Official Gmail Blog
News, tips and tricks from Google's Gmail team and friends.
New in Labs: Turn an email into a Google doc
December 16, 2008
Posted by Jeremie Lenfant-Engelmann, Software Engineer
More than once, I've had a conversation over email and later realized that the information contained in the messages would make a great starting point for a document. So I built an experimental feature for Gmail Labs that does just that: with one simple click, "Create a document" converts an email into a
Google Docs
document.
No more copying and pasting the text from your email -- just open the message you wish to convert, click the "Create a document" link on the right side of the page, and voila, you have a brand new document which you can then modify and share!
Even if you're not interested in converting any of your current messages into documents, you can easily open up a blank doc by hitting
g
and then
w
(just make sure you have
keyboard shortcuts
on).
To turn on this feature, go to the
Gmail Labs tab
under Settings, select "Enable" next to "Create a document" and hit "Save Changes" at the bottom. Though we're temporarily missing the "Send feedback" link for this feature on the Labs page (oops!), we're still anxious to
hear what you think
.
Fast PDF viewing right in your browser
December 12, 2008
Posted by Marc Miller, Software Engineer
When I get sent a PDF, sometimes I just want to view it -- I don't always need to download and save it right then. So starting today, you'll see a new "View" link next to PDF attachments you get in Gmail:
Clicking "View" quickly opens the PDF inside your browser, complete with the graphics and formatting you expect to see in a PDF. You may have seen this feature before, in
Google Docs
. It's the way that we did uploading and viewing of PDFs online. Here's a screen shot:
If you want, you can still view in plain HTML from a link at the top of the new viewer. And if you want to download, save, and view your PDFs later while offline using client software, you can still do that by hitting the "Download" link.
Really new in Labs this time: SMS Text Messaging for chat
December 10, 2008
Posted by Leo Dirac, Product Manager
How often do you try to chat with somebody and they don't respond because they just walked away from their computer? Or maybe you're in the middle of chatting with them just as they need to leave. But you still need to tell them something -- something really important like you've moved where you're meeting...or ice cream! We need ice cream! This is why we built a way to chat with your friends even when they're away from their computers. Now you can keep the conversations going with a new
Labs
feature that lets you send SMS text messages right from Gmail. It combines the best parts of IM and texting: you chat from the comfort of your computer, and your friends can peck out replies on their little keyboards.
A few weeks back, we
ran into a few snags
when we first started rolling this out, but starting today you can turn on text messaging for chat. Just click on Settings, and go to the Labs tab. Scroll down until you see "Text Messaging (SMS) in Chat" and select Enable and Save Changes.
We're just trying it out for cell phones in the United States right now, but you can send texts to your friends with US phone numbers from anywhere in the world. You can start by just typing a phone number into the search box in the chat window on the left, then select "Send SMS." You can also select the contact you want to SMS first and then add their phone number.
Once you give us a name for that phone number, you'll be able to start chatting.
We'll save your friends' numbers in your
Contacts
, so next time you can just type their name in the chat box and select Send SMS.
On the receiving end, when you get a text message from Gmail on your phone, it will come from a number in the 406 area code. (The l33t folks in the crowd will note that this spells G0O.) You can reply to this text on your phone just like you'd reply to any other text. The reply gets routed back to our Gmail servers and shows up in your friend's Gmail chat window. Each of your friends' messages will come from a different 406 number so you can reply to any message and it will get back to the right person. Messages from the same person will always come from the same number, so you can even bookmark it in your phone.
If you get a message from somebody you don't want to chat with from your phone, just reply with the word BLOCK. If you don't want to get texts from anybody using Gmail, reply with the word STOP and we'll leave you alone. Keep in mind that all these text messages count as part of your regular mobile messaging plan and might incur fees. So unless you know your friends have unlimited text message plans, please be sensitive to their phone bills.
New in Labs: Tasks
December 8, 2008
Posted by Jonathan Terleski, Michael Lancaster, and Brett Lider, Tasks team
People use Gmail to get stuff done, so we've added a lightweight way to keep track of what you need to do, right from within Gmail.
Take entering a new task: just click in an empty part of your list and start typing. No buttons to click and it's saved automatically. Hit Return and you've got a new task right there.
You can also easily convert emails into tasks: select one or more messages and go to
More Actions
>
Add to Tasks
. (Or turn on
keyboard shortcuts
and use
<shift> + t
.)
We put your tasks in the same kind of window as chats, so they're visible while you're scanning your inbox, reading mail, or searching (and in Settings, too!). Just pop your list out into a new window to use Tasks outside of Gmail.
To enable Tasks, go to Settings, click the Labs tab (or just
click here
if you're signed in). Select "Enable" next to "Tasks" and then click "Save Changes" at the bottom. Then, after Gmail refreshes, on the left under the "Contacts" link, you'll see a "Tasks" link. Just click it to get started.
We have a list of things we'd like to do to make Tasks more useful, and we want to hear your ideas, too —
drop us a line
.
Get your Gmail stickers
December 4, 2008
Posted by Arielle Reinstein, Gmail Product Marketing Manager
Update 3/1/2009: Sorry, we're all out of free stickers. If you sent in a self-addressed stamped envelope postmarked by February 14, 2009, we hope you enjoy yours!
Not too long ago, one of the Gmail engineers broke out her vinyl cutter and made some Gmail m-velope stickers. Pretty soon, they were pasted to our desks, stuck on our laptops, and adorning the walls around the office. Then other people started asking us about them -- first it was just other Googlers. But when a guy I was sitting next to on an airplane asked where he could get a Gmail sticker, we realized other people might like them too.
So we designed some more, and printed up a whole bunch.
There's the standard Gmail m-velope -- dressed up in glitter. One of three bookplate style stickers you can stick on anything from the inside of a favorite book to your laptop or your skateboard. (Trading with friends is encouraged -- we realize the unicorn isn't for everyone.) And there's a sheet of keyboard shortcut stickers intended as a tool to help people learn Gmail's
shortcuts
. The adhesive is a bit more removable than standard stickiness, so you can take them off once you've
trained your fingers
.
So how do you get your stickers? We may be all about speedy electronic communication, but this time we're going old school with snail mail. Just send a self-addressed stamped envelope (along with a note if you're so inclined) to:
[removed address since we're out of stickers and no longer accepting requests]
Make sure to include enough postage to return a sticker pack via U.S. mail. It's less than one ounce, so a standard $0.42 stamp will do if you're in the United States; enclose an international reply coupon (IRC) if you're outside of the U.S. And be sure to send your envelope in soon -- one per person please.
*Our lawyers asked us to make sure it was clear that your contact information won't be maintained in any way and these stickers are "void where prohibited and only while supplies last."
(photos by Dustin Diaz)
Gmail on your Google Desktop
December 1, 2008
Posted by James Yum, Developer Programs Engineer, Google Desktop
On the
Google Desktop gadgets
team, we've seen countless requests for a Gmail gadget over the years. That gadget is
finally here
, so if you've got
Google Desktop
for Windows, give it a try.
You'll see that it covers the basics such as reading, searching, and sending messages. You can
star messages
, use the same
keyboard shortcuts
, and we didn't forget about
contact auto-complete
. It doesn't take up much space in your sidebar or desktop, and you can also resize it to show as few or as many messages as you'd like.
When I'm at work, I keep two instances of the gadget open: one logged into my personal Gmail account and the other set to my
Google Apps
account for work related stuff. Instead of getting lost in a sea of tabs or browser windows, I can bring up the gadgets in an instant (hint: pressing the shift key twice brings up all your hidden Desktop gadgets).
The Gmail gadget currently works with the
latest release
of Google Desktop for Windows.
Try it out
and please
let us know
what you think.
Update
: Changed title to clarify this is for Google Desktop.
Syncing your Google Calendar
November 25, 2008
Posted by Wen-Ai Yu, Support Strategist
We on the Google Calendar team work hard to play well with others, so you can synchronize your calendars with a number of mobile devices and desktop applications. This way, you can choose whichever calendars you want to use and keep all of them up to date. Most of these options have been around for a while, and we're happy to announce that Google Calendar now supports the CalDAV protocol -- an evolving, open standard for calendar synchronization.
Apple iCal and Mozilla Sunbird
You can now sync your calendar with applications that support CalDAV, such as Apple's iCal and Mozilla's Sunbird. Learn more about how to get started in our
help center
.
Microsoft Outlook
Google Calendar Sync for Outlook
lets you sync events between Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook Calendar. You determine the direction of information flow, as well as the sync frequency. It's compatible with Microsoft Outlook versions 2003 and 2007, and operating systems Windows XP and Windows Vista.
BlackBerry mobile devices
If you carry a BlackBerry smartphone,
Google Sync for BlackBerry
synchronizes your device's native calendar with Google. You can access your Google Calendar even when you don't have network coverage and get alerts for upcoming appointments with sound or vibration. It automatically runs in the background, so you can attend to other tasks and still be reminded of your appointments.
Android devices
It's easy to connect an Android-powered phone to Google Calendar using the phone's
preloaded Calendar application
. New events are pushed in real-time to your phone and any changes you make on-the-go are immediately available on the web.
If you have another mobile device, just visit
calendar.google.com
from your phone, and you'll get a special version of Google Calendar optimized for the small screen.
Spice up your inbox with colors and themes
November 19, 2008
Posted by Annie Chen, Gmail engineer
Gmail fans have been building unofficial extensions to spice up their inboxes for a while, but up til now themes haven't been an integral part of Gmail. We wanted to go beyond simple color customization, so out of the 30 odd themes we're launching today, there's a shiny theme with chrome styling, another one that turns your inbox into a retro notepad, nature themes that change scenery over time, weather driven themes that can rain on your mailbox, and fun characters to keep you in good company. There's even an old school ascii theme (Terminal) which was the result of a bet between two engineers -- it's not exactly practical, but it's great for testing out your geek cred. We've also done a minor facelift to Gmail's default look to make it crisper and cleaner -- you might notice a few colors and pixels shifted around here and there.
As you can see from these photos taken around our office in Zurich, Switzerland, themes have made their way into more than our inboxes -- that's a character from the ninja theme made out of pixel blocks, customized laptop decals, and a giant Zoozimps character on a beam next to my desk:
To customize your inbox, go to the
Themes tab under Settings
. We'll be rolling out themes to everyone over the next couple of days, so if you don't see them yet, check back soon. As for which theme to choose, don't ask us. We're
neutral
;)
Say hello to Gmail voice and video chat
November 11, 2008
Posted by Justin Uberti, Software Engineer
I'm a big user of Gmail chat. Being able to switch from email to chat as needed, all within the same app, is really great for productivity. But people can only type so fast, and even with our
new emoticons
, there are still some things that just can't be expressed in a chat message.
That's why today we're launching voice and video chat -- right inside Gmail. We've tried to make this an easy-to-use, seamless experience, with high-quality audio and video -- all for free. All you have to do is
download and install the voice and video plugin
and we take care of the rest. And in the
spirit of open communications
, we designed this feature using Internet standards such as XMPP, RTP, and H.264, which means that third-party applications and networks can choose to interoperate with Gmail voice and video chat.
Once you install the plugin, to start a video chat, just click on the "Video & more" menu at the bottom of your Gmail chat window, and choose "Start video chat." You'll have a few seconds to make sure you look presentable while it's ringing, and then you'll see and hear your friend live, right from within Gmail. You can click the "pop-out" icon
to make the video larger, or click the fullscreen icon
in the upper left-hand corner for a fully immersive experience. See this all in action in the video below:
Our team is spread between
Google offices in the US and Sweden
, and video has really changed the way we work. Collaborating across continents and timezones is a fact of life for us, and it sure is easier (and greener) to click "Start video chat" than to get on a plane! And when I do have to visit another Google office, I can use Gmail voice and video chat to check in with my family.
We've just started to roll out Gmail voice and video chat for both PCs and Macs, so if you don't see it right away, don't worry -- it could take a day or so for this feature to be available in all Gmail and Google Apps accounts. If you want to download the plugin right away, visit
http://gmail.com/videochat
. And if you need a webcam, there are a
few models with special discounts
through November 30th (I use the QuickCam Pro 9000 myself).
Tip: Your email, wherever you are on the web, with Toolbar
November 3, 2008
Posted by Aseem Sood, Product Manager, Google Toolbar
Are you addicted to email? Do you keep Gmail open on your browser, constantly hitting refresh to get your latest messages?
If you're using
Google Toolbar 5
for Internet Explorer (or Toolbar's Firefox
version
), you can add the
Gmail custom button
to make your life easier. With the Gmail button, you can get new message alerts, see previews of your mail and use Toolbar's search box to find any message no matter what page you're on.
Google Toolbar also has a "Send to" feature: when you click on the "Send to" icon, a Gmail compose window opens that automatically includes a link to the page you're currently on and any text you have highlighted on that page. This makes it easy to email your friends interesting pages you come across as you browse the web.
Plus, you can also add Google gadgets to your Toolbar to bring your favorite websites and online services closer to you. One of my favorites is the
Google Calendar gadget
: by clicking on the calendar icon, I can check out my schedule for the next few days and even add events.
To try out these gadgets for yourself, check out
Toolbar's gallery
.
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