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Wide Email, an e-mail application by LizzardWerks, is available for 99 US cents at the
App Store.
While the accelerometer that detects subtle changes in position or orientation of Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPhone 3G is astoundingly responsive -- for instance, quickly resizing a Web page from a vertical layout to a horizontal view -- there's no built-in ability to change to a landscape mode when writing an e-mail message.
Why is this a big deal? For starters, you can fit more text on a horizontal screen, making it easier to keep track of what you're writing; furthermore, a widescreen mode permits a larger keyboard image, making it easier to hit keys while typing quickly. Who wouldn't want bigger keys and a wider field of view?
Wide Email offers iPhone and iPod touch owners widescreen e-mail features. It caught my eye because its generic name so clearly identifies its purpose.
App Store to the Rescue
I had been vaguely aware that some third-party App Store "widescreen e-mail" apps existed, but I had written them off, figuring that Apple would soon update its iPhone software with the ability. After all, it seems like such an easy feature to add. Plus, a third-party app wouldn't exactly be built into Apple's own Mail program -- I'd have to choose the third-party app and then leave it to get into the Mail app to actually send the message.
Too clunky, right?
Not exactly.
Wide Email is surprisingly easy to use. After installation, it opens right up into a ready-for-action screen. There's a Done button in the upper left, a flashing cursor position in the top middle for the subject line of your upcoming e-mail message (I didn't notice it at first and started typing my main message in it), and a Send to Mail button in the upper right.
The middle is a free text field, followed by the standard virtual Apple keyboard. If you simply tilt the iPhone horizontally, however, it shifts to landscape mode, and boom, you've got bigger keys ready for big thumbs.
Takes a Moment of Rewiring
Landscape mode, it turns out, wasn't as easy to use as I imagined. I've been so ingrained with holding my iPhone vertically in my left hand and using my right index finger -- or using it one-handed and using my thumb -- that using landscape mode the old way was a bit awkward. You've got to change how you hold the iPhone, and you pretty much can't use landscape mode for typing with one hand -- getting your thumb all the way across the virtual keyboard to the other side is a bit of stretch.
That said, landscape mode works well once you practice a bit ... and even better if you want to use the dual-thumb "BlackBerry" sort of typing action.
Sending Mail
To send a message, the Wide Email app closes and sends the text to the Mail app, which opens up into your default e-mail-sending mail account. To reply to a message, simply open up Mail, open the message, choose to reply or reply to all, then close the Mail app by hitting the Home button.
Next, tap the Wide Email app icon, type your message, then hit Send to Mail. The app closes and takes you to the Mail message you just left, complete with the text you want to use to reply.
For short messages, it's a bit of overkill -- just type slowly and carefully in the vertical built-in mode. But for long replies, the wide keyboard is nice.
Extra Features
In addition to basic text, Wide Email includes Typing Shortcuts that let you type short custom words that cause Wide Email to automatically insert larger words or phrases. For example, typing "cu" can result in "See you later."
Why do I like this feature? Because it'll let me insert a variety of multi-line signatures based on the variety of people I e-mail. For instance, for business e-mail signatures, I tend to favor "Best," followed by my name. But would I want to send "Best," to my mother? Not a chance.
Bottom Line
Basically, Wide Email does exactly what it says it will do. It's handy, useful, and if you tend to type longer e-mails, it's worth the 99 cents. For just a buck, I rate it a solid 5 out of 5 because I like the super clean and easy interface with the Typing Shortcuts.
Apple App Store users give it just three stars in their rating, however -- probably because there are a couple of other free apps like EasyWriter and Easy Email that do essentially the same thing ... but also add a few more features, like the ability to change your text font and color.
EasyWriter and Easy Email are both great apps, too, and they both have beefed-up versions for 99 cents. You can't really go wrong with any of the three -- unless Apple, of course, finally delivers landscape e-mail.
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