Gmail Mobile for the iPhone and Android devices has been given a new, improved user interface using HTML5 and Gears technology. Apart from better search and navigation, it now lets you open recently read emails and even compose new ones over a poor or non-existent network.
However, the biggest changes in store for mobile web interface using HTML5 and Gears are not evident yet, but will be rolled out in the near future, said Joanne McKinley, engineer, Google Mobile, on the official Gmail blog.
“The full impact of this new architecture isn’t visible yet, but it will enable us to significantly improve performance and quickly roll out new features in the near future.
“We’re really excited about the potential impact this change can bring,” she said.
Apart from this, Google has added a ‘floaty bar’ that appears whenever a message is selected, with options to archive, delete or do more to your emails.
This floaty bar is ever-present as your navigate the new interface.
Labels have also been improved so that Gmail Mobile not only has more of a similar look and feel to the desktop browser version, but also is easier to read.
Google’s Calendar has also been given an overhaul with the option of adding events from the mobile web version, meaning users can finally edit their calendar from a mobile device.
By Marie Boran
