I have seven email accounts. And for reasons unknown,
I insist on using each one of them. Managing my email,
until very recently, was a nightmare. Did I reply to this
email message or did I forget? Did this person send me
the same message at two email accounts? And where,
where, where did I save that important email message?
Say hello to Claris Emailer. Ten minutes after installing the application, I gained a great deal of control over my electronic life.
Functioning as a consolidated mailbox, Claris Emailer grabs your email from America Online, CompuServe and the Internet, allowing you to process it all within one simple application. Its set-up procedure is extremely easy, and you’ll be on the road to email bliss in no time.
The application intelligently organizes mail into three main groups: In Box, for newly received mail; Out Box, for mail that is ready to be sent; and Filing Cabinet, for mail that you have already processed. A user can add any number of sub folders to the Filing Cabinet, but the default Filing Cabinet folder will be “Read Mail”. Emailer cleverly offers the user the option of moving messages from the “In Box” to “Read Mail” either after a message has been read, or after it has been read and replied to.
The address book component of Claris Emailer is far more advanced than those found in either America Online or CompuServe. Each address book entry can be filled with an official name, a brief description, a destination and, of course, the email address. Creating group mail lists is as simple as dragging existing entries to a “New Group” field.
Emailer’s Mail Actions allow you to automatically process and sort incoming mail based upon specified criteria. Here at MacSense, for instance, we have programmed Emailer to automatically grab all messages with the title “MS Color (AOL)”, and reply with a standardized text file. Emailer then automatically places all such messages in a folder titled “AOL Sign-Ups”, where the messages await further processing. Curiously, Emailer’s Mail Actions are less functional than the Mail Assistant of the now-defunct eWorld. Emailer confines the user to a maximum of two criteria for each action, and while you may automatically file, reply and forward messages, there is no option to automatically print a message. In contrast, eWorld permitted unlimited criteria and could print, open and even reply to a message with an attachment.
Unlike many newer programs today which underuse the technology, Emailer expertly implements System 7.5’s drag and drop. Almost everything in Emailer can be dragged from one location to the another. Addresses can be dragged from the address book to new messages, text can be dragged from email message to email message and from application to application, and mail can be sorted by dragging messages from one folder to another. The most clever implementation of drag and drop, however, is with Emailer’s attachment window. When you receive an attachment through Emailer, you’ll see a 16x16 icon of that attachment within the message header. To open or use that file, you can simply drag that icon wherever you like. For example, when I receive graphic attachments through Emailer, I drag the attachment’s icon to HoverBar, where I have an alias to JPEGview. Three seconds later, I can see the image—without having to leave the original message window.
 
Despite its remarkable utility, Claris Emailer requires additional refinement. As previously mentioned, the Mail Actions component could stand to be expanded somewhat. Additionally, Emailer’s streamlined user interface has a sterile and clinical feel. In fact, the medium gray background to all Emailer’s dialog boxes and configuration windows is uncomfortably reminiscent of Microsoft products. Claris would do well to offer a more colorful, icon-driven interface.
Furthermore, some components of the interface aren’t terribly intuitive. In a new message window, for instance, you are prompted to first enter a message subject. You must press the tab key three times before reaching the address field—quite annoying if you’re used to other mail system (such as AOL or eWorld) in which you enter the address first. Also, within the Filing Cabinet, we find another startling omission: you cannot list filed email by sender.
When Emailer fails to connect to all services and accounts, an alert is given only in the form of a connection log in your In Box, with a tiny yellow “Alert” icon adjacent to it. While it is nice to have such a record, a more ambitious dialog box describing the connection problem and providing a retry option would be a worthy addition.
Also missing is the ability to terminate PPP and Slip connections to the Internet after a session has run its course. If you’re called away from the office and you want Emailer to gather your email as scheduled, you’ll have to do so knowing your Internet account will remain active until it times out.
Finally, in a consolidated email application such as Emailer, a spell checker would be a very welcome addition. For those of us who regularly write long and detailed email messages, eliminating the necessity of copying and pasting the message into a word processor and running the spell checker would be a big boon.
 
Claris Emailer is an ideal application for any netizen who receives an unruly amount of email from one or more email boxes. While the program still requires some refinement, its utility easily outweighs its few detriments. For $59 US, you’ll buy yourself organization—and some peace of mind.
Requirements: Any Macintosh with modem and Internet
account. Contact Qualcomm at (800) 338-3672 or http://www.qualcomm.com/ProdTech/quest/.
If I had to choose to have access to only one part of the
Internet, it would be email. I don't have the time or the
patience for Usenet and I could learn to live without the
Web. But email is my lifeblood and a good email
client is essential.
Qualcomm's Eudora Pro is a leader for ease of use,
powerful advanced feature and value (though it faces
aggressive compitition from Claris Emailer—see above).
Named, for only somewhat obvious reasons, in honor of a Eudora Welty short story, “Why I Live at the P.O.”, it is the very model of simplicity and accessibility.
Eudora is available as freeware (Eudora Lite, available only to private, academic and nonprofit users) and a full-featured commercial package (Eudora Pro). Both are well-designed with an intuitive interface, powerful features and even a dash of personality. The most important element of an Internet client is easy configurability; Eudora is quite accessible and easy to customize, for even entry level users.
Both programs feature nickname creation, multiple customizable mailboxes, Ph and Finger support, queued or instant sending, easy transfer between mailboxes, box compacting to maximize space, and most other basic email features.
If you do have any questions, there is plenty of help available. Both programs sport one of the strongest online support features available and may stand as the most complete and valuable exploitation of Apple’s somewhat unrealized Balloon Help feature. Everything—and I mean everything—has a balloon, and the accompanying explanations are clear, concise and often entertaining. I especially recommend turning Balloon Help on when first configuring the program; Eudora’s numerous options are not always readily understandable, even to more experienced users.
For average private users with a low to medium mail volume, I doubt that their needs will ever go beyond the features of Eudora Lite. The price certainly can't be beat. But if a more advanced client is called for, you can't go wrong with Eudora Pro. In addition to all the strengths of Eudora Lite, the commercial version offers numerous high-level features which transform it from a really useful program into a really, really useful program.
As a member of the massive class of spelling-impaired computer users, I certainly appreciate Eudora Pro’s inclusion of a spell checking program. While the spelling utility is not the most elegant and cannot be set to check automatically on Send (I still find myself forgetting to use it), it alone makes the commercial version worthy of consideration.
Eudora Pro also includes a simple, if limited, filtering system. It is designed primarily to redirect mail into user-defined mailboxes and automatically prioritize important messages. Let’s say you subscribe to an email newsletter or, even better, MacSense’s HotBits. These regular items will not crowd your Inbox but will, instead, await your attention in a place you define. The filter conditions and actions are easy to define and edit. But the system is not all it could be; automatic mail forwarding or auto-reply are notable absentees. For the medium-level user without a dedicated modem line, this is really not a problem; if you are on vacation, chances are your computer will be off anyway. For those who receive large volumes of mail, however, this is an annoying absence.
One of the small but important shortcomings in Eudora Lite is its limitation to one signature file. In households with multiple users, some serious choreography is required to alter the signature to fit the author. I have sent a number of important messages with my wife’s signature, causing more than a little confusion for recipients. While there are some third-party shareware solutions to this, I have yet to find one that is any less trouble than changing the signature manually. Eudora Pro offers a bit of help here, with dual signature files available from a drop-down menu on each new message. For households with more than two users, however, this still will not be enough.
 
Minor shortcomings aside, there is little wrong with both versions of Eudora. Eudora Lite should suit the needs of most recreational or low-level Internet users. More advanced non-commercial users may want to consider the crucial added tools in of Eudora Pro, particularly in light of its relatively reasonable price. Professional users, who cannot use the freeware version, will certainly benefit from Eudora Pro’s ease of use and powerful features, but may balk at the lack of automatic forwarding and reply.
 
kramerg@cadivision.com
 
  
Alien Skin Software, $89 US. Requirements: Image
editing software that accepts Photoshop Plug-In
Modules. Contact Alien Skin Software at (919)
662-4934
Image editing packages like Photoshop are simply
remarkable. With them, you can create stunning
art, correct image deficiencies and basically do
whatever appears in the mind's eye. However,
while packages like Photoshop may be able to create
the ultimate masterpiece, it's not at all efficient in
creating complex visual effects.
Alien Skin Software, realizing the need for simplicity, brings us The Black Box, a collection of plug-in filters for applications taking advantage of Photoshop's PIM technology.
The Black Box features 10 different filters. The Glow filter drops a semi-transparent neon glow around a selected object. These glows are great for simulating cast lighting and other various auras.
Drop Shadow, just as the name implies, places a shadow behind a selected object. Probably the most-used filtering effect, drop shadows are great for providing depth to an image. A properly applied drop shadow can make an object, text included, look as if it's jumping off the page. This version of Black Box's Drop Shadow is much better than its predecessor. The gradation from dark shadow to light is smoother. There are also more controls in the Drop Shadow dialog box to work with, meaning users have more control over drop shadow creation.
Cutout removes a selected object from the image and places a drop shadow within the selected area. This gives the impression of the image floating above a background, with the shadows inside the cutout areas providing a nice degree of depth to make the illusion complete.
Inner Bevel places shadows and highlights inside a selected object. The impression is quite stunning, making the object look as if it's been raised from the rest of the image. Of all the Black Box filters, this is the nicest. The color gradation between the highlights and shadows is flawless, making the effect look all the more real.
Outer Bevel works almost like Inner Bevel, but instead of placing shadows and highlights inside a selected image, it places them on the outside of the selection. This provides a very nice embossed look. And, as with Inner Bevel, Outer Bevel generates a very realistic effect.
Carve is, again, much like Inner Bevel. It also places highlights and shadows within a selected object and is supposed to make the selection look as if it's carved into the image. However, I could never get a carved look in any of the objects I applied this filter to. In fact, every time I used Carve, it ended up looking exactly the same as if I had used Inner Bevel. Of all the Black Box filters, this one was a big let-down.
Motion Trail takes a selected object and smears it in a prescribed direction across an image. The effect is much like a photographer would get if photographing a moving object at a slow shutter speed. The object, while smeared, remains recognizable. This filter is great for giving pictures the illusion of movement.
Glass is supposed to put a layer of colored glass atop a selection and make it look lumpy, similar to the effect one experiences when looking through snowglass. While this may have been the intent, I think Glass makes an object look as if a drop of water were sitting on top of it, coming out distorted.
Swirl takes an object and smears it with randomly positioned whirlpools. While this filter probably has no real practical effect in terms of creating realistic-looking effects, it is fun nonetheless and produces some really beautiful results, especially if the object being filtered has a lot of detail.
HSB Noise is much like the noise filter found in Photoshop. It lets the user add noise to an object to give it a more realistic effect. However, unlike Photoshop's noise filter, HSB Noise lets you control the hue and saturation. These controls really extend the usefulness of the filter, allowing the noise to be very subtle, but still important to both the object and image.
Each filter has a preview window so the user can see what the effect will look like before applying it to the image. The preview windows are a nice addition to this version of Black Box, making using the filters easier and much more intuitive. Also new to this version is support for Photoshop layers.
The user's manual is very brief, but descriptive enough to get users started. Technical support is available, but these filters are so easy to use, I seriously doubt anyone will need it.
 
The Black Box can take a 12-step Photoshop process and reduce it to one simple filter application. This alone makes the package worth its weight in gold. Add the degree of control users have over each filter, not to mention the realism the filters provide to the image, and you've got a worthwhile product.
The Carve filter, however, needs to be reworked. As it currently stands, it's next to impossible to get any type of carved look with it. This aside, Black Box should be in the library of all Macintosh users who enjoy working with graphics.
