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Mail Stamps 2.1 - Mac OS X Mail Add-On

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Mail Stamps

Mail Stamps

Heinz Tschabitscher

The Bottom Line

Mail Stamps replaces the icon set introduced with Mac OS X Mail 2.0 (Tiger) with the toolbar icons found in Mail 1.3 (Panther). Easy to install and easy to remove, Mail Stamps elegantly does just what it is meant to do.
Mail Stamps is currently not available.

Pros

  • Mail Stamps lets you replace the default icons of Mail 2.0 (Tiger) with 1.3 (Panther) icons
  • Icon changes are easily done using Mail Stamps
  • Mail Stamps can make Mail use the default OS X highlight color for the mailbox list, too

Cons

  • Mail Stamps does not add a preference option to choose the desired icon set
  • You cannot customize the icons further than going back to Panther with Mail Stamps
  • Mail Stamps cannot restore the default Mail 1.3 toolbar layout automatically

Description

  • Mail Stamps replaces the toolbar icons in Mail 2.0 with those from Mail 1.3.
  • It's easy to turn Mail Stamps' icons on or off using a simple application.
  • Toolbar customization works just like it did before Mail Stamps.
  • Using Mail Stamps, you can force Mail to use the standard highlight color in the mailbox list.
  • Mail Stamps supports Mac OS X Mail 2.0.

Guide Review - Mail Stamps 2.1 - Mac OS X Mail Add-On

Aesthetics, like but maybe more than anything, are a matter of habit and, possibly, inurement. I do not remember my initial reaction to the new icon design introduced with Mac OS X Mail 2.0 in Tiger, but I can say that I like it now. I also liked the old design, and I still like it now. Maybe that's because pleasure is also a matter of variation. Now, whether you cannot stand the small, boxed and crammed icons of Mail 2.0 or just fancy a change, Mail Stamps makes the transition or restoration easy.

In a simple preference-style application, Mail Stamps exchanges Panther's icons for Tiger's and vice versa. Additionally, you can make Mail use the system-wide highlighting color for the selected folder in the mailbox pane. If you had grouped icons ("Reply Reply All Forward", for example) in the Mail toolbar, the older, bigger icons installed with Mail Stamps will appear cropped a bit. This minor inconvenience is easily fixed by customizing the toolbar, however.

If you are the change-is-pleasure type of icon beholder, a preference pane for switching between the different icon designs might be nice, though the small app used for switching is fine, too. Mail Stamps could profit from more custom icons, of course.

In general, all this is not needed. If the you miss the old Mail icons, Mail Stamps is a tool you'll love.

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