The built-in email client on Windows Phone gets the job for casual users, but for those looking for a brighter, more powerful experience, there have been few options. Maestro is a new email app for Windows Phone 8.1 and Hidden Pineapple makes it, the developers behind the favorite Rowi Twitter client years ago.
Today, after some delay, it is finally entering into a public preview. Users can now download and use the client, which supports Outlook and Gmail out the gate, including multiple accounts.
Dubbed as "A better mail experience for Windows Phone 8.1", Maestro looks to deliver aesthetically pleasing emails, but also more advanced inbox controls for the email addicts out there. Today's release is a 'preview' meaning the app itself is still far from complete, but the core of it is working enough to warrant letting you folks jump in an take it for a ride.
Unfortunately, Windows Phone 8.1.1 (Preview for Developers) has a few bugs in it that Microsoft needs to fix. As a result, some of the cooler features such as 'swipe to delete' or 'tap and hold to enter swift edit mode' are not enabled in Maestro initially. Once Microsoft patches the OS, those features should return (a similar, but unrelated bug affects Tweetium when loading, although this was patched with this week's OS update).
What else is enabled in Maestro? Here are some of the highlighted features.
- Live Tile
- Push Notifications
- HTML support
- Frequency setting for email checks
After running Maestro for a few days, we can say the app is definitely a little rough as expected from a preview release. Tapping a notification opens up the entire client and the not the email message itself. There are also occasional syncing issues and the features are very limited in this early look. Still, going by the design, layout and new programming language, Maestro certainly has potential.
Overall, it is great to see Maestro finally getting its public debut. I hope that you can all put it through the wringer and over the following months, this app will grow to be a juggernaut. Grab the app below, and sound off in comments (do not be surprised if the devs jump in and answer your questions).
Follow the Maestro team on Twitter too for updates or questions! You can find them @getmaestro or their website maestroapp.com.
