New Gmail App For Mobiles
Google completed the
rollout of the new Gmail app to iPhone and Android users on Thursday, nearly
two days after it had started the process. The new app is part of the company's
efforts to bring segregated inboxes to Gmail. It follows the tabbed inbox that
Google had introduced on the regular Gmail on the web a few days ago. The new
Gmail on phones is a major change from the earlier app and users will have to
learn a few new tricks to deal with as efficiently as they dealt with the old
Gmail. The biggest change with the new Gmail app is the introduction of menu
that slides out.
The swipe from left
edge to right brings up a panel that shows the labels and new inboxes. (Or you
can tap the Gmail logo on the top of the app screen for the same effect). It's
classic Holo UI, which Google wants developers to use on Android devices.
Earlier these labels were accessed via a click on the Labels button on the
bottom of the app. The inboxes are organized according to the tabs that you
have set in the new Gmail on the web. If you haven't set any tabs, then you
will see the normal inbox and the priority inbox. By clicking on separate tabs
you can switch between your primary and social inboxes. The second big change
is that the app is more colourful now. It displays a picture of the sender (if
the person has a picture in his or her Google profile) in front of each mail.
If no picture is available then the first alphabet of the sender's name is
displayed in a colourful box. Some people may like the more colourful nature of
the app but others may find it distracting. Users can tap on the picture (or
the coloured box) to select the mail for further actions. This is a bit
confusing and in the beginning you may struggle with it. The older way to
select a mail by clicking on the empty checkbox was more intuitive. The most
controversial change, however, is the relocation of buttons that allow a user
to delete mails, mark them as unread and search the mailbox. These buttons have
been moved to the top of the app. In the older app, they were at the bottom.
Given the most Android phones nowadays have a screen size of nearly 5 inches,
reaching these buttons when you are using the device with single hand is likely
to be a problem. This may create usability issues.
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