QuickAdvice: Second Gear Makes Markdown Email Even Easier
MarkdownMail - Send HTML Email ($1.99) by Second Gear is an app that allows users to easily create HTML emails straight from their iPhone using Markdown language.
For those that are unfamiliar, Markdown is a language that was created by John Gruber of DaringFireball.net that is a lot easier to remember than raw HTML code.
MarkdownMail does one thing only, but it does it very well. It allows users to easily create HTML emails straight from their iPhone or iPod Touch in both portrait and landscape mode.
When the app is first launched, you'll see an example welcome message from Second Elements that will show you what Markup language is. This welcome message only shows the very basics of Markdown though. However, the developers included a link to the original Daring Fireball post, which can be accessed in one tap with the 'Syntax' button at the top left corner.
You'll have to delete the default message to start typing out your own, so tap that little trash can icon. As you write in Markdown, you'll want to occasionally check your message's progress to make sure that all the code is correct. You can view a preview of your message with the icon that looks like the traditional Safari icon that we've grown to know and love (maybe). You can close the preview and continue working, just remember to keep checking that preview so that everything is correct!
Once the message is complete, a tap of the envelope icon will pull up the New Message email screen, with the visual HTML message already pasted into the body. Just select your recipients and send the email off like any other! It's that simple.
Want to get more information about Second Elements? All of their contact information is listed in the 'Settings' of the app. There is also a 'Thanks' section for other Markdown apps and John Gruber himself.
Personally, I haven't heard of Markdown until I saw this app pop up on the App Store. But after taking a quick look at the Syntax post on Gruber's site, I was able to grasp the basics in a fairly short amount of time. So if you're not familiar with Markdown either like I was, it's quick and easy to understand. This app will draw in both the expert, advanced, and beginner users of Markdown.
If you want to begin sending HTML emails from your iPhone, then MarkdownMail is definitely the way to go. Plus, the icon looks amazing on the iPhone 4 Retina display, and I'm sure you can make room for it on your home screen if you are a frequent user of HTML email.
For frequent users, it could be one of the best things $2 can buy.
