It would be nice to have simple shortcuts when the keyboard focus is in the Message List Pane. For example:
N = Next Message
P = Previous Message
R = Reply to the message
A = Reply All to the message
D = Delete message
SPACE = Toggle read status (mark as read/mark as unread)
C = Compose message to recipients in the current email
I am sure there are others, but this would make processing a INBOX type folder much easier and faster, which should be a goal of all email clients.