Every other startup out there is trying to become the new big thing in email, but what we get more often than not is a bunch of half-baked tweaks that sound nice on paper but don’t really do all that much to change the experience. Ping, however, actually is probably unlike any other email client you’ve used before.
What does it do?
Instead of swiping and sliding emails into categories to be read later or archived, Pings takes a wholly different approach. Here, email conversations are separated by the individual contact, much in the same way your text messages are organised. If you get emails from someone not in your contacts — usually a business or newsletter — they end up on an entirely different page thats jus ta swipe away and all grouped together.
You can currently use Ping with Gmail, AOL, Yahoo! and iCloud accounts. Plus, if both people in the conversation use Ping, the thread gets some iMessage-like boosts such as quicker response times and an indication of when the other person is typing.
Why do we like it?
It doesn’t try to force emails that don’t fit into a conversational format to be something they’re not. Rather, Ping makes use of your contacts to see which incoming emails are most readable in which form. Your messages are optimised for readability, and that makes the entire process all the more efficient.
It also lets you customise alert sounds for specific contacts, so you don’t even need to open your email to know who it was that just emailed you back. It’s perfect for on-the-go emailing. The problem, however, comes in when you need to do the heavy duty work. Ping is very much a mobile-first client, and if you’re someone who does a lot of (long)emailing on their phone, Ping isn’t exactly going to make the process that much easier. Adding new people in the “To” and “CC” lines isn’t quite as readily available as it could be, and it’s going to take some used to switching between this and your desktop client. It’s still early, though, and there’s plenty of time for them to smooth out those bugs. Ping will be available in the App Store starting September 18, and you can sign up to reserve your spot now over at Ping’s website.