Happy New Year to all of you on behalf of Unhindered Creations LLC!

For our first post of 2016, we’re going to focus in on an app that just made its way to the Mac called CloudMagic (located at www.cloudmagic.com). If you didn’t know already, for the past few years, CloudMagic was available on the iPhone and Android devices only (which is still FREE, by the way, to download on either operating system right now), and has accrued over 3 million users on iOS and Android. But during that time, the “competition” regarding 3rd party email clients on iOS began to start heating up. Several other apps such as (the late) Mailbox, Spark, Airmail, Outlook, Gmail, and others started popping up on either Mac OS X or on iOS.

However, with the exception of Mailbox and Gmail, these apps kept showing up on “either” platform, instead of both. We could easily go through the myriad of pros and cons of using all of the above apps, which would go WAY beyond the scope of this post, so we won’t belabor you with that just yet. We’ll explore those apps in future posts.

But for right now, we’ll take a moment to share our experience with CloudMagic for Mac. It was quite interesting how we came across using it again, as it had been a series of months since we last used it. We were in the midst of updating apps on the iPhone when it was “made known” in the text of the app update text (yep, we read that stuff!) that CloudMagic was available on Mac OS X!

This was intriguing…. In the months that we used it, we definitely loved its simplicity and clean look. We were able to manage 5 Gmail accounts at the same time through the iPhone with no problems, and the email was very fast in loading. Sending off replies to people, or composing new emails was very simple and easy. Also, the ability to place our signature in each account was very good….

But over time, we came across other email platforms that were quite intriguing too (such as Outlook, Spark and others). Until recently, on the Mac we were using Airmail, which is “hands down” the best looking and functional 3rd party email client available on the Mac as of this writing. But then, when CloudMagic for Mac was announced, and after looking at several reviews on the software by various tech sources, and after finally “taking the plunge” and purchasing the Mac version for $19.99 on the App Store, then using it, we realized:

“We just might have something here.”

Now, how in the Sam Hill could we say that about an email client that is $19.99, but yet is missing several features that other email clients such as Outlook, Spark, Airmail, and others currently have?? Quite simply, we are using it for a few reasons:

I: Simplicity

A few reasons why CloudMagic has accrued over 3 million users of its software on iPhone and Android devices is, well 1) it’s free, and 2) its simplicity. The app simply is “clean” in its look, with minimal clutter. To archive, delete, or move emails to folders, you can easily use its built-in keyboard shortcuts while you have your mouse hovering over the email in question.

Figure 1: As shown on Full Screen mode on the Mac, it’s very simple and minimalistic in design. At a glance, you can see what emails are coming from which account by the colors on the left (which you can specify in the Settings area)….

Figure 2: Composing emails is very easy and uncluttered. Simply click the “Compose” button at the top right. We also placed our signature into our email account, which shows up easily. You also can switch between email accounts at the top left.

II: It’s On Both the Mac and Mobile

At least according to reports, Spark and Airmail plan on coming out with Mac and iPhone versions soon; however, we don’t know their timeframes. As for CloudMagic, it now is on both platforms, making it easier to use overall. We no longer have to switch between one email client on the Mac, and another email client on the iPhone. The good news is that if you obtain a free CloudMagic account through CloudMagic, the preferences/settings and signatures will be preserved for you on both platforms. In essence, when we had CloudMagic on the iPhone, and obtained a CloudMagic account, when we got the Mac version, all we had to do was login to the CloudMagic account, and all the settings and email accounts automatically showed up within CloudMagic for Mac.

III: Search

Now, out of all the reasons listed here, this one is by far the biggest reason we use CloudMagic. One of the things we noticed from the get-go with this app is that the search feature is FAST. In all our email accounts combined, we have over 40,000 emails, but with CloudMagic, its search capabilities are simply off the chain! According to CloudMagic, your data is pushed via their servers, hence making the search process for basically any email instantaneous. On both the Mac and iPhone, we have found that the search capabilities have been the most thorough of all the email clients we have used thus far, as others may take more time, or they simply don’t search far back enough.

IV: Power Features (Current & Upcoming)

Compared to other email clients, CloudMagic showcases a variety of “power” features that you normally wouldn’t see in an email client, such as Team Contacts (which allows you to receive a “heads up about existing interactions at the right time and avoid overlapping emails” (per CloudMagic for iOS), Salesforce (which allows you to view and add Contacts, Leads and emails to Salesforce, Evernote (being able to save emails directly to Evernote), and others. For instance, because we use Evernote extensively, this feature has been very helpful when researching and archiving various subjects.

Now, A Few Caveats

Here’s a few things you should know: If you are a “power user” who manages email with the “power” features that apps like Outlook use (such as email tracking), or constantly going through multiple email folders in order to peruse emails, this may not work for you. In other words, because the Mac version is SO simple and “foundational” in its inception, it will require a mind shift in terms of your workflow. For instance, if you are wanting to do “simple” things such as compose emails, archive, delete, or move your emails to your folders, this app could work for you. However, if you are composing an email, and you’re a stickler for formatting text, this may not work for you because the simple feature of re-sizing text isn’t yet available. (In fact, formatting features are available only when you highlight text, at which time you will see a limited set of formatting options such as Bold, Italic, Underline, etc.)

Secondly, if you are a user who needs more color to be able to navigate emails, this app definitely wouldn’t be for you. As was said above, the only color you will see in the interface (aside from the white and gray) is a “hint” of color on the left side of the emails so you can see “at a glance” where emails are being received.

Thirdly, snoozing is not available yet (but rest assured, the founder of the CloudMagic app, . You can do a “variation” of this on the iPhone/Android version by 1)”starring” an email, 2)  pick a time in the future for the email to remind you, and then 3) archive the email so you won’t see it in your Inbox until the time you specified for it to remind you…. Hopefully a “snooze” feature will come forth soon, as that is a very popular feature for many users nowadays.

Lastly, you can move your emails to the respective folders that you have setup in Gmail by simply typing the “M” key on your keyboard; however, you can’t delete or add new folders.

Aside from those facts, we’re yet using it extensively right now, as it’s turned out to be the simplest and easiest email app to use by far! And, it’s been quite helpful in allowing us to get to that coveted spot in email yore: “Inbox Zero.” Of course, time will tell as to how this email client will develop as time progresses, as its founder plans on updating the app with many “power user” features in the near future, such as email tracking, snoozing, and other features.

However, what are your thoughts on this?? We welcome you to leave your comments below so the discussion can continue!