When it comes to communication, man has found many ways over the centuries. From language, through arts, books, newspaper, personal letters, fax to telegraph and telephones. With the advent of the internet, the entire world change. Everyone got a chance to get in touch with a vast amount of information within few seconds. The reign of the internet started in the 90s and it has changed the way we live our lives.
With the internet came the new medium of communicating, the email. Emails become a major success as people no longer have to write personalized letters or official mails to be delivered by physical means. Email allowed the people to get in touch with each other, send messages and files across the continents in a matter of seconds. It transformed the way personal as well as official correspondence was made. It still keeps on changing our lives with its evolving nature.
With time, email has evolved. There are many features added to this medium. It has now become a great tool to send messages along with file attachments such as documents, images, and even videos.
The impact of email has been seen through a wide range of industry. It has changed the business world as much as it has changed the personal lives. In marketing, emails have brought a new form of marketing popular known as email marketing. This allows the businesses to reach out to a wider range of customers.
The emails need to be delivered at an instant to get across the message with swift speed. With time, many technologies have emerged. Along with email servers, email clients emerged on the landscape which is transforming the sending and receiving of emails.
So what is email client? Lets first look at what it actually is.
What is Email Client?
An email client is essentially a desktop application which allows the users to send as well as receive emails directly on their desktop. In a typical case, email client needs an email address which has to be setup and properly configured before the user can start using the email service. These settings, as well as configuration, consists of email address, password along with POP3/IMAP and SMTP address as well as a port number, email aliases, and different related preferences.
Based on a pre-defined time or by manually invoking by the user, the email client duly fetches the new emails from the hosted and managed mailbox of email service provider. These emails are then delivered by the use of a mail transfer agent, also known as MTA, of an email service provider. In the same way, when it comes to sending emails, the email client utilizes the mail submission agent, known as MSA, in order to deliver messages to the email server and then finally delivering it to the destination email address.
Also, the email client can be essentially used to configure multiple email addresses which belong to various email service providers. At present, Microsoft Outlook, IBM Lotus, Mozilla Thunderbird are the most popular names as far as email clients go.
But one question does emerge that how email client is different from an email server. So, lets look into this aspect too.
Difference between Email Client and Email Server
In order to understand the difference, it is essential to know that an email server transports as well as stores emails at a central location and usually does that for more than one user, and in case, millions.
In contrast, an email client allows a single user to interact. In typical terms, the email client will essentially download messages from the server for the purpose of local use and also upload messages to the server in order to send and deliver it to the recipients.
You must be now wondering which email client you should use. Which would provide you the best offering and features along with ease of usage?
Well, there are numerous email clients which are present in the market which provides you the ability to check emails. But in case you are searching for an email client which offers advanced features and functionalities, then we have just the right recommendation for you.
We reviewed many email clients, and we recommend eM Client which is a great email client for Windows. In the following review, we will explain its various features, characteristics, pricing plans, pros and cons along with unique selling proposition or the USP.
eM Client– A Wonderful Email Client for Windows
This email client was released over 10 years ago, and in these years, it has turned out to be the most advanced email client present in the market. When you first start the eM Client, you will be prompted to choose a theme and then set up an account. The account creation process is quite straightforward, and in order to setup the account, all you have to do is enter your email as well as password. Once you have done that, eM Client will take over and do the rest of the work for you, in the background. This application works well with all popular email services like Gmail, iCloud, Outlook365 and Exchange.So, you wont be facing any sort of problems while using this client.
This application provides support to data import, so it makes it easier for you to import all of your contacts as well as emails from other email clients like Outlook, Thunderbird, etc. This application works well with almost all available email protocols which include POP3, SMTP, EWS, IMAP, and AirSync.
This application comes with three panes. The left pane provides you the ability to navigate to various email categories as well as email accounts. The user can easily change the layout of the application in such a way that it resembles any other email client or email service. The user can also save and export the theme and can easily use it on any other PC.
It is essential to mention that this application comes with an in-built calendar along with tasks feature which allows you to organize your time with ease. The calendar syncs with your Google Calendar automatically which allows you to view all the events without any need of extra configuration.
It also has a Contacts feature which provides you the ability to see as well as organize your contacts. You can easily add different labels to your contacts to organize them in a better fashion. With this feature, you can easily search and find any contact and also send a quick email to it. Along with this, you can also view email history as well as attachment history in the Contacts section. You are allowed to export all of your contacts to a CSV file or HTML file by a single click.
The middle pane consists of all the emails that you have which enables you to sort them by using various criteria. Once you click on any required email, you can easily view the contents on the right pane. There is a hidden panel on the right side also which lets you see the message history along with attachment history from any contact. Thanks to this wonderful feature, you are allowed to easily preview or even read any older email from any specific contact.
It also has an Agenda feature which allows you to create tasks as well as reminders with quite an ease. At last, it also has an in-built chat so that you can easily have a real-time chat with any of your contacts. This client allows you to export the entire list of emails easily and you are also allowed to download emails so that you can read them later.
eM Client provides you the ability to add contacts directly from the main screen. It also allows you the ability to create distribution groups with ease. When it comes to writing an email, it has standard formatting features which are available, but it also provides the ability to add a Quick Text or signature. This client also has Read Receipt as well as Delivery Receipt feature which allows you to see if your email has been delivered and read by the recipient of the email. These above-mentioned features are quite useful, but you need to enable them manually for each email.
This application comes with a full touch support which allows you to use it without any sort of problems with your any touchscreen device like a tablet. When it comes to features, this application also has an in-built search which allows you to search any email as well as contact or attachment, within few seconds.
eM Client completely supports SSL and TLS standard which makes your emails safe from third-parties. Along with this, there are S/MIME as well as PGP encryption features which are available. Due to this feature, you can easily compose an email and send it on any specific time and date. It also has an in-built translator which allows you to translate incoming as well as outgoing emails with quite an ease.
With this client, you can easily add multiple email accounts and use them at the same time. Due to this feature, you can utilize your business as well as personal email account using a single application. This means that you dont need to sign out and then switch to a separate account to check or reply to emails. It also has Smart Folders feature which allows you to view emails from different accounts in a single inbox with ease.
This client provides a wide range of features which is perfect for both basic as well as advanced users. The application is duly available in two different versions, Free and Pro. The Free version does have some limitations such as this version isnt available for commercial use and doesnt provide VIP support. Along with this, the Free version provides you the ability to work only with two email accounts.
However, in case of Pro version, it lets you work with unlimited numbers of email accounts, and it does provide VIP support. It is also completely available for commercial use.
Pros
- It has a quick setup with most of the popular email service providers.
- It has in-built translation via Bing
- It allows you to view the content of emails and the attachments right on the screen without going through the entire thread or opening the email.
- It comes with an integrated chat tool
Cons
- Its Free version only provide two accounts
- The Free version is not available for commercial use.
Conclusion
Email has become an essential part of our life. Managing them has become an arduous task, and when it comes to dealing with hundreds of emails, it can be a nightmare. It is the best option to use an effective email client to manage these emails.
eM Client is a perfect free email client which provides calendar as well as integrated chat. It allows you to view the messages and attachments of the emails right on the screen without any need of opening them. You are provided with safety with various security protocols and encryption. This email client works well with all popular email service providers. It allows you to schedule your messages and organize your to-do list. It also has an in-built translator which is a great addition and its USP.
So, what you think of eM Client? If you try this client, then let us know your experience. Write your reviews and suggestions in the comment section below.