Hop is a new email service that aims to make email more manageable. Unlike other services that use smart mailboxes, Hop transforms your emails into conversations instead of messy threads and attachments. The difference makes you actually want to respond to emails more often.
Most of us spend lots of time in our inboxes and it isn't always a task we look forward to. After spending some time with Hop over the last week or so, I've actually found myself coming back to an empty inbox more often than not. I've found that the reason for that is because Hop doesn't make me feel like I'm responding to emails. I feel like I'm taking part in an actual conversation.
Hop currently supports Gmail, AOL, Yahoo!, and iCloud. Once you configure your account, you're taken to the main inbox view. From here you can toggle the view on the top menu between conversation and traditional inbox view. Traditional inbox view is what we're all used to. The messages view is where you'll want to be, trust me.
Responding to an email is as easy as tapping into any message and just responding. That's it. You can attach images, upload files, open files that are sent to you and more. The only difference is how you view what you're doing. To me, that's the made the difference in how often I'm answering emails. I've also found that I'm treating email more like how I treat text messages and IMs which isn't a bad thing. I'm more short and to the point. There's something about email composers that make us feel like we have to fill them. I've learned not to do this with the help of Hop and I'm sure the recipients of my emails appreciate it.
The good
- Message style views make email less of a chore and more of a conversation flow
- Push notifications are wicked fast, in almost all cases I got Hop notifications before the actual Mail client told me I had messages
- Traditional inbox view is still available for when you really need it
The bad
- Limited account support at this time, no Exchange
The bottom line
For people that don't look forward to opening their inboxes every morning, Hop will make you change your mind. Not only does it make email seem more personal, it has a funny way of helping you empty your inbox without you even realizing you're being productive. And for anyone that has a nasty habit of being too wordy in emails, Hop can help you solve that problem too without even knowing it.
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