Although Google Inbox has been retired for over three years, its users have not forgotten about it. Many of Inbox’s features should have made their way to Google’s existing email service, Gmail, but they never did.
If you still remember Inbox and how simple it made email management, it might be time to branch out from Google’s client services.
Introducing “Shortwave,” a new email firm founded by a few ex-Google employees, whose interface is a dead ringer for Google Inbox. Every essential feature of Inbox has been brought back: emails are grouped into “bundles” labeled “updates,” “promotions,” and “social.”
Taking the fight to Gmail
Messages in the service can be sorted by age, and the ‘Sweep’ button has returned. It lets users mark multiple emails and mark them ‘done’ in one click.
The sweep option was Inbox’s most powerful productivity tool, and it’s something Gmail has yet to duplicate. Although Gmail offers a “check all” option, it will inadvertently check every email on the page. Sweep allows you to remove anything from an entire section quickly.
Gmail features a mode that classifies emails by category, but it divides those categories into completely distinct tabs, making it impossible to check your whole Inbox on a single page.
An alternative to consider
Inbox and Shortwave combine packaged and regular emails into a single screen, allowing you to see everything in one place. The two user interfaces feature many of the same components, but Shortwave and Inbox are more productivity-oriented, whereas Gmail requires many clicks on multiple pages.
Even though Shortwave is not a standalone service yet, it is easy to try out but requires giving it access to your Gmail account.
Shortwave is made by reputable people whose privacy policy says they do not sell personal data. The monetization is also simple, with the free version offering limited 90-day access to email history while the paid version is $9/person/month with unlimited email history.
10 hours ago
