One of the limitations of iPhone's Mail app is that it does not support landscape mode for reading or writing an email.
iPhone app developer, Mark Schneider, addresses this strange limitation of iPhone's Mail app with his App called TouchType (Landscape Email).
There were three more iPhone Apps released today that bring landscape mode to iPhone's Mail app like TouchType.
TouchType is a very simple iPhone app. It allows iPhone users to compose and reply to email messages in either portrait or landscape mode.
When you launch TouchType from the home screen, you get the keyboard which you can tilt to either portrait or landscape mode.
To compose a new message; all you need to do is write the body of your message and hit the send button on the upper right hand corner which in turn opens and auto-populates iPhone's Mail app.
To reply to an email, you need to open an email in iPhone's Mail app and hit reply. Then hit the home button and launch TouchType. Here you can type the body of the message and hit send which in turn would open and auto-pupulate the message that you wanted to reply.
This is definitely not the ideal solution and I would expect Apple to add landscape mode to the iPhone's mail app sometime in the future, till then TouchType is a decent alternative if prefer to type your email messages in landscape vs. portrait mode.
TouchType costs $0.99 and you can download it from the App Store using this link.
Update:
Pat, developer of iPhone app - Wide Email pointed out that TouchType is not the only app that brings landscape mode to iPhone's mail app. In fact, there were three more apps released today namely Wide Email ($0.99), Compose ($0.99) and Side Ways ($1.99) which bring landscape mode to iPhone's mail app.
Thanks Pat for letting us know.
Do you plan to buy any of these iPhone apps?
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Its crazy how apple are making a profit from such a simple app/feature that they should really just throw into an update :S Well I guess its all about the benjamins hey!
Just wondering why you chose to single out one of the four iPhone apps released last night that all allow users to write emails in landscape mode. See this list:
http://www.macrumors.com/iphone/2008/10/08/landscape-email-apps-is-apple-easing-up-on-rejection-policy/
This entry makes it seem like there's only one app out there that does this, which gives that developer an unfair (and un-journalistic) advantage.
It would be great if you'd update that entry to reflect the fact that iPhone / iPod touch users now have four choices if they want to write emails in landscape mode.
Full disclosure: I developed one of the other four apps, Wide Email.
Hey Pat,
Thanks for your comment and letting us know about your and other two iPhone apps.
I have updated the post accordingly. The unfair advantage to TouchType (for the short period) was definitely not intentional.
Good luck with your App.
cheers!
when is lanscape mode coming to text messaging. I use the text app much more often than the email app.
Yeah pat. Get on that landscape text messaging before 4 other developers do!
When I saw the 4 apps all approved on the same day I winced for the developers who were probably all hoping to make some coin for themselves.
Seems like a slap in the face of the developers to me.
PS: I bought your WideEmail program Pat.
Although the programs all looked similar, your description was more detailed and the price was right.
Cool! I just downloaded it…Maybe iphonehacks should start getting sponsorship from developers so the apps can be reviewed from experience and not just word of mouth. So Pat are you gonna let him try your app so we can get the review. I might buy it too. The send to feature looks cool instead of the icon and noticed the world button and done. What happens when you hit done or send to e-mail?
I just download touchtype (but) can't really say much about the other other apps since I have not tried them. It can get expensive when trying alllllllll new apps……
Can you send me some free coupons?
Thanks for updating your post! Much appreciated…
–Pat (developer of Wide Email)
don't see why this isn't added into an update. not planning on spending money on the landscape keyboard
Hey Mike,
You can checkout Firemail which brings the landscape mode to iPhone's Mail app for free.
http://www.iphonehacks.com/2008/10/firemail-app.html
However, as I have mentioned before apps like Firemail are definitely not the ideal solution. It would be great if Apple add landscape mode to iPhone's mail app sometime in the future.
cheers!
I definitely appreciate the fact that developers find a way to work around this feature lack of Apple's own mail app. I recently posted a "wishlist" for the iPhone mail client on my blog at
http://heiko.blogs.com/das_heikoblog/2008/11/the-ultimative.html
and would like to receive your ideas about what else should be added.
As Hawk20011 pointed out, I am really puzzled by the fact that they accept four different apps that all do pretty much the same and on the other hand reject apps that "duplicate functionality".
This is too lame to be true. Apple, please stop acting crazy…
cool! thanks