i.Scribe 2.4.21 / 2.3.16 / 3.1 Beta

Overview

Are you always on the hunt for little software gems? Then you should be happy to find out that i.Scribe is a tool that perfectly fits into this sought after category. When your job involves sending and receiving a large amount of emails, the old and trusty browser doesn’t always fit the bill and this is why a dedicated email tool is a must. iScribe is a fast and compact email client that, in spite of its simplicity, manages to offer its users almost everything they would expect to find in an email client. Jam-packed with features that you will surely love, such as support for the major email protocols, functional interface and flexible message templates, i.Scribe may be just the right solution for all your email needs.

Installation

Having said that i.Scribe is a compact tool, you would expect a small setup kit, right? i.Scribe doesn’t disappoint in this regard and thanks to its 1MB setup kit, you will be able to download it in no time. The installation process is fast and smooth, as you only have to choose the location on your hard drive and then hit the Install button. i.Scribe supports all of the available versions of Windows operating systems and what is more, Mac and Linux users can also enjoy the benefits of this cross-platform utility. You can run the tool in the OS you’re running on a daily basis and then access your received email in another operating system. It’s fast and simple! i.Scribe doesn’t come bundled with adware/spyware or other installed programs.

Interface

i.Scribe screams functionality and ease of use. Who needs colorful graphics and fancy effects when dealing with important information such as emails? The developers understood this crucial aspect and thus, the interface of i.Scribe is easy to use and allows for a smooth navigation due to the correct placement of the buttons and controls. The main window of the utility is divided into three main panes. On the left side you have the Inbox, Outbox, Trash, Contacts, Templates, Groups and more, whilst the central pane lists all your emails. By selecting one email, you can read it in detail in the lower panel. There is literally no learning curve to speak of whatsoever as anyone who has ever used Yahoo! or MSN, will instantly know all of iScribe’s features.

Pros

Email clients should be fast and customizable so that users can expand their capabilities. It should be safe and, last but not least, offer lots of email related options. Fortunately, i.Scribe is a remarkable utility that incorporates all of these essential features into such a small package. Firstly, i.Scribe is as fast as your internet connection. This means that, unlike Outlook, you don’t have to needlessly wait for something to happen as mail is sent and received at blazing speeds. A flexible flat file format is used by i.Scribe for mail storage and, as a result, emails with huge attachments can be easily moved with little effort. Other useful features of i.Scribe include the support for popular protocols such as MAPI (fetch, win32), POP3, [E]SMTP, MIME and IMAP4 (fetch only). A contact database and calendar are also implemented by i.Scribe.

The best thing about i.Scribe is that its capabilities can be greatly extended through the use of plug-ins. Plug-ins can be written for directory services, 3rd party MIME type viewers and text handling utilities. Security is a very important topic and i.Scribe provides an effective Bayesian spam filtering. This is a built-in spam filter that is able to learn the types of mail you consider to be “junk”. In addition, mails can be neatly organized by using the color-coding feature of messages and the handy search bar. Keep in mind that i.Scribe is a free email client and thus, only one account can be created. Support for multiple accounts is added in the commercial version.

Cons

Secure email by OpenPGP or S/MIME is not natively supported.

Alternatives

Let’s have a look at other popular email clients out there. The alternatives to i.Scribe are Thunderbird, Apple Mail, Evolution, Postbox, Zimbra Desktop, EssentialPIM and many more.

Conclusion

All in all, beginners and intermediate users will get the most out of i.Scribe, whilst more advanced users will probably want to purchase the commercial version.