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Comment by ditojim | Hacker News Reader

it is seriously _not bad_. the web gmail interface has a lot more to offer though: integrated voice & video chat, google voice integration, calendar gadget/integration, and any 1 of the 30 or so labs i have enabled, to name a few.

still, it is very solid as _just_ an email client for gmail, and only $10.

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Actually, one of the reasons I like Sparrow so much is that Google Chat isn't supported. I know I can just leave it turned off in the gmail interface, but if I'm ever bored and feel like seeing who's around it's too tempting to switch it on. With Sparrow I'm much more likely to get back to whatever I'm supposed to be doing after handling some email.

unlike you, i use gmail chat for business purposes, so it would be irresponsible for me to log out of chat during work.

What about using a dedicated IM program like Adium? I find it leaps and bounds over using the web gChat client. Also it manages 1x MSN, 2x gChat and IRC in one place for me.

the desktop version/integrations do not have video chat. that's one reason.

Can you explain what you mean by Google Voice integration? I'm a user of both GV and Gmail and I'm wondering if there is something I'm missing, like being able to see my GV texts/voicemails right inside Gmail or something?

Google Voice + Gmail, you can:

* set GV to forward txts to GM, replying to the email will reply to the txt

* have transcribed voicemails emailed to you with a link to play the original in the email

* use the "Call phone" button under chat to make outgoing calls via the web for free (for now)

I think that's what he meant, at least. Only one of those things (the last) isn't available outside of Gmail itself.

I think what he meant was the ability to place calls through GV from GTalk (chat window). On a side note, Google's released a great Chrome extension for GV.

yes, i was referring to the ability to manage all communications from within gmail. i rely on email, gchat, and google voice to communicate with the world, all from 1 browser tab.

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