Sparrow was a highly capable e-mail client for iOS and Mac (where I still use it). Four months ago we collectively mourned the acquisition of its team by Google. Everyone assumed this was a classic „aquihire“ and that we’d never hear from the talented team again.

Fortunately, we were wrong, and Google let the talent work on what they do best. A few moments ago a new Gmail app for iOS was released, and the Sparrow tradition can be felt in its every gesture. It’s the first usable and, above all, native Gmail client for iOS. The basic controls are the same as in Sparrow, and the user interface is full of the classic gestures and animations borrowed from the most popular apps on this platform.

But Gmail 2.0 excels at what the preinstalled Mail.app lacks. Push notifications (which Sparrow already promised us, though we never got them), proper support for labels, stars and priority inbox, sending from multiple addresses (the app loads them from your account settings), lightning-fast syncing, and direct support for automatic replies and confirming calendar invitations.

It can do so much that only now do I realize just how much the preinstalled client is missing.

The iPad interface (also promised) hasn’t been polished as well as the iPhone one yet. It isn’t as smooth and I’ve found a few bugs, but even so it’s an enormous step up from Mail.app.

Searching for „Gmail“ in the Czech App Store doesn’t bring it up in the results yet, but you can use this direct link. Unlike Sparrow, it’s free.