Google's new Gmail mobile web app sports offline message caching, lots of floaty goodness
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted Apr 7th 2009 3:12PM
posted Apr 7th 2009 3:12PM
If you've been losing sleep in eager anticipation of the new Gmail for mobile, rest assured that you'll sleep soundly tonight. With support for both Android phones and iPhone / iPod Touch OS 2.2.1, the gang over at the Google mobile blog are justifiably proud of the new app. Expect nothing less than a more robust cache that utilizes Gears (for Android) and SQLite databases (for iPhones / touches) to allow you to compose messages and access recently read messages without a network connection, an improved look and feel, and the all new "floaty bar" (their name, not ours) that keeps popular menu commands from scrolling off screen, as this bad boy rolls out progressively over the course of the day. Most interestingly, using the new Gmail on your devices doesn't require any tweaks or installs -- it's utilizing HTML5 (and its offline storage APIs) already present in the browser. Google is just turning on the juice behind the scenes. And for those of you who are resistant to change, fear not -- the previous version is still available. Check it out for yourself over at gmail.com, but not before peeping that super-sweet video after the break.
Will this get PUSH when Apple rolls out it's PUSH services?
lack of PUSH GMail is one of the reasons I won't get an iPhone yet.
Doesn't gmail support push? I get my gmail instantly that I can tell.
errr....yeah, it does push. They use MS ActiveSync to allow it. Works a treat
Yeah, gmail does push, that's whole deal with google's mobile apps - gmail, calendar and contacts do push.
Btw, I really like this new interface. It loads up faster and the floaty bar is definitely useful, though I'm not sure why it has delay when you scroll - it's not that bad, it gets there half a second later, no biggie in general, but it is a bit distracting.
Mails have been pushed for a while now, all 3.0 does is let other people add apps with the capability. Might be nice for IM and Twitter, but that's about it.
by what method are you talking about?
AFAIK iPhone's Mail app does not receive push email from GMail.
Google searches confirm this. What am I missing?
@djbentley
All emails will currently push if the company hosting your account provides the service. Gmail doesn't push because it isn't a service provided by Google, it's all on Google's end. Yahoo mail and certain education email services already have free push services, so if you need your emails pushed you'll have to make an account with a provider that offers the service.
Yay, yet another push mail ranter, that doesn't know what the hell they are talking about. Here's some super fun. Go to wikipedia and read up on IMAP. Then come back and explain to me what exactly IMAP gmail doesn't support that you just know the magic 'push' will do for you.
HINT: IMAP with IDLE mode is equivalent to RIMs push mail. Dumbass.
IMAP idle is a constant TCP connection and very battery heavy.
RIM's BIS doesn't use IMAP idle.
What I was suggesting is that when Apple's push notifications is up and running, that when you receive an email in your GMail account, you're notified. I was referring to the possibility of a GMail app with all the googies like tagging/threaded conversation etc.
"access recently read messages without a network connection"
I don't understand this. I could read [already downloaded] gmail messages without network connections since I got the touch. Do I have some sort of special Ipod Touch?
Like me, you're probably accessing your Gmail account via IMAP, via the iPhone's mail application. Why everyone doesn't do this, I don't know - it's far more integrated than having to open a Google app.
Timmy's right. I can see this has a few more features, but for checking, reading, and sending quick emails, why not just use the mail function? Unless this thing offers a landscape keyboard, I can't see any reason to download it.
@TimmyRaa Oooo. I kept seeing this as a key feature and couldn't figure out why.
I don't know about special iPod Touch, but you certainly are... *special*.
What this post refers to is the Gmail web app. Your downloaded messages on the native iPhone Mail app you can obviously see without a network connection, but not on the Gmail website. Why, lots of you are asking, would anyone use the web app vs. the native iPhone app?
Threaded Conversations
Robust search functionality
Labels visible on the message preview
Access to my Gmail contact list
Being able to "star" conversations
Need I go on? The new version rocks...
Cheers
A
sorry I'm being an idiot. this is a web app.
Why you yell "push" every time you say it is beyond me.
Why you use "it's" when you mean "its" is beyond me.
Why you think push notifications = push Gmail is beyond me.
Pah!
Is there a need to be rude?
and push notifications could very well mean push GMail if Google wrote a native iPhone app and utilized Apple's push services (though they'd probably cripple it).
push... push it... push it real good
Ok I don't get the great and fabulous web apps for gmail and google calendar... the Iphone has what I think a good imap service for gmail and then google sync though using a exchange server for the calendar and my contacts work great. Why would I use this?
See myles comment above.
What is the point? There is already a built in mail application that doesn't take that long to configure. Who in the right mind would go to Gmail.com in their phone's browser?? It doesn't take that long to configure the mail app!
Sucks that they dont add all these features to the native mail app on the iphone... :(
Two words: threaded conversations.
yup, if this had push or even the red circle alert i would never use the mail app...just bookmark gmail.com to your homescreen, done
is there a windows mobile version? current java one sucks, usable but sucks.
Why? Outlook handles GMail accounts just fine.
+1 for WinMo. Anyone know if this will support it?
P.S. Outlook blows for Gmail support.
Does PIE support HTML5? Got a feeling it doesn't :(
And how come google reader for WinMo doesn't support gears? That sounded like the best place to use gears.. unless it was HTML5 dependent..
wow - slacking - Gizmodo beat u 2 it
cool app
Maybe so, but Gizmodo articles are crap.
The mail app on the iPhone sucks compared to GMail..
The features I have come to enjoy and now demand from my mail service are lacking in the iPhone's mail application, including: the ability to search my mail (something I use on a daily basis); and the ability to type in the first two letters of a contact's name and have the field populate readily even when the person is not in my contacts.
Basically I only use the iPhone to read my email and possibly to send quick replies of the "yes" or "ok, see you there" variety. Never to write an original message.
Yeah, it looks great, don't get me wrong, but I don't see any strong advantage (well, search is nice) to using this over the built in iPod Touch Mail application.
any word on an updated gmail app for symbian? or is this just an update to the web app?
There's a web app but most S60 phones just connect through IMAP anyway.
How about an update for BB users that includes automatic mail checking? I don't see the point of their giving you an alert option for new mail when you've actually got to open the app and hit "refresh" for it to do anything...
Why the hell do you need a gmail app on a Blackberry! Seriously, I need to know what you're not getting that this could possibly give you?
I use Gmail in Outlook on WinMo 6.1. It's not terrible, but I'd love to have a Gmail WinMo native app that can replace Outlook.
Second and third the reason I access the web client frequently: search. "From:Bob", etc. Also can't apply more than one label from the iphone client, or add stars, or see what labels are already on a message, or access Chat conversations (I don't think), or... you get the drift. There are lots of reasons, and they all involve the reason why someone might use the full-fledged web interface over a desktop email client.
In other related news, the new mobile frontend sure is zippy!
Great - now how about reverting back to the old iPhone iGoogle page rather than the generic mobile version. I use the iGoogle page far more than Gmail on the web.
the main advantage of using the app over mail.app is that if you have multiple email accounts you can respond using the correct account as opposed to the default identity set up in imap
i have deleted the gmail imap settings from mail.app moments ago once i verified that gmail.app works (it does) and set up another web account in its place (i really dont like putting all my eggs in 1 basket so to speak) so i can access gmail via the app and another pop account via mail.app so if i need email i can always get it - even if gmail is down.
OMG! A pigeon in the chimney!
HI-O!
Wait, so how do you use a web app without a network connection???
I wish safari wouldn't try to reload a previously opened page when there is no network connection. just leave it where it was.
Wow, demonstrated on an iPhone instead of the G1.
Android is in the toilet.
This is all coming with iphone OS 3.0 Essentially all the features of reply to all, search, and so on will be found in new OS. For now DEAL WITH IT iPHONE BITCHERS.
the iphone is revolutionary and if it wasn't for the last 2 years we wouldn't have phone manufactures trying to create a phone that can compete. Why do these phone companies need to come out an say iPhone killer. If the iPhone was that great that they shouldn't even need to compare to it.
3.0 will resolve a lot of features Apple was reluctant to add. Maybe it's cause they like to watch people like you bitch because it doesn't have it, yet you continue to stroke your iphone each day, and pay an astronomical monthly fee to ATT to use it. Don't get me wrong I'm one of those guys, I have one, but I don't bitch. Get a winmob if you want to be a cool "business man".
+1 on winmo?? Winmo outlook sucks...
If course on the iPhone , proving once again that in 2009 closed source is far superior to open source. I'll prove it android g1 number of apps a few, open source.
iPhone 33,234 on closed source. So tell me this all fanboys alike , which is better for the people,.?exactly I'm glad y'all finally see the light.!!
It works fine on Windows Mobile if you are using the Iris browser.
http://www.torchmobile.com/
What this post refers to is the Gmail web app. Why, you're asking, would anyone use the web app vs. the native iPhone app? For starters....
Threaded Conversations
Robust search functionality
Labels visible on the message preview
Access to my Gmail contact list
Being able to "star" conversations
Need I go on? This assumes you have a Gmail address because you like the differentiated benefits that come with it vs. horrible Hotmail/Yahoo/rest of the world webmail. If you don't, then carry on with the iPhone mail app (which sucks big time). If you do, the new version rocks...
Cheers
A