Filed under: Odds and ends, .Mac, Mac 101
Mac 101: Dealing without iCards
Apple has posted a nifty tip for Mail users who miss the discontinued iCards feature from .Mac: You can use Mail stationery to create an attractive card-like message with your own photos.
In a post on the Mobile Me blog (hey, it's not dead!), Apple says "...it's like the old Make Your Own iCards feature on steroids, and a whole lot easier to use in the bargain."
For Leopard users, Mail comes with 30 email templates you can customize in lieu of sending an iCard. Personally, I think an email is better than an iCard anyway, what with all the greeting card spam that goes on.
You can use photos that you take with Photo Booth, for example, or pictures from iPhoto. Customize it with a clever note, and away you go.
If you don't have Leopard or still want to use an online greeting card site, there are plenty to choose from.
(And if you like our series for beginners, Mac 101, there's much more to learn.)
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
KeynoteKen said 8:43PM on 8-28-2008
"I think an email is better than an iCard anyway"
iCard WAS an email :) iCards were essentially emails with an image attached that, unlike all other "Greeting Card" sites, did not require you to click a link to see the card.
Reply
eric f. said 11:29AM on 8-29-2008
but Stationary has something that web-based cards don't. You can drag and drop any image from your desktop onto the template, then type your personal message. I think it's great.
KeynoteKen said 1:18PM on 8-29-2008
I'm not saying it's not great, I'm just saying that Greeting Card spam applies to using Stationery templates as much as it applies to iCards... which is to say, it doesn't.
Also .mac subscribers had the option of attaching their own images to iCards instead of using the ones supplied by Apple.
Dan said 1:43AM on 8-29-2008
The main things I thought was cool.
The iCard came from Apple with a postmark from Cupertino on it.
It looked like a post card.
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MacSmiley said 9:25PM on 9-07-2008
Someecards is a foul and filthy place. I would never send my friends and loved ones there.
Besides...
What was great about iCards was not 30 templates (or more if you have the $$), but one template with hundreds of beautiful or quirky images at our fingertips in Apple's own collection! That's what made them so flexible.
The big difference between Mail stationery and iCards is this: Personal taste aside, Mail stationery templates are only skeletons smothered with ketchup, mustard, and relish, but lacking the meat and potatoes. A finished, sent, and received iCard was a whole 3-course meal, which didn't turn anyone into a blueberry.
Plus, they were located on a website that was accessible from any computer. Mail is not.
Either Apple has a new iCards service up its sleeves and isn't talking, or else Apple just doesn't get it.
If something new is on the way, there is no reason Apple couldn't keep iCards up in the meantime.
C'mon Apple! You can still do better than this!
Even better yet, Bring iCards Back Online!!
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still looking said 7:12PM on 9-09-2008
While times change with more feature-filled options, the simplicity, the postmark, and the card arriving in the (virtual) mailbox gave iCards its sincere touch.
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Koorosh said 2:28PM on 11-03-2008
I came across a descent website which has the engine to send your own photos in format of iCard. Visit www.4icards.com and see if this work for you.
The engine is fast and the quality of card are ok. I hope to see more card in there.
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MacSmiley said 8:33PM on 11-08-2008
@Koorosh, you guys are copying and pasting that same comment all over the Mac community. How about tightening up the English grammar and spelling a little??
Besides, is it even legal for American citizens to be doing business with an Iranian entity like 4iCards.com?? As far as I know, sanctions are still in effect, and I don't plan on inviting trouble by breaking the law of the land I live in.
That said, the quality of the 4iCards product leaves much to be desired when compared to Apple iCards. Since I've already expressed my opinions about the cards and the email format, I'm not going to reinvent the wheel. Here are the links where I've discussed the poor quality issues with this site's cards:
Get Satisfaction: Who misses Apple iCards?
http://getsatisfaction.com/apple/topics/who_misses_apple_icards
iWant Apple iCards Back, Too!! on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/macsmiley/2756802511/comment72157608548368301/
and
PLEASE don't kill Apple iCards! on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/macsmiley/2652541101/comment72157608454797046/
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MacSmiley said 8:39PM on 11-08-2008
Continued...
Although I would welcome back Apple's iCards, I have been happily using Steve Dekorte's PostCard application.
http://www.dekorte.com/projects/shareware/Postcard/
Sending my own home made cards using Apple Mail means no one is collecting my personal information or that of my friends and loved ones.
In addition, PostCard enables you to use TextEdit capabilities in the message area, including the ability to insert images (think smileys) within the message area and to drop shadow your text. The added flexibility and creativity is refreshing. I've combed the Internet for old Apple iCard images, and have posted several hundred to my iDisk for download and recycling with apps like PostCard.
In fact, I have posted a review of PostCard on my Flickr account,
Make your own iCards with PostCard
http://www.flickr.com/photos/macsmiley/2837686361/in/set-72157606929661050/
and in the comments, I review several other software solutions, including free Keynote templates which duplicate exactly what an iCard looks like, down to the Hello from Cupertino postmark.
MacSmiley said 8:43PM on 11-08-2008
Continued...
For those who are shackled to Windows/Linux PCs, including Mac enthusiasts who have no choice at work, there is an up and coming service I like quite a bit, in fact, the only online alternative I recommend, PopCard.me
http://popcard.me
The site is run by Jamie Longstaff, author of the pro photography photo gallery software, Pixaria.
NO PERSONAL INFORMATION IS COLLECTED BY POPCARD.ME!
and there are no advertisements in the email with the JPEG card. My review of PopCard.me is found here:
A good online alternative to Apple iCards (R.I.P)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/macsmiley/3005104317/in/set-72157606929661050/
PopCard.me is a work in progress, and Jamie does respond well to communication with users.