Let me start by saying that I am a devoted Android user; I cannot live without my HTC (News - Alert) 4G LTE phone, and I cannot imagine not having access to my Gmail on it. That said, the user experience for actually reviewing my Gmail on the device has always been a bit frustrating. It was thus with heightened anticipation that I clicked on an article on Yahoo news written by Anita Li of Mashable, Gmail App for Android Features Long-Awaited Updates, over the weekend that promised salvation. I was not disappointed.
As noted in the article, website Android (News - Alert) Police unveiled an unreleased version of the app on its blog. Blogger Ron Amadeo says all we long-suffering users needed to know: “Gmail is going to have pinch zoom.” It's easily the most wanted Gmail feature, with over 1600 stars on the Android bug tracker. You can see that and the new swipe to archive/delete feature in this video:
In three words, “it’s about time!”
The updated blog has lots of nice pictures that provide peace of mind — more to see, better organization, easier to use for getting rid of stuff, better navigation, and pinch to zoom. This is going to be a time saver and an eye saver as well.
Best yet, for the adventurous, while Google (News - Alert) has yet to provide an official version of the download on its site, you can give it w whirl by clicking this link and following the instructions. This is definitely a case of, “try it you’ll like it!” I did, and if you are an Android and Gmail user, you can.
I am always wary of downloading software, including beta versions from the vendor. Hence, note to Google, if you are good to go so is the market.
Thank you Android Police, and thank you Yahoo for spreading the news. Pass it on!