I’ve also just released Mail Unread Menu version 3.0. This add-on to Mail also has a handful of major changes, including the ability to show a background image and choose your own icon. Also, the application can now launch or quit when Mail does, which is the most often requested feature. There is also a new icon, with the new Leopard desktop picture.

There also has been a huge structural change to how the display works, which requires a bit of an explanation. We now have three different categories of Mail. No New Mail is the status when there are no new messages in Mail and New Mail is when there are, both statuses which we’ve had before. However, there is now a status called Unseen Mail, which is when new messages have arrived since the last time Mail was the frontmost application. This is a great way to identify when you really have new messages, as opposed to messages you’ve left marked as unread. This great idea was provided by Shaun Inman, and it works extremely well.

You can download the new version at the Mail Unread Menu page.

• New Features
  • Added ability to mark Unseen Mail, which are messages that have arrived since the last time Mail was the frontmost application.
  • Added the ability to launch or quit application when Mail does the same.
  • Added the ability to add a background of any color behind the unread count.
  • Added the ability to choose a custom icon for any status.
  • Changed the interface for the visual settings of the unread count.
• Changes
  • Changed icon to use the Leopard desktop picture.
  • Greatly improved the speed and quality of applescripts getting information from Mail.
  • Removed slight delay when refreshing after closing preferences window.