pamtozier8: Gmail composer goes to a simple pop-up, gives multitaskers freedom to fly

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Gmail composer goes to a simple pop-up, gives multitaskers freedom to fly

As much as Gmail shines when it's on the web, some of its most avid users stay in native apps for the multitasking; having to check a past message in the web client has usually meant putting the current draft on hold, or at least maintaining a near-photographic memory. Google wants to translate some of that desktop experience to the web through a new composition interface it's testing as of today. New messages start off in a shrinkable pop-up that lets us find old threads without having to put the new conversation on ice, even we're indecisive enough to leave multiple unfinished e-mail messages open. Other upgrades lurk in the background for the more focused among us, such as a pared-back composition interface, in-line photos and a reply box that dynamically adapts to the space it needs. Only those in the preview will see the Gmail update for now; Google is promising a wider launch in the months ahead that could save us all a few precious minutes each day.

Filed under: Internet, Google