Sparrow for iPhone Adds Swipe Navigation and Landscape Mode, Push to Require Subscription

What's the big deal with Sparrow? Why do people like it so much?

I regret the day I purchased this app to be honest.

Okay, I'll bite -- REALLY? Such strong language for $3.

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The way I get around it right now is let Mail still do my push, but open up Sparrow when I want to use it. Gets a little awkward, but it's the best I can do right now.

So I use my phone for work email and personal email. Honestly, removing GMail from Mail and using Sparrow exclusively for GMail has had a fantastic impact on my battery life (4 here), my phantom vibration syndrome, and my ridiculous need to know about every new email when it arrives.

I be it's lowered my blood pressure. You won't find this in the Sparrow description though!

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As if the congested, confusing and inconsistent UI in the app wasn't enough.

So...what is congested, confusing, and inconsistent?

Unless I'm mistaken. . .

Can't people currently do Sparrow + Boxcar for no annual fee? The Sparrow dev team needs to just endorse a third-party solution for push notifications and stop whining about how Apple isn't letting them do what they want to do.

The Sparrow team knew Apple's policies before they started developing the app (or should have known, if they didn't.) To develop an app that realistically needs to have access to an API that Apple has no history of giving third parties access to and then whining because Apple won't give you access to it is just plain foolish.

I stopped using the Sparrow app and went back to native the Gmail app weeks ago because the Gmail app is universal and I think the Sparrow team consists of a bunch of crybabies. I got sick and tired of their "petition for Apple to allow push" and their whining in general.

Push will require a subscription?

Wow.

I don't think you realize what they have to do here to get emails pushed to your iPhone...

You will have to log in to your email on their server, which will then get pushed emails from Gmail. When the server gets the email it then pushes to your phone.

What this means is that their servers will be essentially mirroring Gmail's, which is not going to be cheap for them. They won't have to store messages, but even still it will be a lot of bandwidth considering that each user can have multiple accounts.

Exactly.

If they need more cash just ask for more money, don't try and mask it with upgrades.

They aren't. They are clearly saying they tried, Apple isn't going to let it happen (big surprise), and they're going to do it this way. Besides, if you don't want push, you don't have to buy it. The way I get around it right now is let Mail still do my push, but open up Sparrow when I want to use it. Gets a little awkward, but it's the best I can do right now.

Depending on how much it ends up being, I may do it. We'll have to wait and see. And who knows, maybe iOS 6 will have new multitasking APIs that can be used. We'll just have to wait a month and see.

I like the Sparrow app, but paying for push when it is included within the default Mail app is a big negative. I'm not sure if the gestures will make me stay alone.

Shame as I have been holding out for this for a while now.

Brilliant, now they'll have people shell out more money. As if the congested, confusing and inconsistent UI in the app wasn't enough.

Can't people currently do Sparrow + Boxcar for no annual fee?

Not really. You'd have to auto-forward all your email to Boxcar servers in order to get notifications via Boxcar.. Which is a pretty terrible solution to push e-mail, if you ask me.

The Sparrow team knew Apple's policies before they started developing the app (or should have known, if they didn't.) To develop an app that realistically needs to have access to an API that Apple has no history of giving third parties access to and then whining because Apple won't give you access to it is just plain foolish.

I partly agree with you there - Sparrow shouldn't have expected preferential treatment. But to be fair - Apple's policies with regard to background APIs are rather horrid and need to be changed. Apple clearly needs to extend this API beyond just VoIP apps, to IM apps, email clients and other similar apps. Their current restrictions just hurt the developers and end users, and prevent many apps from being fully functional.

Well, remember, you can already get Gmail push using Mail.app. Just set it up using ActiveSync and voila :)

What's the big deal with Sparrow? Why do people like it so much?

Great question. Not so great answers. I'm curious as to why MacRumors is pushing this app so hard, too. There's lots of great apps
out there, whats so special about this one? Doesn't the GMail app accomplish push already? Not trying to troll, I just really don't get it.