Review by Daniel M. East, President, The Mid-Atlantic Macintosh User Groups Team (MaMUGs) deast@mamugs.com http://www.mamugs.org

Description (what's it do?): A powerful and extremely fast professional e-mail application.

Minimum requirements: PowerPC or better, G3 or later preferred OS 8.6, 9x, 10.1.5 or 10.2 with support for 10.3

Company: CTM Development US $49.00 single user, US $29.00 upgrade from previous version http://www.ctmdev.com

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: I purchased this product online after hearing from a large number of "PowerUser" Mac people who really love the previous versions of PowerMail. Known for speed and ease of use, I was eager to try their latest version which features "FoxTrot" search technology. I'll get into that later, however, what I can say is that the online download was fast and easy; I received my confirmation email and registration info within an hour and the installation went off without a hitch. A nice touch was that I was able to set up my accounts in "demo mode" until I received the registration since the demo is a "time limited" and fully functional version.

WHAT I FOUND: PowerMail 4.2 is really, really fast. It is designed with a nice, simple interface and lots of options. Searching through literally thousands of messages and addresses takes only an instant and the import from Mail.app worked like a charm. Having said that, the initial setup of this application is not simple but it was worth learning and I am very happy with this very smooth, very functional email client. The help online and in the app needs help. Very sketchy and not very helpful. If anything, I think CTM should consider working on their website so that the resources are there for those who need more info instead of relying on third parties and external sites for their support documents. That's not to say that references to other experienced users and companies who provide for their products is not helpful, I simply feel that they need to have more "official" information available to their clients - especially given the loyalty factor that seems evident with PowerMail and its history.

How easy was it to install?: Easy - from novice to power user. 5 STARS

How clear were the instructions? Fair. The basics were there but no depth and few answers to important questions. I did much better just taking the time to bounce around the menu bar until I found some of the hidden things I wanted. Time consuming but, again, worth doing. 3 STARS

Describe the appearance: Simple GUI with easy icons and all of the options you could want/need. The "tool tips" are a little slow in loading and are really essential for the first week or so using this application. 4 STARS

Likes? : Just what the advanced amateur, professional office or person with more than, say, three email accounts might want and/or need to effectively manage their email. I like the selectable spell checking applications and the ease of which PowerMail works with BOTH SpamSieve and SpamFire. Using both together has all but eliminated all of my spam and I can't tell you how happy that makes me (a huge task given how many email accounts I am responsible for). For those with IMAP servers, PowerMail 4.2 will search your cached info as well. I love that it will update from (sync) the Apple Address Book. The import setup assistant works!

Dislikes? : I would like to see either skins and/or a nicer GUI with options that integrate better with the overall look and feel of my Mac. In addition, better instructions and support are needed so that the initial setup time and effort are reduced. Perhaps the addition of a setup assistant would help.

How does it compare to the alternatives available that serve this purpose? : I have used nearly all of the better-known email clients and PowerMail now has something that really makes it a stand out item to me. SPEED. This is not only really fast but it is also "Panther-ready." Although Apple's Mail.app (in its current form) has a great feature in its junk mail while still requiring the third party spam filters, PowerMail embraces them and seems more effective overall. The text clipping feature is wonderful as an on-message function so that it becomes virtually effortless to send some content for which you might otherwise need QuickKeys (which I love, by the way) or just dragging a clipping from your desktop in order to accomplish. Compared to the new version of Eudora, this just "feels" more like a Mac application - for lack of a better description. I was a long-time Eudora fan but found too many problems with attachments and bored with the constant need to up hunt for things within the application. MailSmith is terrific but PowerMail does a nice job of combining familiar elements from the applications you know with a lot making it all run well behind the scenes, if you will.

Would you recommend this product to a friend? Everyday users? No. Advanced users with multiple email accounts? Yes. PowerUsers/Business Users? Yes. 4 STARS

Reviewer's System: Apple Titanium PowerBook G4 500 - 1Gb RAM

Final thoughts: If you need more than Mail, this is the one, baby. Much like a fine European car, the dash looks simple and clean; you know you have the power under the hood when you need it. Fast, effective and useful, I recommend the combination of PowerMail 4.2 with both SpamSieve AND Spamfire Pro for those who need this type of application. I know that I do. This is one fast email application and I'm very pleased with my purchase.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5 stars

For more information, visit CTM Development's site: http://www.ctmdev.com

(c)2003 Daniel M. East deast@mamugs.com

Daniel M. East, President The Mid-Atlantic Macintosh User Groups Team (MaMUGs) Member, Apple Consultants Network http://www.mamugs.org

MACinations October 03