all. We also added:

A reversed thread ordering like in Gmail (older messages on top)

Pull-to-refresh

and we have made some improvement on the UI:

Default image in conversation view when no message or multiple message are selected
Window resize issue
Default compose window size
Message list default size is kept when modifying the sidebar state
Sidebar animations when showing / hiding
Default minimal size of windows

Important changes were also made under the hood, with a brand new draft management system which makes Sparrow:

Send mail faster
Behave better with bad network/ offline behavior
Synchronize faster

Bug fixes:

Zoho compatibility
Lotus Domino compatibility
Free compatibility
Dovecot server
Crash on Send & Archive and various crashes
Animation bug when unminimizing Sparrow from the Menu bar icon
Hanging issue on Lion
Erased space in signature
‘Not Spam’ option in the Spam folder

Open the Mac App Store to update your Sparrow and make the most of this new features or simply check for update.

If you haven’t Sparrow already, you can get it here.

Sparrow 1.4 is coming to your desktop tomorrow. Here is a taste...

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 13:01:50 -0400

Sparrow 1.4 is coming to your desktop tomorrow. Here is a taste of it.

Sparrow 1.3.2 is now available on the Mac App Store This new...

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 06:24:00 -0400

Sparrow 1.3.2 is now available on the Mac App Store

This new release includes:

- Drag and drop directly in your label & folders in the extended sidebar

- Shortmail support: character counter in compose window. We really like the idea of Shortmail and felt we had to integrate it in Sparrow.

- Focus on Compose window in full screen mode

- New conversation view design: buttons are gone and the whole view is more minimalist. The quick reply has been slightly redesigned too.

- Top bar gradient re-design

- New default avatars for incoming mails

Bug fix:

- Transparent text issue in message composer

- Window and sidebar size memory issue

- Alt-L Polish character issue

- Fixed Esc key behavior in fullscreen

- Deminimized animation fixed

- Shift-Cmd-2 in Extended sidebar Unified Inbox

- Copy and paste issue in compose window

- Inline attachments resize issue

- Improved memory usage

- Fixed various crashes

Sparrow 1.3.1 has been approved by Apple at the speed of light...

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 04:28:17 -0400

Sparrow 1.3.1 has been approved by Apple at the speed of light and should be available to all of you now on the Mac App Store.

We would like to thank Apple for their support and reactivity in yesterday’s special circumstances.

If you had the licensed version of Sparrow, you are either already playing around with Sparrow 1.3.1 or should be able to update.

If you had the Mac App Store version, checking the update section should allow you to get Sparrow 1.3.1. This new version of Sparrow comes with some improvements and fixes the following issues:

Crash issue of 1.3
Formatting issue of 1.3

Cmd-L and Shift-Cmd-L bug in Unified Inbox for Google accounts
Lost text when replying too fast
Reply animation: the reply window now matches the location and size of the reading window
Default window size is now kept when quitting and relaunching the application
Various bugs on window resizing (extended sidebar, hiding sidebar…)
Lotus Domino compatibility
Bug in sidebar Label menu

And it adds 2 new Lion feature:

Full screen mode
Launch animation

Sparrow 1.3 takes an (unexpected) break

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 09:37:18 -0400

Sparrow 1.3 was released this morning but displayed unexpected bugs.

The issue was quickly identified and fixed but due to the Mac App Store process, we were not able to push the new update to you as fast as we wanted to.

We decided to pull Sparrow 1.3 from the Mac App Store until Sparrow 1.3.1 is reviewed and accepted by Cupertino.

If you have the licensed version (vs.Mac App Store version), you should already be able to get the latest release (1.3.1).

We apologize for the delay. Sparrow 1.3.1 is waiting for review right now and should be out in a few days.

If you’re experiencing issues with Sparrow 1.3 Mac App Store version, following this instructions should solve your problem.

Sparrow 1.3 has been submited to the Mac App Store. Our little bird is now fully compatible with...

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 05:14:00 -0400

Sparrow 1.3 has been submited to the Mac App Store. Our little bird is now fully compatible with Lion OS X and takes advantage of the cool new things Apple brought to the Mac. Here is a quick tour of the new features and improvements you should be able to play with in a few days:

Quickly access your labels and folders:

The extended sidebar has been a major feature request since Sparrow was first introduced 5 months ago. Simply dragging the sidebar to the left now gives you access to the new layout. Everything is just a click away.

Send & Archive:

One of the coolest Gmail feature is now available for all your IMAP accounts. Just turn it on in Advanced Preferences and you’re all set for a Send & Archive madness.

Drag and Drop:

Simply drag and drop mails to your desktop and other applications. If you work with Things, Omnifocus or any other task management app, Sparrow will also give you an URL for each mail to make it easily findable.

We still have some work to do to allow you to drag and drop messages directly in labels and folders. It is already planned and will be in 1.3.1 or 1.3.2 coming shortly.

More minimalism:

We added a lot of features and options since Sparrow 1.0 but we want you to be able to keep it simple. Hiding the sidebar offers a streamlined experience. Pressing Shift-Cmd-M will do the trick.

And the cherry on the cake: a ‘View source’ option is now available in the drop down menu of the conversation view .

But that’s not over yet.

We’ve also dedicated a lot of our time on usablility and performance improvements:

We re-worked the sidebar animations from the ground up. Account and category switching is faster and smoother.

We made the message list scrolling more responsive and fluid.

We hope that you’ll feel animations are more natural than in previous versions.

We also killed (yes, we killed them) all window animations. There hasn’t been too many complaints from you about it but once we’ve shut them off for testing purposes and noticed Sparrow felt quicker, we never turned them back on.

We added a visible scrollbar to the sidebar. Even if it has always been possible to scroll the sidebar, your feedback suggested that was not sufficiently clear.

An ‘Empty trash’ button has been added too.

The Priority Inbox filter settings have been changed in Sparrow 1.3 to display all Inbox Priority mails regardless of their read/unread status.

We also improved compatibility with Yahoo, DAV mail, and Mbox and of course, we did everything we could to resolve as many of the bugs you reported.

We hope you’ll enjoy this new release. Check for update if you have the licensed version or go to the update section on the Mac App Store to get your Sparrow 1.3.1.