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Popular email management app Mailbox has been acquired by file-sharing and storage service Dropbox.
Terms weren't disclosed, but the company plans to keep Mailbox as a standalone app, though the companies plan to extend both their platforms going forward, reports The Wall Street Journal.
"We felt we could help Mailbox reach a much different audience much faster," said Dropbox CEO Drew Houston, who said both companies shared the goal of making people’s lives easier.
He said Dropbox will keep the Mailbox service running as a stand-alone app, and over time Dropbox will also use Mailbox’s technology to enhance Dropbox features, like email attachments. The deal came together, he said, after the companies started talking about email attachments a few months ago.
The thirteen Mailbox employees will join Dropbox, but continue working on the Mailbox app. Mailbox is now delivering 60 million messages per day and has taken 1.3 million reservations for its free service.
Top Rated Comments
Now as far as the software, I think it works great. It has completely changed how I work with my Gmail and the app itself is polished and responds instantly. I was actually hoping Apple would purchase this app and incorporate the technology into the default mail app. I guess they can still copy it.
To elaborate on the "stunt" comment:
You signed up to a waiting list. Eventually this waiting list got you a code. You put the code in their app and it put in you a massive queue.
If you managed some how to actually get to use the app - you may have been disappointed.
In fact, the Mailbox app angered a lot of people because it requires full access to your Gmail account (which raises privacy concerns), and it requires you to mess with IMAP folder visibility (it needs "All Folder" access).
I've had access for quite a while - but I do not use it, as I refuse to change my IMAP settings to make it work. I already use Gmail (without issue) with other programs.
Apparently all the hype got the attention of the right people.
Yep, because mailbox has to serve the people with more than 5 gmail accounts first before they can let anyone else in the queue. Right?
The app just came out a few short weeks ago. What update do you think they "finally" need to do? Finally makes it sound like the app has been around for years without any updates.