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| Triumvirate Technologies Mailbox Filter |
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Software Reviews October 2001 • Vol.12 Issue 10 Page(s) 22 in print issue |
Triumvirate Technologies Mailbox Filter Go On A Spam-Free Diet | ||
 E-mail is supposed to be a helpful communications tool, but it's also an easy way for solicitors to bend your ear. Spam, unsolicited bulk e-mail that often comes from advertisers looking to market products, is one of the more annoying results of our increasing reliance on e-mail for quick, inexpensive communication. If you're getting more offers for home loans, credit cards, or get-rich-quick schemes than you care to deal with, it may be time to think about getting an anti-spam program. Mailbox Filter from Triumvirate Technologies sorts your e-mail for you, so you can get to what's important to you without having to sift through scads of junk mail. It also checks incoming messages for attachments that may contain crippling viruses. Mailbox Filter works with POP3 (Post Office Protocol, version three) e-mail accounts and such client applications as Eudora, Netscape, and Outlook. You can download the full version (designed for use with Windows 95/98/NT) at http://www.mailboxfilter.com and try it out free for 30 days. If you decide to buy it, it costs $69.95 for a single-user license download or $89.95 (plus shipping and handling) for the CD version, which includes Triumvirate's Hot Tips Booklet. There's also a Mailbox Filter PLUS! version ($99.95 to download or $119.95 plus shipping and handling for the CD and booklet) that works for as many as 48 e-mail accounts (compared to 12) and includes extra network and security features. To download Mailbox Filter, enter your name, e-mail address, and ZIP code (you'll need this information later to unlock the program after installing it). Installation was easy; we loaded the CD, Autorun took over, and the installer ran of its own accord. Then we clicked Start, pointed to Programs, and clicked Mailbox Filter to launch the program. We entered the unlock code from the CD, clicked Done, and we were ready to filter. (Download users will enter pertinent information from the confirmation e-mail messages they'll receive from Triumvirate in lieu of an unlock code.) As we got started, the Control Center screen appeared. What's nice about this screen is if you hover your pointer on the buttons, definitions will show up at the bottom of the screen to explain each feature in simple language. We also like using the How To button for step-by-step instructions on how to use Mailbox Filter's features. Here's how it works: You create filters for sorting incoming messages based on a number of criteria. You can, for example, make a list of people and companies from whom you want to accept messages (Authorized Addresses), and another for people and companies whose messages you want to block (Banned Addresses). You can also accept or ban messages based on keywords they contain. When you're ready to get your mail, click the Get eMail button and Mailbox Filter automatically sorts and sends your incoming messages to one of four in-baskets before dropping them into your e-mail client application. If you get mail from someone not on your Authorized or Banned Addresses lists, but the message passes your junk mail filter, the program sends it to an Unknown folder so you can preview such items before accepting them. The first time we clicked Get eMail, Mailbox Filter told us we had 22 junk mail messages and two unknown messages. We clicked the Junk button and sure enough, all 22 messages in the folder were obvious examples of spam. The two messages in the Unknown folder also turned out to be spam, but their subject lines had conversational tones that made it appear as though their senders knew us. Because Mailbox Filter also displayed their unfamiliar addresses, however, we knew they were spam. The Unknown folder is nice because it provides an outlet for out-of-the-blue messages from relatives or old friends you haven't heard from in while. It gives you the final say as to whether you want to accept such messages, and over time you can fine-tune your sorting setup by clicking Resort Mail and moving addresses to different lists. Mailbox Filter seemed to live up to its claims throughout our tests. Its sorting mechanism is a great way to avoid the daily deluge of spam floating around the Internet, and the program also protects you from viruses by preventing harmful attachments from opening.  by Catherine Geistkemper Mailbox Filter $69.95 (download); $89.95 (CD) Triumvirate Technologies (877) 546-8995 (727) 446-8500 http://www.mailboxfilter.com
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