Filed under: Software, Cool tools, Productivity, Internet Tools, Mods
MiniMail: iTunes' mini window makes it to Mail
A while ago, Derek Powazek proposed an idea for a mini Mail window based on the functionality of iTunes' mini option; hit the best fit button - the green one - in iTunes to get an idea, or simply check out Derek's post for an actual screenshot mockup of the concept. Fortunately, John Gruber just caught that OliveToast software literally ran with the concept, releasing - to my absolute delight - a MiniMail plug-in for Apple Mail.
As you can see, MiniMail allows users to simply hit Mail's best fit button (or choosing Window > Zoom) to condense it to a 'just what you need' view, offering a customizable preview area and three menu buttons for performing a healthy set of operations. Fortunately, keyboard shortcuts still work fine as well, so ⌘-n will create a new message. Even using the arrow keys works for moving back and forth in the message list, and thankfully, the list of mailboxes is customizable for this view as well so you can see just what you need.
After a few minutes of tinkering with the demo while writing this post, I'm happy to say that the receipt for my $9 license just arrived. MiniMail rocks, and I'm so glad someone brought Powazek's concept to life, as this is the perfect compromise that I've been looking for between constantly hiding and showing Mail while still making it easy to do basic things in it on the fly. Thanks, OliveToast software.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
FrankMcBilboWinker said 4:45PM on 6-25-2007
9.00 for a plugin. Perhaps I need to study Applescript so I can start my own Apple Software Pryamid Scheme. Pyramid Apps..your friendly place to pay for things so you can do them on your mac.
I'm promptly starting Photoshop work on my official logo.
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Sean Flanagan said 4:59PM on 6-25-2007
Frank,
As if a plugin (especially for Mail.app) is any less useful than a stand-alone app. Give me a break. I'll gladly pay $9 for a plugin that arguably works much better than any stand-alone could in a particular situation. Developers like OliveToast should be commended for their work.
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Dripps said 5:01PM on 6-25-2007
Frank, I hope paying $9 for someones time and efforts aren't going to break your bank. Perhaps you DO need to study Applescript to see it takes some work to put it together. Don't buy it if it doesn't meet your needs or you can do it better (or just as well) yourself. Many, including myself, would never spend the time to make this work. I will gladly pay the guy $9 if it meets my needs (or wants). I don't understand the negative comment.
Now....go back to working with Photoshop. Even that might take an hour...surely you would expect to make $9 an hour on your job. Let's hope the result is worth your time.
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Eric Carroll said 5:05PM on 6-25-2007
Although this does look useful, I wish it didn't take away the functionality of the Green Dot/Best-Fit-Button. It drives me NUTS right now that this button does something different in iTunes than it does in ANY, and EVERY other app running in OS X. I'd rather Mini-Mail was its own option under the view menu? and I wish that I could hit the best-fit button in iTunes and have it resize the window to take up more space if available and so on. Anyway, I think this looks great, I'm not arguing against the usefulness of this (or the mini iTunes interface) and I might even consider buying it, but as long as it removes a function that I use often (namely the zoom function of the Best-Fit-Button), I will never use it. Perhaps there could be two versions? Or an option (like "use Best Fit to trigger mini mail")... and if you can figure that out, can you write a plugin for iTunes to let the green button acutally zoom like I expect it to EVERY TIME I HIT IT?! Ha, anyway, slick looking plugin, my only beef is how it hijacks the Green Dot!
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Mike Lauder said 5:45PM on 6-25-2007
Funny that you're calling the green 'Zoom' button the 'Best Fit' button when, in Mail, it clearly maximises the window.
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pepe said 6:15PM on 6-25-2007
If you have a MacBook (WideMac) you might also wish to complement this solution with "Letterbox." You can find it at http://harnly.net/software/letterbox/ I might have originally even found it at TUAW (pointing to hawkwings.net)
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Olive Toast said 6:36PM on 6-25-2007
Eric,
If you hold down the shift-key then Mail window's zoom button will do what it used to do i.e. zoom the window.
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akatsuki said 8:05PM on 6-25-2007
I would like to see mini windows for a lot of apps (iCal!), but frankly Growl, which is free, works well enough for previewing mail.
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FrankMcBilboWinker said 8:12PM on 6-25-2007
Forgive my earlier emo outburst. I think this is cool, I suppose 9.00 is tolerable. I'm still working on my awesome company logo. It will inspire and confound people.
Besides if my business model succeeds I can buy up people who make stuff like this, and work their fingers to the bone sewing sneakers together and programing code.
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Greenline said 7:21AM on 6-26-2007
Nice little guy, I downloaded it last night and bought it this morning. Very cool - thanks for the tip TUAW.
Pepe - I also download letterbox, thanks for that tip as well!
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Eric Carroll said 3:44PM on 6-26-2007
Olive Toast, THANKS! Thats solves most of my qualms, any chance you could reverse that as an option, have it just "ZOOM" when clicked, and switch to "Mini-Mail" when Shift clicked? Then I'd be 100% Sold!
Mike Lauder, If your comments were directed at me, I used the phrase they used in the article. And either way, even though it is called ZOOM in the Window menu, it doesn't ALWAYS maximize. If the window is already maximized, then it makes it Smaller...
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