iLounge

Electric Pocket has released an update to MailTones adding push notification support for the new Sparrow e-mail client for iOS. MailTones allows users to receive customized push notifications for new e-mail messages from just about any third-party e-mail service. The iOS app is combined with an online service where users are given a customized e-mail address that they forward messages to for notification purposes. Notifications for messages forwarded to the MailTones servers are sent to the MailTones app which can be configured to play any of 60 different alert sounds based on a variety of criteria such as sender address, sending domain, subject line and recipient address. Users can also choose to set unimportant messages to silent notifications or none at all and can specify a “Do Not Disturb” time period during which no notifications are received.

Integration with the Sparrow e-mail client released last month provides a workaround for Sparrow’s current lack of direct push notification support; users can now configure MailTones to automatically launch Sparrow when a push notification is received to view the new e-mail messages. MailTones is a universal app requiring iOS 4.2 or later and is available from the App Store for $3; use of the developer’s push notification servers is included in the price of the app with no recurring fees.