nPOPuk is a powerful, full featured email alternative to the messaging software that is currently included on windows mobile devices.  Features I especially like about it include:

• The software is free
• The ability to retrieve and send email messages to multiple email accounts all at the same time
• The ability to set up email filters
• Sorting options
• The ability to send a mass email to an entire category of contacts
• The software is fast and lightweight
• Does not affect mobile device main memory.  If you install the software to your storage card, all email settings, messages and attachments are stored on the storage card. 
  • After a factory reset, the only thing you'll need to do to use nPOPuk is create a shortcut to the application in the \windows\start menu\programs folder.
  • It is very easy to backup or copy software email configuration settings and email to a new device
  • You can store as much email as you desire, given the limitations of your storage card
• The software works well on windows mobile 2003, WM5.0, WM6.0 and WM6.1 (I used the software on windows mobile 2003se and WM6.1 devices)

The user interface is a bit clunky and could stand to be streamlined somewhat and the software does not include a help file or a good user's guide, so there was a large learning curve to overcome before I could say I enjoyed using the software.  The software handles POP3 email accounts only.  You cannot use the application for IMAP accounts.

Software Installation

To install nPOPuk, download the nPOPuk.zip file, unzip the file, create a folder on your mobile device and copy the nPOPuk.exe file directly to the folder.  You'll also need to make a shortcut for the application and place it in the \windows\start menu\programs folder.

Application configuration files and email files are stored in the same folder as the .exe file:

• The nPOPuk.ini file contains all the setup options and email account configurations. 
  • GENERAL Heading:  includes all of the options that are used globally by the application
  • MAILBOX-0 Heading: Email account configuration settings and Savebox settings are enumerated with heading names such as MAILBOX-1, MAILBOX-2, etc. When I was setting up my email accounts, I "copied and pasted" email accounts by copying all of the lines of an email configuration, pasting it in the file and then changing the name of the [MAILBOX-#] heading to something unique.  Then I opened up nPOPuk and modified the account I just created to match the specific parameters of my new account..
• Email is stored in .dat files (MailBox1.dat; MailBox2.dat, etc.).  Each .dat file includes the comprehensive set of email for one email account.
• Address.lst contains the address list 
• Email attachments are stored in a folder called "attach".  If you install the software to a storage card, you'll find email attachments here:  \SD Card\attach\

Mailbox: Setting up an Email Account

To set up your email accounts, you'll tap File > Mailbox > Add > Create new account.  You can also edit and delete existing email accounts here.

POP3 tab Account:  Input a description of the email account.  POP3 server:  input the specific POP3 server for your email account Port:  The default incoming email port is 110.  You probably will not need to change this option Username:  Input your full email address Password:  Input the password Selecting SSL (Secure Socket Layer) changes the POP3 server port to 995 and activates the "setup" button which takes you to a screen where you can choose the SSL type with the following choices:  Auto, SSL 2.0; SSL 3.0; STARTTLS, TLS 1.0. Disable "RETR" command:  If you find your email disappears from the server after you download them to your mobile device, select this option to see if it makes a difference.

SMTP tab    Name: Input a descriptive name for the account Address:  Input email address SMTP server: Input the specific SMTP server information for the email account. Port:  The default outgoing email port is 25, but this particular email account utilizes port 80 for outgoing email. Most outgoing email requires authorization, so be sure to include a checkmark in the box next to "SMTP-AUTH".  Selecting the Setup button allows you to select the authorization type (choices include CRAM-MD5, LOGIN, and PLAIN).  You can also input a different username and password, or you can use the incoming email username and password If you have problems sending email through your SMTP server, you could select the option to "POP before SMTP" to see if that resolves the issue.

The three remaining tabs (screenshots shown below) are:

• Signature tab allows you to create a unique signature that is attached to every email sent from the email account .
• Filter tab allows you set up email filters (discussed in the next section)
• Connection tab allows you to configure Dial-up settings (does anyone even use Dial-up on a Pocket PC anymore?)

Creating Email Filters

You can create email filters for each email account under the account's Filter tab.  Tap the Add button and then configure the filter parameters.   

Action and Savebox work in conjunction with each other. 

• Actions that can be performed on email include Reject, Accept, Mark for download, Mark for deletion, Mark as read, Copy to, or Move to
• Saveboxes are user defined folders.  You can only use the Savebox option if you choose the Copy to or Move to actions.

Items1 and Content 1 work together:

• Item1: Tap the down arrow to the right of the box and choose the specific email field that will be evaluated when the filter is run.  Email can be filtered by many different fields including the From, To, Cc, Subject, Organization, Reply to, Comments, Date, Keywords, and Sender fields.
• Content1: input the specific text string used to filter email

You can create compound filters by using the AND, OR, and UNLESS options and inputting appropriate information in the Item2 and Content2 fields.

You can also create global filters that apply to all email accounts by tapping File > Global Options > Filter tab

Address Book

I'd think most users would prefer to use the contact information that is already stored on the mobile device when they send emails, but nPOPuk provides an Address Book module where you can set up a unique set of email addresses to be used by the application.  However, you can select to use the Pocket Outlook addresses instead (tap File > Global Options > Other tab).  The screen shot shown below on the left is the nPOPuk Address Book where you can add new addresses, edit existing addresses, delete addresses, and select addresses.  If you select the Pocket Outlook option, the New, Edit, Delete, and Select buttons are no longer available (see the screen shot shown below on the right).

You can filter addresses by category.  If you are using the Pocket Outlook option, you can select entire categories of addresses by pressing and holding your stylus on the list until all addresses are highlighted, then you can tap the Mail button and send out a mass email to all selected addresses. 

Global Options

Tapping File > Global Options allows you to set numerous options, and I have included screenshots of  all of the Global Options pages below.  Many of these options are self explanatory and so I won't spend much time discussing these options.  However there are some features that I would like to highlight:

• Global filters can be created that apply to all email accounts (see the Filter tab - screen print 5)
• Sort email and saveboxes by subject, from, data, or size. You can also specify the Subject or the From/To column as the first column in the email listing.   I have set this option to sort email in reverse order, so my email is sorted by date with the most recent email being displayed at the top of the list (see the Sort tab - screen print 9)
• Use Pocket Contacts address book:  This option integrates the Outlook Contacts into nPOPuk.  If you do not select this option, you will have to manually input email addresses or you can create a separate set of contacts in the nPOPuk contacts module. (see the Other tab - screen print 10)
• Password Protect email (see the Advanced tab - screen print 11)

Working with Email:  Create New Messages

To send email, you'll tap File > New Message.  Then on the ensuing screen:

• Account: Tap the down arrow to the right of the Account field and choose  email account you'd like to send the new message from (assuming you have already configured your email accounts). 
• Reply-To: If you want any replies to your email sent to a different email address, you can tap the down arrow to the right of the Reply-To field. 
• To: Tap the To button to select the email addressees from the Address book (see the Address book section below for more information about this)
• Subject: Input the subject of your email
• Recipients: tap the Recipients button to add more addressees to the list or you can you can designate To, CC, BCC to the addressees already selected.  You can also delete addressees.
• Attach: Allows you to navigate the mobile device's file structure to a specific file you wish to include as an attachment to your email.
• Priority:  Select Low, Normal, or High
• Receipts: Allows you to request Delivery and/or Read receipt
• Ok: Takes you to the screen where you can input the email message.

When you are ready to send the email, you can tap one of the icons that run along the bottom of the page.  From left to right:

• The 1st icon: Tapping this icon (Send Now) will prompt your to send now? Yes / No
• The 2nd icon: Returns you to the Account screen (2nd screen above) where you can verify all the information before you send the email.  Tapping the OK button queues the email to be sent on next connection and places the email in the Outbox
• The 3rd icon: Returns you to the Account screen (2nd screen above) where you can verify all the information.  Tapping the OK button saves the email in the Outbox (the email is not queued to send)
• The 4th icon (blue i in a white circle): Returns to the Account screen (2nd screen above) where you can verify or change the information.  Tapping Ok returns you to the email message (3rd screen above)

Working with Email: Sending & Retrieving Email

Tapping the Mail option allows you to open, reply to and forward email messages.  The Mail option also allows you to connect, mark and edit email messages and settings:

• Connect:  To send and retrieve email, tap Mail > Connect > Check account / Check all accounts.  You can check email accounts one at a time, or you can check all of your email accounts at the same time.  I have configured 6 different email accounts on my mobile device and it saves me quite a lot of time to check all these accounts at the same time.
• Mark:  This option allows you to
  • Flag an email for follow-up
  • Mark an email for download or deletion (this will delete the email from the mobile device and from the server)
  • Cancel mark
  • Mark an email as read or unread

After you mark an email for download or delete, you'll select Connect > Update account / Update all accounts.

• Edit:  This option allows you to:
  • Copy or move an email to a savebox
  • Delete attachments
  • Delete email from list (this will only remove the email from the list, but the email will remain on the server)
  • Sort by icon
  • Thread mode:  Selecting this option provides a threaded view of email.
  • Find: allows you to input a text string that will be used to search all email in all mailboxes (see screen print to the right)
  • Select All

You can also use the icons along the bottom of the page to check and update accounts.  From left to right:

• The first icon (with the yellow triangle pointing down): tapping this icon will check the selected account
• The second icon: tapping this icon will check all accounts
• The third icon (with the yellow triangle pointing up): tapping this icon will update the selected account
• The fourth icon: tapping this icon will update all accounts.
• The fifth icon (looks like an envelope): tapping this icon initiates the creation of a new email

Saveboxes

Saveboxes are user defined folders that can be used to store email messages.  You can create saveboxes by taping File > Mailbox > Create new savebox.

Final Thoughts

nPOPuk is a versatile messaging software that provides many user defined options.  There is a team of dedicated individuals who continue to add functionality and features to the software.  I have used the software for several months and never run into any performance issues.  If you are looking for a good mobile messaging application to handle your POP3 email accounts, I highly recommend nPOPuk.

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