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Christopher Dawson
Home / News & Blogs / Googling Google

Two new Gmail features in the queue

By | September 23, 2007, 8:05am PDT

Summary: After discovering that Google is testing a new version of Gmail yesterday, I decided to take a closer look at more of the snippets that need to be translated for Gmail. Most of them seem to be straight forward and correspond to existing features, however there are some interesting ones that don’t seem to [...]

After discovering that Google is testing a new version of Gmail yesterday, I decided to take a closer look at more of the snippets that need to be translated for Gmail. Most of them seem to be straight forward and correspond to existing features, however there are some interesting ones that don’t seem to fit anywhere.

Here are two new features that will be launched either before, or after Gmail 2.0:

Google Gears integration
It was hinted at in recent reports, but there has been no hard evidence of Google’s plans to integrate Google Gears with Gmail until now. Two snippets of text are in the translation queue that, to me, prove beyond any doubt that Gears will be a part of Gmail. The two snippets of text are “Gears not installed” and “Disable Local Store” as seen in the screenshots below.

gmailgears1.png

gmailgears2.png

View account activity
Have you ever had the suspicion that someone has been logging into your email account? Or do you just want peace of mind knowing that you are the only one accessing your account? You will soon be able to see how many computers or browser sessions are currently in your account and their IP address. In addition to real-time account activity, it appears you will be able to see past account activity too. Here are some of the snippets of text that will be used: “This account is currently being used in {number} other locations”, and “Last account activity: at IP [details]“.

gmailaccountauditing1.png

Gmail is due for some serious updates — it’s been too long since anything has changed on the service, and you know its developers aren’t sitting around wondering what to do. I don’t have any guesses as to the timeframe for the release of these features or Gmail 2.0, but this is definitely a promising sign of good things to come.

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Google Gmail, Google Gears, E-mail Providers, Internet, Garett Rogers

Garett Rogers has always had a deep interest in computers and the Internet, which led him to a degree in Computer Information Systems. He is currently employed as a programmer for iQmetrix.

Disclosure

Garett Rogers

Garett Rogers is employed as a programmer for iQmetrix, which specializes in retail management software for the wireless industry. He has no other formal associations with any software or hardware companies.

Biography

Garett Rogers

Garett Rogers has always had a deep interest in computers and the Internet, which led him to a degree in Computer Information Systems. He is currently employed as a programmer for iQmetrix, which specializes in retail management software designed specifically for the cellular and electronics industry.

Garett's journey into Google started with his employer asking him to "get a better rank on Google." Diving into search engine optimization sparked his curiosity for how things work and led him to create a blog dedicated to what interests him most--Google.

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Auto delete spam
drjackman@... 15th Oct 2007
Just setup a filter that matches any mail that contains "is:spam" and set the action to delete. It'll all automagically go right into the trash. I have some more info about fighting spam on my blog (http://howtotroubleshoot.blogspot.com/2007/09/fight-email-spam.html)
View in thread
0 Votes
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a bit of Xobni?
le_lapin 23rd Sep 2007
Let's hope there'll be a bit of what Xobni has. (http://www.technologyevangelist.com/2007/09/xobni_is_one_impress.html)
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RE: Two new Gmail features in the queue
ceedeesp2m@... 23rd Sep 2007
What about some IMAP love?
0 Votes
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Don't like Gmail.
xuniL_z 24th Sep 2007
Takes too long to open. What are they doing when you first login to your account....sounds like there are several postbacks before your mail comes up. It's herky jerky. Don't care for it.
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Don't like web mail
JDThompson 24th Sep 2007
I haven't met any web mail site that's worth using. At least gmail offers an SSL-wrapped SMTP and POP3 service I can use with the real mail software I prefer to use.
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You don't get it do you?
Narg 24th Sep 2007
POP3 is an invitation for a security breech. Web mail offers 1. peace of mind, 2. freedom from few machines. 3. life long e-mail addresses, 4. freedom from client instability. and much more. If you can't use web mail, then you are obviously a junior level computer user. It's time to graduate.
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I get it
Coors4bob 26th Sep 2007
"If you can't use web mail, then you are obviously a junior level computer user"

Wow, well how old are you? I was working for IBM the day we announced the PC so I guess I get the pass on the junior status. I use Gmail POP3 to support outlook. Gmail has a pretty goofy interface. I never delete old mail from the online account and use the browser interface if I am not at my office.

I use outlook as the application of record, backing up the PST file.

Outlook is not perfect, but I have never lost any email or had a security breach. Perhaps if you can't implement a sound backup and security strategy you are obviously a junior computer user. Time to graduate.
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I bet you like Internet Explorer too
rerice 25th Sep 2007
Well now we know that their really is someone who does not like Gmail !
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One feature that's *really* needed
bidemytime 24th Sep 2007
How about some real innovation -- give us the option to save in folders, DUH!
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Yes, folders please
jayconverse 24th Sep 2007
Double-duh!
0 Votes
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Labels
mannblack 24th Sep 2007
Aren't "labels" essentially folders? Assign a label then click on it and all messages with that label show up. No different than a folder.

I would like click and drag to a label function. That would be nice.
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They can be similar, but...
bidemytime 24th Sep 2007
Sometimes I just want to have a folder structure where I can save emails for specific purposes, find them quickly, and not have them clog my Inbox. And of course, Folders can have Sub-folders, which I don't think works with Labels.
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Um, it's GOOGLE
jasonshortphd 24th Sep 2007
If you want to find something in your mailbox use the SEARCH function. That is the point. You should never be browsing through folders. Ineffective. Type something a keyword, subject whatever and you find the emails. How can browsing through tons of folders be more efficient?
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Sometimes you don't know a keyword...
Resuna 24th Sep 2007
"How can browsing through tons of folders be more efficient?"

When you have related stuff stored in related folders, you can find it even if the
relatedness is not something that Google can know about because it's all locked up in
your primitive carbon-based brain. happy
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Labels Already Do That
bhartman33@... 24th Sep 2007
If you want to put things toegether, just use a label. The items don't necesarily have to contain a single keyword.

Nested hierarchies are a different issue. As far as I'm aware, you can't have "sublabels" the way a file structure has subfolders. But you can achieve what's essentially the same result: You can label a subset of Label1 emails as Label2. I think that achieves the same thing. Maybe not, though.

I think it's a personal preference. I've never missed having folders. But I could see how labels would be unhelpful if you weren't, for example, the kind of person who archives their e-mail, and instead had it all visible in your inbox.
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Why shouldn't I have the option?
bidemytime 24th Sep 2007
I use the Search function all the time. But if I want to file my email in folders, rather than with Labels, why shouldn't I be able to do so? Is Google somehow better equipped to decide what is more efficient for me? Or is it just tough for them to implement Folders?
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I don't get it???
PC Developer 24th Sep 2007
Besides that way that emails are PHYSICALLY stored on disk, there is no difference between a label and a folder! Wait! There is one difference, with folders a message can only be in ONE folder. With labels you can have a message in MANY 'virtual folders'. A label is a virtual folder! When I first started using GMail I was bent because there were no folders, but now that I know how to use labels, they are much more powerful and useful. If you NEED to have a nested 'look' like sub-folders, then simply create labels that give you the nested look.

Project1
Project1_Bob
Project1_Jim
Project1_Jim_Status

With this, you can take an email, that belongs in the Project1_Jim_Status "Folder", and also give it a Project1_Jim label and a Project1 label and it is now visible when you click on any of those three labels in your left menu! If all you had were folders, then your email would ONLY be seen if you went into the single folder that contained it. This would be much HARDER to find (assuming you were browsing like someone mentioned they like to do).

Be creative! Labels are far more flexible and useful.

I do agree with many others that there is a big need for allowing sorting on Subject or From, etc.

I have been using GMail for over 2 years and I will never go back to a local mail program, never! I would even pay for this service I think it's that much better overall.

And to that person that complained about too many emails in your INBOX, try archiving them and get them out of the INBOX.

Jim
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Filing email
mcj.email@... 24th Sep 2007
I too wasn't sure about labels initially having used folder for years.
But I found by labelling an email (eg Funny) then archiving it, it disappeared from my inbox, which is the same as when I dragged and dropped my emails into folders. If I wanted to go through my emails visually, I click on the label Funny to view all my emails so labelled. Pretty much had the same function as a folder.

What I like about labels is sorting those items which could go into multiple categories. So if my brother sents me a long travel update with a funny joke at the end, I can label it both Family and Funny, and can find it under both.
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UM, hey knowitall -- no one
quicksite@... 24th Sep 2007
needs reminding UM, IT'S GOOGLE. We get it. As mentioned by another user who sees daylight sometimes, for certain PROJECT MANAGMENT it is very helpful to have a nested folder structure AS WELL AS, UM, the ability to search by labels.

UM, ALSO, UM, have you ever wanted to sort your inbox by NAME or DATE, UM, you know like some people who see daylight do? UM, there are times when search is not the most intuitive, not the most effective sorting mechanism.
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How can folder-browsing be mo efficient?
JonWayn 24th Sep 2007
Easily. Even if you dont find it so, that's your preference. Others, myself included, like folders. They are used to organize messages just like your use folders and drawers in a real-world file cabinet. And if I know that a message is in a particular folder, searching just that folder makes my search faster than if I were to search through all messages stored in the Inbox. I enter this ZDNet feed through my ZDNet folder which gets populater by message rules. How can one be so arrogant?
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Pre-Assignment
JonWayn 24th Sep 2007
Also, similar to the way you assign message rules to items based on specific properties, can labels be assigned? If not, they are miles apart from folders
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Labels and Filters
ednickow 25th Sep 2007
Filters (the Gmail equivalent of rules) can be used to automatically assign labels (clearly, as this thread makes clear, labels are SIMILAR but not IDENTICAL to folders) based on characteristics of the message.

You can also automatically archive the message so it doesn't appear in your inbox. I do this for mailing list messages that I only read when I have the time. They're in a folders ... oops - they are labeled ... for easy access when I have time (or for deleting entirely if they get too old)
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Browsing through
zclayton2 25th Sep 2007
Folders is more efficient when you have the subject and know where to look in two clicks rather than typing a search word(s) and then sorting through the results anyway. search is nice for unorganized files, folders are good for the organized.

is it easier to type acer palmatum var bloodgood or click twice to get the foldrer?
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Gmail Folded
CrowdedCranium 26th Sep 2007
I would suppose that would be of some service. I had not noticed it. I have Gmail via POP3 into outlook express into local inbox and rules disburse regular discourse to waiting pool folders. One for family, one for a few forwarders that can seriously clog the works up at times. One for the good stuff (moneymoneymoney).

I have been pleasently surprised that there has been absolutely nothing incoming through the gmail that I have expected. Unlike yahoo mail which on day one had a plethora of offers for sex, drugs, and assistance with moving great quantities of money if only I would send them some small bit to get the ball rolling into my court.

Their yahoo messenger was not much more pleasent within a few minutes of live examination I had spectres of the ether representing themselvs as lust starved teenage blonde bimbobabes. hmm yes, it didnt take long to uninstall that messenger service, what an annnnoyyyy-annnce (as in yah whooooo a whooooo).
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labels are not folders when...
MTCH 24th Sep 2007
...you are exporting your mailbox to an offline mail program like thunderbird or outlook.

has someone else has found a satisfactory way to do this?
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I think they need an organizer ...
Vily Clay 24th Sep 2007
... that proved choices of view/how-to-use/highlighted keywords search/export/...

For example:
iOrganize (unfortunately it doesn't highlight the keywords search and it's only for a Mac)
http://www.brunoblondeau.com/iorganize/index.html

Probably most people need a cross-platform/hardware organizer.

Therefore, it would be not a bad idea to provide a universal (OSS based) organizer for all platforms, where the core is the same, but "packaging" could be different depending on a distro,

Compatibility with all versions is MUST be.

It will let anyone to move his/her data safely no matter which platforms, hardware or a "flavor" of the organizer he/she uses.

If the way data is organized is the same - there will be no problems with upgrading, adding new features, etc. and compatibility/reading/writing/exporting/... So, developers could of start with a simple solution and upgrade it later.

If you have a creative mind - it's not so hard as it looks like.
It's easier to do if you cooperate with others instead of screwing competition in order to monopolize the market like a predator.
Remember - only humans can find a mutually beneficial peaceful solution to fighting, predators cannot - they do not have enough brains/consciousness to accomplish this task successfully. Thus, being a human is not a so bad idea ... Check it!

The World is very big and it has a place for everyone if they are conscious enough for living at peace ...
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Why folders when you have search?
rickhal 25th Sep 2007
Not sure why some of you are beating up on Gmail. It's free folks!! And why the need for Outlook like features when Outlook bites so badly? Folders? What? How about SEARCH capabilities that are the envy of all others? If you have even a slight idea of what you are looking for, you can find it. Folders are a pain the rear. Take it from an email systems admin. And folders are just filters after all. I think the search feature of Gmail makes folders unnecessary.
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Saving In Folders
califbob 24th Sep 2007
If we could save in folders in gMail, that would make me want to dump my true mail client and be 100% gMail loyal.

I don't see gMail doing this anytime soon however. They have their hands full with all of their recent acquisitions - not enough time for creating folders for their existing products.

Put this on my Wish List, Google!
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Labels (almost) = Folders
ednickow 25th Sep 2007
What can you do with folders that you can't do with labels? I'm not suggesting there isn't anything - certainly some tasks are better suited to one instead of the other - just wondering about specifics.

When I used Outlook I had scores of folders and almost as many rules to route messages into those folders. It took a while to get used to labels and how they are a different (and IMO a superior) organizing tool from folders.

I highly recommend reading through this thread to see what reasons people are giving for why they prefer folders. See if any of those apply to your situation or if a label fan has provided a "how-to" and you might become a full convert!

Also, perhaps post another message with more specifics about what you are doing with folders that can't seem to do with labels. Maybe someone knows how to mimic your folder behavior with labels.
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Folders
joshua@... 25th Sep 2007
what a great idea. it would make things great... good thought.
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How about HTML?
Michael Of Atlanta 24th Sep 2007
Would be nice to be able to create HTML messages. Seems strange to me that you can receive HTML, but not send it. I've Googled this, and there are some add-ons, but I think I'll just wait for Gmail 2.0.
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HTML Messages
Olderdan 24th Sep 2007
Check on the bar that shows "Check Spelling" there's a link that says "Rich Formatting." Click there and "voila!" it's HTML.
--OlderDan
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HTML Messages
Michael Of Atlanta 26th Sep 2007
Thanks for the tip, OlderDan. What I'm looking for specifically is the ability to insert a picture, not as an attachment, but into the body of the message.
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Want right-click on message list
Improper Username 24th Sep 2007
It would be a time saver to be able to right-click on a message, read it in a new window, then close that window and read the message list again. Are you listening, Google?

I agree that HTML would be good as well.

One problem with labeled conversations is that when the 'conversation' becomes lengthy, it really takes a long time to load.
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RE: Two new Gmail features in the queue
giorgio@... 24th Sep 2007
I truly hope that they will also add something I really miss and that's instead so common on any other mailing system:
the possibility to obtain the confirmation that a certain sent email, has been read by the receiver !

Best regards
happy
Giorgio
Rome, Italy
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Does ANYBODY have return receipt turned on?
zwayne 24th Sep 2007
Read Confirmation is a useless feature. Only clueless users allow return receipt for emails.
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Yep...
Hallowed are the Ori 24th Sep 2007
But Spammers really like it.
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Care to expand?
JonWayn 24th Sep 2007
Give us a clue ... c'mon
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Read Receipts
ednickow 25th Sep 2007
If you have your email client set to automatically provide a return receipt showing the message was opened, then you will automatically provide confirmation to spammers that their email was delivered. Your address is good, it gets sold more often ... voila!

I still use Outlook for my work e-mail and have it set to ask me before providing a receipt. I want to be courteous and provide confirmation to known correspondents who ask for one. But it allows me to skip most of them and it just takes one extra click.
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reciept
CrowdedCranium 26th Sep 2007
Interestingly enough (to me anyway) I have only two instances in recent memory of return reciept requests. My Sister from her Office at a bank, and some item in Chinese which a quick copy paste in babblefish appears to be some sort of market and finance thing from an ip in beijing. Hmm mystery upon mystery why would the Red army being sending me some capitalist pig market newsletter in Chinese? Its a mystery to me.
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I use it all the time
kamahl928 26th Sep 2007
First of all, it's impolite to not return recipts, and secondly, It's very useful when sending important emails. Especially when you get phone calls asking you about how to do it a couple hours later. If they have returned one, you can explain it in better detail, if not, tell them to check their email and hang up.
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RE: Two new Gmail features in the queue
alborrelli@... 24th Sep 2007
I really want the ability to sort email by attachment size so I can see what's taking up so much darn space on my account! happy
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Needs folders!!!
imranpanji 24th Sep 2007
Used gmail a lot originally.Now forward all my mails to yahoo. Why? Cause I like folders, and like to dump all my mailing list stuff (like zdnet...lol) onto those folders so that my real mail is the only thing in the inbox. Can you do that with gmail?

Also very unstable with slow connections where yahoo and hotmail seem to work ok.
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Needs folders!!!
KeithA0000 24th Sep 2007
Yes! Mark your message with a label, and archive it. Its no longer in your mailbox. To see it again, click on your label link on the left hand side, and there's all your archived labeled messages. Just like a folder, only better. You can apply multiple labels on a single message. Uses less space that copying a message into a bunch of folders.
KA
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Yahoo is HORRIBLE at spam filtering!
zwayne 24th Sep 2007
One thing about Gmail; they are the BEST at filtering spam. Hotmail is poor, and Yahoo is HORRIBLE! Strangely, while Yahoo lets tons of stuff into the Inbox (instead of Bulk Mail), sbcglobal.net - which also uses Yahoo mail servers - does a much better job (though still nowhere near Gmail's effectiveness).
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That's odd...
Hallowed are the Ori 24th Sep 2007
I've only seen about 1 Spam per month, on average, in my Yahoo mail.

My Bulk folder was getting hammered, especially by those bastards Spamming the fake Rolex watches and the other bastards wanting me to let them sell my nonexistent timeshare. (I guess they think that if I am stupid enough to own a timeshare, I might be stupid enough to be scammed by them. I dunno.)

A quick visit to Mail Filters now has that trash going straight to, well, the trash... unseen by me at all.

Do you turn on Spam filtering in your account? Used the filtering system they give you?

(And BTW, a big "F-U" to Godaddy for paying nothing but lip service to their AUP and their so-called anti spam stance.)
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Spam filtering - Yahoo vs gMail
kkinneer@... 24th Sep 2007
I have a very old Yahoo account that gets about 30 spams a day. Out of about 30 about 5 usually end up in my inbox. I forwarded the Yahoo account to my gmail account and there are still about the same percent getting through, though they are different types. Too bad I can't combine (when forwarding, Yahoo doesn't filter).
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Stop your pron surfing...
Narg 24th Sep 2007
Stop surfing for pron and you'd find out that you don't need spam filter quite as much... LOL!
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I guess
JonWayn 24th Sep 2007
I am stuck with Spam filtering then ...
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Yes you can
bobp@... 24th Sep 2007
Go to settings (upper right) and set up a filter to attach labels and send mail directly to archive. Very handy.

thanx

Bob
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Finally...
mikemusica@... 24th Sep 2007
...someone with a little common sense. I also agree that folders are useless. Just have all of your newsletters automatically labeled and archived. Simple.

Have a relative or business associate that frequently sends e-mail? Have Gmail automatically label the e-mails.
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Auto delete spam
drjackman@... 15th Oct 2007
Just setup a filter that matches any mail that contains "is:spam" and set the action to delete. It'll all automagically go right into the trash. I have some more info about fighting spam on my blog (http://howtotroubleshoot.blogspot.com/2007/09/fight-email-spam.html)

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