diff --git a/spring-context-support/src/main/java/org/springframework/mail/MailSender.java b/spring-context-support/src/main/java/org/springframework/mail/MailSender.java
index 6b87d7bb99b..bcccc6821ff 100644
--- a/spring-context-support/src/main/java/org/springframework/mail/MailSender.java
+++ b/spring-context-support/src/main/java/org/springframework/mail/MailSender.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2002-2012 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2002-2014 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -34,25 +34,19 @@ public interface MailSender {
 	/**
 	 * Send the given simple mail message.
 	 * @param simpleMessage the message to send
-	 * @throws org.springframework.mail.MailParseException
-	 * in case of failure when parsing the message
-	 * @throws org.springframework.mail.MailAuthenticationException
-	 * in case of authentication failure
-	 * @throws org.springframework.mail.MailSendException
-	 * in case of failure when sending the message
+	 * @throws MailParseException in case of failure when parsing the message
+	 * @throws MailAuthenticationException in case of authentication failure
+	 * @throws MailSendException in case of failure when sending the message
 	 */
 	void send(SimpleMailMessage simpleMessage) throws MailException;
 
 	/**
 	 * Send the given array of simple mail messages in batch.
 	 * @param simpleMessages the messages to send
-	 * @throws org.springframework.mail.MailParseException
-	 * in case of failure when parsing a message
-	 * @throws org.springframework.mail.MailAuthenticationException
-	 * in case of authentication failure
-	 * @throws org.springframework.mail.MailSendException
-	 * in case of failure when sending a message
+	 * @throws MailParseException in case of failure when parsing a message
+	 * @throws MailAuthenticationException in case of authentication failure
+	 * @throws MailSendException in case of failure when sending a message
 	 */
-	void send(SimpleMailMessage[] simpleMessages) throws MailException;
+	void send(SimpleMailMessage... simpleMessages) throws MailException;
 
 }
diff --git a/spring-context-support/src/main/java/org/springframework/mail/javamail/JavaMailSender.java b/spring-context-support/src/main/java/org/springframework/mail/javamail/JavaMailSender.java
index 7372f625126..a3bf54208e0 100644
--- a/spring-context-support/src/main/java/org/springframework/mail/javamail/JavaMailSender.java
+++ b/spring-context-support/src/main/java/org/springframework/mail/javamail/JavaMailSender.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2002-2012 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2002-2014 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@
 package org.springframework.mail.javamail;
 
 import java.io.InputStream;
-
 import javax.mail.internet.MimeMessage;
 
 import org.springframework.mail.MailException;
@@ -104,7 +103,7 @@ public interface JavaMailSender extends MailSender {
 	 * in case of failure when sending a message
 	 * @see #createMimeMessage
 	 */
-	void send(MimeMessage[] mimeMessages) throws MailException;
+	void send(MimeMessage... mimeMessages) throws MailException;
 
 	/**
 	 * Send the JavaMail MIME message prepared by the given MimeMessagePreparator.
@@ -138,6 +137,6 @@ public interface JavaMailSender extends MailSender {
 	 * @throws org.springframework.mail.MailSendException
 	 * in case of failure when sending a message
 	 */
-	void send(MimeMessagePreparator[] mimeMessagePreparators) throws MailException;
+	void send(MimeMessagePreparator... mimeMessagePreparators) throws MailException;
 
 }
diff --git a/spring-context-support/src/main/java/org/springframework/mail/javamail/JavaMailSenderImpl.java b/spring-context-support/src/main/java/org/springframework/mail/javamail/JavaMailSenderImpl.java
index 3993d28ee07..d7d617ab6d9 100644
--- a/spring-context-support/src/main/java/org/springframework/mail/javamail/JavaMailSenderImpl.java
+++ b/spring-context-support/src/main/java/org/springframework/mail/javamail/JavaMailSenderImpl.java
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@
 
 package org.springframework.mail.javamail;
 
-import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.InputStream;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Date;
@@ -294,11 +293,11 @@ public class JavaMailSenderImpl implements JavaMailSender {
 
 	@Override
 	public void send(SimpleMailMessage simpleMessage) throws MailException {
-		send(new SimpleMailMessage[] { simpleMessage });
+		send(new SimpleMailMessage[] {simpleMessage});
 	}
 
 	@Override
-	public void send(SimpleMailMessage[] simpleMessages) throws MailException {
+	public void send(SimpleMailMessage... simpleMessages) throws MailException {
 		List<MimeMessage> mimeMessages = new ArrayList<MimeMessage>(simpleMessages.length);
 		for (SimpleMailMessage simpleMessage : simpleMessages) {
 			MimeMailMessage message = new MimeMailMessage(createMimeMessage());
@@ -342,17 +341,17 @@ public class JavaMailSenderImpl implements JavaMailSender {
 	}
 
 	@Override
-	public void send(MimeMessage[] mimeMessages) throws MailException {
+	public void send(MimeMessage... mimeMessages) throws MailException {
 		doSend(mimeMessages, null);
 	}
 
 	@Override
 	public void send(MimeMessagePreparator mimeMessagePreparator) throws MailException {
-		send(new MimeMessagePreparator[] { mimeMessagePreparator });
+		send(new MimeMessagePreparator[] {mimeMessagePreparator});
 	}
 
 	@Override
-	public void send(MimeMessagePreparator[] mimeMessagePreparators) throws MailException {
+	public void send(MimeMessagePreparator... mimeMessagePreparators) throws MailException {
 		try {
 			List<MimeMessage> mimeMessages = new ArrayList<MimeMessage>(mimeMessagePreparators.length);
 			for (MimeMessagePreparator preparator : mimeMessagePreparators) {
@@ -368,9 +367,6 @@ public class JavaMailSenderImpl implements JavaMailSender {
 		catch (MessagingException ex) {
 			throw new MailParseException(ex);
 		}
-		catch (IOException ex) {
-			throw new MailPreparationException(ex);
-		}
 		catch (Exception ex) {
 			throw new MailPreparationException(ex);
 		}
@@ -389,12 +385,20 @@ public class JavaMailSenderImpl implements JavaMailSender {
 	 * in case of failure when sending a message
 	 */
 	protected void doSend(MimeMessage[] mimeMessages, Object[] originalMessages) throws MailException {
-		Map<Object, Exception> failedMessages = new LinkedHashMap<Object, Exception>();
+		String username = getUsername();
+		String password = getPassword();
+		if ("".equals(username)) {  // probably from a placeholder
+			username = null;
+			if ("".equals(password)) {  // in conjunction with "" username, this means no password to use
+				password = null;
+			}
+		}
 
+		Map<Object, Exception> failedMessages = new LinkedHashMap<Object, Exception>();
 		Transport transport;
 		try {
 			transport = getTransport(getSession());
-			transport.connect(getHost(), getPort(), getUsername(), getPassword());
+			transport.connect(getHost(), getPort(), username, password);
 		}
 		catch (AuthenticationFailedException ex) {
 			throw new MailAuthenticationException(ex);