Gmail’s Inbox App Is Now Publicly Available
Google has always tried to be forward-thinking in terms of its projects (their wearable computer Google Glass being a good example), and its email application Gmail is no exception. About a year ago, Google introduced a very exclusive feature called Inbox, which works with the messages already in your Gmail inbox. Inbox lets users “pin” important email to their inboxes so they can have a visual reminder to take care of it later, and also to “snooze” Gmail messages so they pop up later on. All in all, it’s not a bad system, and it integrates with Gmail without you having to set anything up.
Until recently, Inbox required an invitation to use, but that restriction is no more. Tech site Wired.com discusssed Google’s announcement at the I/O Developer’s Conference, stating that Inbox is now available to anyone with a Gmail or a Google Apps account. The site also added that Inbox will get some new features soon, including the ability to prowl through your mail and organize anything related to travel, for instance. This way, Gmail users will be able to see all their ticket confirmations in one place.
Inbox already does some of this so-called “bundling” on its own. It can suggest broad topics such as “Low Priority” to group all messages you don’t read often, as well as bundling messages from the same users together to clear up space. The way the organization system works is simple and makes perfect sense: like items are together, so for instance those coupons you were looking for from Wal-Mart will likely all be in one place. Inbox is such a powerful application there’s word it could replace Gmail altogether.
If you’re not a Gmail user yet but want to convert, try importing your other email client’s mail into Gmail for the 30-day limit; it’s pretty simple and will give you an idea of how Gmail likes to organize things (hint: it’s different than what you’re used to, but in a good way). If you don’t like Gmail or Inbox’s take on things after 30 days, your mail client will stop importing into Gmail anyway, so you have nothing to lose.
If you decide you do love Gmail, you can continue to add other accounts into Gmail with basically no limitation, allowing you to check your mail all in one place. Yes, other clients do this, but not as conveniently; Gmail automatically creates a label with your other email addresses to sort your other accounts’ messages under.
Interested in Inbox? A quick note on Gmail’s official blog notes that the app is available for download at google.com/inbox. It might be helpful to go into Inbox with at least a rudimentary understanding of Gmail, but it’s not required as Inbox is different than Gmail in several ways. The interface is pretty user-friendly and even though it’s unique and creative, Inbox still maintains enough familiarity that anyone with a basic understanding of email clients will be able to use it. Check it out for yourself, and let us know what you think.
[Image Credit: Mashable.com]
