Not everyone needs Internet e-mail; sometimes you simply want to exchange messages with other users on your LAN without the complexities of Internet addressing and the dangers of Internet mail viruses. Glass Bead Software’s SnapMail 3.0.4 fills the bill for Mac networks, offering an interface even novices will find easy to use and slick features such as real-time voice and text chat.
SnapMail runs on AppleTalk networks and it requires no centralized server. You install the program on each user’s computer, and SnapMail discovers users and adds them to its address book. In addition to the usual e-mail features, such as message folders and text formatting, SnapMail adds some unique twists: reminder messages, customizable form templates, a public bulletin board, and real-time text chat. (An Internet mail gateway is available; it’s $97 for five users.)
Although SnapMail is fast and intuitive, it lacks two useful features of traditional Internet mail clients–nested folders and message filtering–that help organize saved messages.
Macworld’s Buying Advice
If you need fast, easy, and convenient intraoffice messaging without the encumbrances and risks of Internet e-mail, SnapMail is for you. Its abil-ity to operate without a central server keeps it running even when the Inter-net is down.