Jun

26

Xobni – Killer Smartphone App?

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This morning while using the handy but less-than-ideal Gmail application while commuting, I realized that Xobni could be tremendously useful on a smartphone. So useful, in fact, that it could be the only interface that’s really needed, not just a sidebar for an existing mobile email application.

Xobni is essentially a productivity application, one that lets you get to your data faster. This attribute is even more important on a mobile phone, where you have awkward input devices and slow user interfaces (both relative to a desktop/notebook).

Its contact-oriented user interface is also how on-the-go users use email - “I need to respond to so-and-so, or send a quick email/reminder to so-and-so”. Rarely do you compose long memos or thought pieces on your phone. Xobni Mobile would probably need a way to list these to-respond emails, so that users can “work through” this list while mobile. I can imagine support for Outlook 2007’s Flags-Task feature (items you flag are added to your tasks), or support for Gmail’s starred items.

Finally, the bar-like orientation of the tool also lends itself well to a mobile device – whether candy-bar phones from Nokia or the iPhone.

Does this mean that Xobni morphs from being an add-on for Outlook to an email client in itself? Not necessarily. As long as the phone has an email client that supports POP3 or IMAP, Xobni can index the underlying data store. The only difference would be the “to-respond” view. As Gabor Cselle outlined on GigaOM, their architecture isn’t tied to Outlook.

PS: Two posts on Xobni in a row? Two reasons: One: the firm uses Outlook, so I’m stuck using it most of the day. Two: Xobni has had a tremendous impact on me; completely changed the way I view email.

Have you used Xobni? Do you think it makes a difference? And would you use it on your smartphone?


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  • Hey there,

    I understand the need for a really good email client on the phone. Btw, that begs the question, which phone do you use for on-the-go email?
  • I use the Nokia N73 Music Edition. Large screen, great resolution.

    However, my ideal phone for on-the-go email would undoubtedly be the iPhone.
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