Recommendation for a More Powerful Mac Email App?

I am looking at moving my personal computing to the Mac environment and am looking for feedback/recommendations on a better (powerful/flexible) email app.

My main use will be communicating with a local cycling group which consists of about 2,600 local riders from 30 teams training for our annual MS150 ride. Since there are a lot of riders from a lot of teams plus I need to send notes to specific sub-groups of riders, volunteers, ride marshals, medics, etc, I am looking for an app which offers very flexible filtering, grouping, displaying and printing based on one or multiple fields in the contact records.

I have been using Outlook on a PC for many years because it has this flexibility built in so I installed Office 2011 w/ Outlook 2011 for the Mac and have imported the contacts from the 2011 group into the Outlook contact database. I also imported the data into the Apple address book. Both of these applications appear to be designed to be very simple to use and don't offer me the ability to set up many views based on dynamic filters the way Outlook for the PC works. I was really hoping that Outlook for the Mac would offer the same functionality that the PC version offers but it is much simpler - good for many users but not for my needs.

Has anyone used a Mac eMail client which offers the ability to set up multiple filtered views of the contact list and set up print specs, etc for certain views?

PS - To import to the Apple address book, I had to export the Outlook records to vCards, forward in an email, save (per the Apple help instructions) and import. Ever since I did this, the Apple Mail client crashes as soon as I open it. I have an appt w/ a OneToOne person at my local Apple Store tomomrrow but wonder if anyone else has experienced this?

Outlook 2011 for the Mac is a new application, version 1, so to speak. MS just started including it with Office after several versions using Entourage. It's got a lot of growing up to do.

What I suggest is install virtual software, install Windows, and continue running Outlook for Windows. VirtualBox from Oracle is free and works great as long as you don't have to run a graphic intensive app such as a game.

Address Book has Groups, which could be exactly defined as "filtered views of the contact list." Since Groups are subsidiaries of the main contact library (same concept as in iTunes, iPhoto, etc), you could have a group called "Cycling Group" that has everyone in it, then groups (let's call them sub-groups if it makes it clearer) called "left-handed cyclists," "Cyclists who are red-headed" and "Cyclists I know personally" (etc ad nauseum) and send emails only to those people by simply typing the group name into the "to" or "bcc" field as needed.

Indeed, many "sub-groups" can be created using "Smart Groups," which uses a set of criteria to automatically add or subtract people. For example, "Cyclists with birthdays this month."

Thanks!

I also discovered the Smart Groups option in Address Book this afternoon and this looks very promising since the filtering is dynamic - change a rider to credit their payment and they immediately migrate to the Paid group vs the Unpaid...

Printing these dynamic lists may be a problem but I may be able to set up one template for all or maybe even move the ride sign-in process to several iPads - or something similar to eliminate the need for printing - can you develop apps in FileMaker (or Bento) and use on the iPad - or several iPads?

There is also categories in Outlook. They show up on the left hand bar - and to set it up it is in the home ribbon.
Filter items by category

I can selet the proper category - print out the contacts, email the contacts, etc.

Categories are pervasive throughout Mail, Contacts and Calendar as well.

Virtual Box

chscag said:

Outlook 2011 for the Mac is a new application, version 1, so to speak. MS just started including it with Office after several versions using Entourage. It's got a lot of growing up to do.

What I suggest is install virtual software, install Windows, and continue running Outlook for Windows. VirtualBox from Oracle is free and works great as long as you don't have to run a graphic intensive app such as a game.

Click to expand...

I am a switcher. What is missing is the Outlook Publisher which i need for my work. Publisher and Access is not available with Office 2011 for Mac which I purchased not realizing this. The suggestion to instal Virtual software is interesting but as a new Mac user I am lost as to what to exactly do. Please elaborate. Thanks.

First, there's no such application "Outlook Publisher". There is MS Publisher if that's what you're referring to. Access is Windows only and has not and is still not included with any version of MS Office for the Mac.

You can either switch to a Mac application to replace MS Publisher and Access or as was stated above use virtual software to run Windows in a VM. My recommendation is to switch to a Mac application. For example: iStudio Publisher is as good as MS Publisher and a lot less costly. Currently on sale at the Mac App on line store.

If you want to continue running your Windows apps, VirtualBox from Oracle is free. They just released a new version several days ago. You still need a legal copy of Windows to install in the VM.

Many thanks for the response. Yes, you are correct, it is the MS Publisher. Will look at the iStudio Publisher as suggested.