Over the last year or so, Google has been getting rid of some of its services and features. Google Reader and iGoogle are two of the most well-known ones. Even though it wasn’t too big of a deal when Google Notifier was taken down, it was still a shame because it was a good way for Mac users to keep track of new Gmail messages.
Notifier Pro for Gmail (link to Mac App Store) basically picks up where Google left off. It puts a count of unread emails in the menu bar and lets you click on it to see a preview of the last ten inbox messages with the sender name and subject. When you click on a note, it opens in your default browser right away. You can also quickly go to your inbox by clicking the Go to Inbox link.
You can also quickly mark an email as read or send it to the trash from the drop-down menu. However, you can’t archive or file an email in a folder from the drop-down menu. There are also more full-featured Gmail apps in the Mac App Store, like the appealing MailTab Pro for Gmail, which looks like the Gmail mobile app and has gesture commands and full Google Talk support. On the other hand, this menu isn’t designed in a unique way, but it’s simple and effective, giving you access to the most important features without feeling too crowded.
Gmail Notifier Pro does have one big advantage over MailTab Pro and some other options: you can plug in multiple Gmail accounts and check all of them at once. This is a huge benefit for anyone who has separate personal and work/business accounts. Notifier Pro is a good alternative to Google’s old notification system for keeping an eye on your Gmail inbox. It is light and easy to use.
This review is part of the GemFest 2014 from Macworld. The Mac Gems blog will be used by the Macworld staff every weekday from July to September to talk briefly about a great free, low-cost, or high-value programme. On our handy GemFest chart, which is updated every day, you can see a list of this year’s apps, and you can read past Mac Gems reviews on the Mac Gems homepage.
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