Scott's Gmail Alert 5.7.9.8

Overview

If you’re an avid Gmail user or use many of its other services such as calendar, Google Talk or RSS feeds, then you must have at some point wanted a way to be notified of any new activity in these services. While there are separate email or calendar software, there aren’t many that combine all these just for the sole purpose of notifying you of updates. Scott’s Gmail Alert is a simple program that does just that, while remaining simple and intuitive.

Installation

The setup package is only 1MB in size and takes a few seconds to install. The installation process is very straightforward and there is no extra software, toolbars etc. bundled alongside. It is compatible with almost all web browsers and pretty much all major version of Windows. Mac OSX and Linux are not supported unfortunately.

Interface

The program has a clean looking UI, which is quite intuitive and minimalistic. It asks you to enter your Google credentials after which it syncs with your account for any new email messages. There is a limit of 5 accounts that you can use. Furthermore if you use multiple accounts you can set different labels and different alert colors for each. Similarly you can sync multiple calendars as well. For RSS feeds simply enter the URL and you’re set to go. It even supports Google Talk and weather alerts. You will be notified for any new IM or weather changes.

Pros

Scott’s Gmail Alert is very light on system resources and won’t bog your system down. It also takes only about 1MB on your hard drive. For such a small and light program it offers some extremely useful features. Along with your email you can also set notifications for your calendar, Google Talk, RSS feeds from your favorite websites and weather alerts. The notifications aren’t obtrusive and are usually shown on a small pop up window on the corner of the screen. You can change this to show anywhere you find more suitable.

Cons

Usually you get timely notifications but sometimes they are delayed although not by much. The email notification popup doesn’t give enough information regarding what email you get which can be frustrating at times. There’s also a limit of only 5 accounts that you can setup which can render this software useless for those with lots of accounts. However, you can register for a reasonable price of $3 and you'll have an unlimited number of accounts.

Alternatives

Google offers a desktop notifier for your email, Gmail Notifier, which is also free of cost and very simple to use. However it doesn’t offer the same level of customization as Scott’s Gmail Alert does. It is also limited to only one Gmail account and you cannot set up your calendar, weather or RSS feeds on it.

Conclusion

Scott’s Gmail Alert is an excellent software that works perfectly almost every time. It’s very simple to set up, and has a neatly laid out UI that even beginners will find very easy to use. Not to forget it is very light on resources.