K9 Mail for Android Phones
I recently ran into problems with my G1 Android phone’s email client–not the Gmail client, which I rarely use, but the one for other email accounts. A message got stuck in the outbox and would not upload; it then acted like a stopper and every message subsequent to that backed up behind it. (I didn’t notice it for a while because I use the messages primarily to send snapshots to my persons.) I was also unable to delete messages from the outbox.
I searched the web and learned that this is is not an uncommon issue. The only reliable solution seems to be to delete the account and start over.
I also found several recommendations for k9mail, which is available at no cost in the Android market. I installed it last night.
I’m not going to attempt to review it, but only to mention some features that have struck me in a day’s worth of use.
k9mail is a fork of the original open source Google email client for Android. It has all the features of the original, plus several enhancements. It supports multiple accounts, as does the original. This shows the inbox with the context menu activated:
The general settings are quite extensive. You can configure
- colors,
- font sizes for the account list, the folder lists, message lists, and messages,
- message previews
and a number of other items.
Under account settings, you can tailor settings within individual accounts, including two options I quite like.
Signatures: A default signature is provided but it can be overridden on an account-by-account basis in Account Settings–>Sending Mail–>Composition.
Quoted Text: By default, quoted text is placed at the top of a message in a reply, where it should be. This can be changed, if you must, but, remember, top posting is evil.
Adding CC’s and BCC’s is much easier than in other smartphone email programs I’ve seen; “Add CC/BCC” is an item on the “Compose New Message” pop-up menu.
I think I shall enjoy learning my way around this program. For anyone who is interested in learning more about it, there’s a wiki at the project page.