Those of you who follow me regularly know that I am an enthusiastic fan of Gmail. I like a lot about Google in general and I feel their email is one of the best free email systems currently available. The good news is that there is a new and improved version of the web Gmail interface. The bad news is, well, I have not found any yet but I have some improvements they could make.
First off, you can test it out right now if you use the Gmail.com site to access your Gmail. To use the new GUI (Graphical User Interface) click the menu button on the site. It is represented by a gear icon. Then click the first choice “Try the new Gmail.” The site will reload and you will see some minor changes. There are larger changes under the hood some of which you may like. Also, after reading this and testing the interface you can put it back to the original look. Hit the gear again and choose, “Go back to classic Gmail.” I have read that there will be a required change to the new look this September, whether we like it or not. If you stick with it as I did, you will be the test subjects for Google.
Now that you are there, look to the top left and click the three bars to the left of the Gmail logo. It collapses your menu items allowing more room for working with your emails. All you have to do to see the menu again is hover over it with your mouse. If you do not like it hidden click the bars again. My suggestion is to bring the Contact back when you click the Gmail logo like it was in the original version. That simple, easy feature is now gone.
To get to your contacts now you have to click the “Google apps” icon which is a three by three square on the upper right. Scroll down until you find “Contacts” and click. It will open a new tab with your contacts displayed. I like it opening a new window/tab which is better than the old way. Previously, it put your contacts list in your Gmail tab so you can only see one or the other. Also, if your Contacts link is far down the page or under “More” click it and drag it up to change the position in your app layout. Bad choice Google. I hope the process gets quicker or put back where it was before the final version is finished.
Next, on the far right, you will see icons for the Calendar, Keep and Tasks. I really like this as I use the first two extensively. The third, Tasks, I never use but that’s ok. Maybe I will use it a little and like it later. Google Calendar I use for everything from personal, work and recently my training classes (more on that in a couple of weeks). I live on scheduling things so it really is handy and effective. The calendar syncs with my phone as with all of these features. That keeps me always up-to-date no matter which device I am using. This includes Apple products as well.
There are more new features that are quite beneficial to me and maybe for you too which we will check on next week. So, I suggest you try it out now. Let me know what you think and email any questions you may have about the new Gmail.
