Gmail for Mac

Seamlessly fluid, desktop email client for Mac (Kickstarter)

2 followers

Seamlessly fluid, desktop email client for Mac (Kickstarter)

2 followers

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Launch tags:Tech

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Tworlds

They claim to be the first 'true' desktop email client for Gmail and all I can see is a web version of Gmail running in a native wrapper?

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12yr ago

Proof of Self Care

@avdgriendt +1. It looks like it's a borderline scam. Sure, it's neat that they allow notifications and that dropdown, but it looks that that this is more of a scam than anything. 18 months is over the top for a project like this.

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12yr ago

@avdgriendt FWIW I use the Radiant player for Google Music quite a bit, which is just a native wrapper I believe. But that was simply so I'd stop killing my music when I accidentally close all my tabs.

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12yr ago

Kiwi for G Suite 3.0

Maker

@avdgriendt Hi Andreas - As one of the guys behind Zive's Gmail for Mac, I thought I might chime in and maybe answer your concern. First, while there are a few apps out there that have made a quick buck by putting Gmail into a somewhat clunky stripped-down browser, calling it an app, and selling it, that's not what Gmail for Mac, by Zive is. In fact, we really dislike that approach — our frustration and disappointment with exactly those kinds of apps led us to make our own. (1) Why are we calling it the first “true” email client for Gmail? Because our app actually _is_ a full email client like Sparrow or Mail, but with a browser component. Wrapped around the browser portion that you see (more on that below) is a desktop client, hidden away, that enables various critical pieces of the app’s functionality — (1) for email - account access, instant notifications & account updates, notifications for only important messages, aspects of messaging features, etc., and (2) for seamless desktop integration - this is critical. We’re deeply passionate about making a high-fidelity desktop experience for Gmail like has never been done before. This means windows to compose your messages, integration with the OS environment so you can interact with it like any other desktop application. This is very detailed work and no one’s ever done it before. It involves 100’s of small details that combine to create a fluid and seamless user experience — so you can do things like have compose windows to write messages, hide the inbox, drag attachments on your messages without a strange dialogue, use Gmail as your default email client and have it actually work reliably that way, use global shortcuts to do awesome things you can’t do on the web, have menubar access to things you do constantly, etc. (2) Why do you still see the Gmail web interface inside the app? We did this deliberately. I promise that's not spin - there’s no way outside of the browser environment to give you full access to all of Gmail’s powerful features — google-powered search, keyboard shortcuts, plugins like boomerang and rapportive, labels (with correct nesting, colors, etc), google labs, correct threading, important flags, huge attachments, filters, and many more — are inaccessible through any Gmail API. Sparrow came closest to the maximum of what you could do using Google’s APIs without going to the web interface, and they basically just allowed you to access labels with randomly assigned colors beyond what Mail/Outlook do. Even their threading and unread counts didn’t match Gmail’s. (3) Why is even that piece not just a vanilla browser? The slice of our app that has browser functionality is heavily and very thoroughly modified to specifically and powerfully support Gmail alone, in way you can’t do if you’re trying to serve the whole web. This is extensive, but one of the most obvious pieces is our ability to support Google Drive to attach huge files reliably, and our flawless way of enabling multiple accounts that are dramatically reliable to the point of you never having to worry about them working, like in the browser. Use Gmail in Fluid or Mailplane, and you’ll have lists of basic Gmail features that you’re advised to turn off for stability issues, themes break the UI, you get warnings about using the wrong inbox, sign-outs and crashing. With us, everything works - every detail, and legitimately better than in Chrome which has to serve every possible website and has legitimate technical limitations we don't. The net result is a seamless and fluid experience for Gmail, on the desktop, which you can use just like Mail or Outlook, and with ALL of Gmail's power. It's something we've poured our hearts and souls into for some time, and we truly feel it can dramatically improve the Gmail experience in a way that hasn't been done by anyone before. Hope that clarifies a bit - Eric Shashoua (Founder)

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12yr ago

Kiwi for G Suite 3.0

Maker

@nhbschr @avdgriendt Hi Noah - One of the makers of Gmail for Mac, by Zive here. Thanks for your note! I can assure you we're not a scam, nor in this to make a quick buck :) Take a look at my reply to @avdgriendt below, should explain much of the intricacy that went into crafting an app specifically for Gmail that is extremely robust, reliable, and extends it powerfully into the desktop environment as a full email client. It honestly takes a lot more than a browser to do that well. Promise we're not trying to rob you :)

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12yr ago

Raycast

@eshashoua if you're providing "full access to all of Gmail’s powerful features", does that include "seamless desktop integration" for Calendar, Contacts, and Google+ (specifically Hangouts)?

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12yr ago

Can we please start marking Kickstarter 'products' as such on the homepage? Half of them never even become actual products. @rrhoover

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12yr ago

Product Hunt

@lucascerdan @mzuvella thanks for the feedback. About 5% of products on PH are Kickstarter campaigns (rough estimation). Many people love finding and chatting about these but I'm largely on the same page as you. I want to play with products (that exist) right away. Shoot me a tweet or email if you have suggestions on how to approach this. :)

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12yr ago

Raycast

@rrhoover I think @mzuvella's suggestion is a good one... maybe offer labels (like you have for products where the maker is participating) or feed filters like "pre-release", "crowdfunding", "beta signups", etc. That way we could discuss the ideas even before the products are released and give feedback to the creators before they launch. These days there's a very thin line between vaporware and real apps — because you can throw up a landing page before you have anything to gauge interest before spending any money on development. Product Hunt should have a place for such efforts — just not in the main feed.

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12yr ago

Stamp Ready

They have great points. But most is done within a wrapper indeed. One thing I don't understand, they need $20k for final testing? Why so much?

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12yr ago

Relay FM

I like the idea of this a lot. A whole lot. I backed MailPilot on Kickstarter back in the day (still have my mug!) and I've spent a fair amount of money on various Gmail-to-Mac "wrappers." I'll say what I said to the Gmail for Mac guys when I spoke with them briefly: I'm concerned about the name. I think the name is a major problem - even more than some of the interface stuff. I don't think it's necessary to be called Gmail for Mac and I think that having that name is going to be problematic. I don't see Google NOT going after something like this, no matter how good the legal rationale is. And if they do, Google has enough money to shut stuff down. So again, I like the idea. I hope this will pan out. But I'd much rather see this called something like Zive for Mac, with Gmail Support or some other name than Gmail for Mac, powered by Zive.

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12yr ago

Raycast

@film_girl totally agree. The branding is going to be problematic without a doubt.

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12yr ago

I think it would be useful to know about the functionality for login, is it storing the password or any data on their servers?

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12yr ago

Quuu

Funny, right at the end of the video, the logo is zive's but then it changes back to Gmail! Scam wrapper! The guy sounds like Erlich from silicon valley TV show!

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12yr ago

"In building a humanized email client, we wanted to acknowledge basic truths" HAH. Keep drinking the Kool-Aid.

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12yr ago

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