Email. For most professionals, it’s an essential tool for communication and collaboration.
But let’s be honest – managing an overflowing inbox is no easy feat. Between the endless back-and-forth threads, struggle to stay organized, and hassle of scheduling meetings, email can become an overwhelming time suck.
That’s why we’ve been absolutely loving Shortwave, a new AI-powered email app that makes managing your inbox faster, easier, and dare we say it – even enjoyable again.
In this in-depth review, we’ll cover how Shortwave’s intuitive interface and smart automation transform the way you handle email.
Effortless Organization with Bundles and Categories
One of the best things about Shortwave is how it automatically organizes your inbox to reduce clutter. When you first log in, you’ll notice your emails are sorted into “bundles”, which are groups of related messages and threads.
For example, any back-and-forth conversation with a colleague may be bundled under their name. This makes following email chains much easier compared to traditional inboxes where replies get jumbled together.
Shortwave also has pre-defined categories that act like filters to further organize specific types of emails. Any calendar invites, for instance, will go into a Calendar category. Promotional emails are sorted into a Promotions category, while newsletters go into Updates.
With these automated tools, you can focus on important tasks instead of constantly sorting through a disorganized inbox. Shortwave’s bundles and categories provide a clean, distraction-free view of what requires your attention.
But the app doesn’t stop there. You can also manually prioritize emails using pins, snoozes, and the done status:
- Pin threads you need to take action on to the top of your inbox as a visual to-do list.
- Snooze emails you want to revisit later. They’ll disappear from your inbox temporarily.
- Mark as Done to clear any emails requiring no further action. Your inbox stays focused.
With drag-and-drop functionality, you can also easily reorder threads and group related messages into custom bundles. Shortwave’s flexibility makes it feel like having a built-in email project manager!
For busy professionals juggling multiple priorities, Shortwave’s organization tools help you stay on top of your ever-filling inbox. You’ll never “lose” an important message or forget to reply again.
Write Better Emails Faster with the Smart Editor
Let’s face it – no one wants to spend ages carefully formatting emails and proofreading for typos. We’ve got better things to do, right?
Shortwave’s smart editor helps you compose polished, professional emails in a fraction of the usual time. Here are some of the top features:
Drag-and-Drop Attachments
We’ve all experienced the frustration of uploading attachments one by one from our desktops. Shortwave fixes this headache with seamless drag-and-drop for files, images, screenshots, you name it.
Just drag any file from Finder or File Explorer directly into the compose window. Attachments upload instantly, letting you share documents and media painlessly.
Real-Time Typing Indicators
When messaging other Shortwave users, you’ll see real-time typing indicators just like modern chat apps. This lets you know when contacts actively respond to your email so you can expect a quick reply.
Typing indicators add transparency to email conversations, reducing back-and-forth lag. You’ll save time waiting for responses from colleagues also using Shortwave.
Inline Images and GIFs
Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. Shortwave makes it simple to add inline images and animated GIFs to bring your messages to life.
Search Giphy’s library of GIFs without leaving the app, or paste any image with a URL to embed it directly in your email. Visually engaging messages can improve clarity and reader retention.
Emojis and Reactions
Don’t feel like composing a long reply? Shortwave lets you react to messages with just an emoji. You can also liven up your own emails with everyone’s favorite pictographs.
Reactions and emojis bring a more human, conversational tone to email – especially useful for casual or internal communications.
Undo Send
We’ve all experienced that stomach-dropping moment of realizing you hit send too soon on an email. With Shortwave’s Undo Send feature, you have a short window of time to recall a message after sending it and prevent any embarrassing mistakes.
Undo Send gives you peace of mind to send emails confidently. Just enable it in Settings and breathe easy knowing you’ve got a safety net.
Scheduled Delivery
Trying to coordinate calendars with colleagues can mean constantly sending draft emails at odd hours. With Shortwave, you can easily schedule emails to be delivered whenever you want with a single click.
By scheduling messages for ideal send times, you spend less time worrying about whether it’s too early or too late to email someone. Shortwave’s AI assistant even suggests the best times to send scheduled emails.
Smart Summaries
Shortwave can automatically summarize long email threads for you with just a click. The AI identifies key details and actions to give you the gist of any conversation in concise sentences.
Summaries are perfect for getting up to speed on complex threads you’re looped into mid-conversation. Never lose context again even when joining an email chain late in the game.
With all these features, Shortwave lets you compose polished, visually engaging emails faster than ever. The clean formatting means your messages will look great on any device or email platform.
Find Any Email in Seconds with Intelligent Search
We all know the pain of endlessly scrolling and searching to find one old message. Shortwave’s powerful search tools mean you’ll never waste time digging through your inbox again.
You can instantly search across the entire email history using keywords, names, or phrases. But advanced filters also help you narrow down results:
- from:john@company.com – See all emails from a specific person
- in:leadership-updates – Search within a conversation
- has:attachment – Find threads with files attached
- before:december 2022 – Search by date ranges
Shortwave will even recommend recent contacts and conversations to quickly jump back in.
Additionally, you can get shareable links for specific threads or messages. Paste these private links into tools like Asana or Jira to reference important emails externally with just a click.
With Shortwave’s lightning-fast search, your inbox becomes more accessible and useful than ever. Find what you need in seconds without the usual scroll fatigue.
Customizable Delivery Schedules
With Shortwave, you can customize exactly when you receive certain emails to avoid unnecessary interruptions.
Set up focused time by scheduling newsletters, notifications, promotions and other non-urgent emails to be delivered only during certain windows. For example, you could allow newsletters to arrive after 5pm so they don’t distract you during work hours.
Delivery schedules help you stay present by eliminating disruptive emails when you need to concentrate. Take back control of your inbox and reduce stress with automated send times.
Seamless Experience Across All Devices
Juggling multiple devices is part of life for most professionals. Shortwave provides a flawless experience across smartphones, tablets, and computers so you can manage email from anywhere.
Stay on top of your inbox whether you’re commuting, in meetings, or working remotely. Some highlights of Shortwave’s cross-device functionality:
- iOS & Android apps – Download Shortwave for on-the-go access on iPhone and Android devices. Intuitive gestures and shortcuts improve mobile productivity.
- Mac & Windows apps – Install the desktop apps to manage high volumes of email from your laptop or PC. Keyboard shortcuts complement mouse controls.
- Universal search – Find any message instantly whether on mobile or desktop. Your email history stays in sync.
- Push notifications – Enable notifications to receive real-time alerts about urgent emails regardless of what device you’re using.
- Link sharing – Generated links work across all platforms so you can access important threads on any device.
By keeping you connected on all fronts, Shortwave enables you to respond to emails effortlessly whenever inspiration strikes – no need to wait until you’re back at your desk!
Efficient Keyboard Shortcuts
Shortcut keys help power users fly through apps quickly without ever touching a mouse. Shortwave offers comprehensive keyboard shortcuts so you can triage and manage emails efficiently.
Some of the most useful shortcuts include:
- c to compose a new message
- r to reply
- f to forward
- p to pin a thread
- s to snooze a thread
- d to mark as done
- / to search
With practice, keyboard shortcuts will become muscle memory allowing you to process emails at record speed. Ditch the trackpad and streamline your workflow with Shortwave.
Markdown Support for Formatted Emails
Writing formatted emails with bold, italics, bullet points and other styling can be a pain without a proper editor.
Shortwave supports Markdown, a simple plain text formatting syntax that makes styling emails breeze. Some examples:
- **bold text**
- *italicized text*
- – bullet points
- # Heading 1
By combining Markdown with keyboard shortcuts, you can compose beautiful emails without ever touching buttons or menus. The clean Markdown source also ensures your messages render properly on any device or platform.
For professionals who send a high volume of emails, Markdown is an easy way to quickly style messages while staying productive.
Shortwave Plans and Pricing
Shortwave offers a free Basic plan that includes:
- 15 GB cloud storage
- Basic email features
- App for iOS, Android, Mac, Windows
- 90 days email history
The free plan works nicely for personal use or trying Shortwave with a small team.
For access to premium features, Shortwave’s paid plans start at $9 per user/month. Paid plans include:
- Premium email features like instant translation and AI assistant
- Unlimited storage and history
- Additional support and security
- Integrations with Google Workspace, Office 365, Slack and more
Volume discounts are available for larger organizations. Contact Shortwave’s sales team for managed business solutions.
Considering its robust functionality, Shortwave offers exceptional value whether you choose the free basic or premium plans.
Bottom Line
Shortwave combines automation, AI, and intuitive design to transform how professionals handle email overload. With bundled conversations, instant searching, and a fast editor, Shortwave helps you master your inbox in minutes instead of hours.
Key benefits include:
- Automated organization to reduce clutter
- AI writing assistant and instant translation
- Powerful search across unlimited email history
- Customizable delivery schedules
- Seamless experience on mobile and desktop
- Markdown support and keyboard shortcuts
- Premium features starting at $9 per user/month
If constant email has you feeling overwhelmed, Shortwave is a game changer. Its smart AI and automation eliminate the biggest email frustrations for busy professionals.
Ready to take back control of your inbox? Sign up for Shortwave today to get started with a free Basic account. We think you’ll be amazed by how much faster and easier email can be!