Google releases redesigned Gmail Web site for use with Apple iPad

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Google on Friday released a new version of its browser-based e-mail client, Gmail, built with HTML5 specifically to work well with Apple's iPad.



Google announced via its Mobile Blog that the "experimental user interface" is based on the HTML5 Web application released last year for the iPhone and Android devices. But the new iPad-specific layout is designed to take advantage of the 9.7-inch display on Apple's new hardware.



Google has created a two-pane view that offers a list of conversations to the left, and messages on the right. Users can access the new Gmail by going to gmail.com in Safari browser on the iPad. Mail sent to a Gmail account can also be accessed through the default Mail application included on all iPads.



Other Web applications from Google that have not been optimized for the iPad will default to either the desktop or mobile offerings, based on what the search giant feels works best on the display.



"As you use Google?s web-based applications on iPad, you?ll notice that you sometimes see the desktop user interface and other times you see the mobile interface," Google Mobile Product Manager Punit Soni wrote on the official blog. "We?ve evaluated the behavior of each Google web app using the iPad Simulator, and we are serving the interface we feel works best. If you?d like any help using our products on iPad, please click the 'Help' link within the product."



The company also noted that its popular Google Mobile App with voice search has been "adapted" to work on the iPad. The company is also looking for ideas to improve the software.







In addition, the built-in YouTube application offers HD videos and allows users to read and write comments, and the new Maps application takes advantage of high-resolution satellite and Street View images. It also includes a new terrain view, and allows users to search for local businesses and get directions.



Gmail joins a growing number of Web sites that have created new, iPad-specific designs for the iPad. This week, Apple added a section to its iPad Web site to highlight iPad-ready, Adobe Flash-free Web sites, including CNN, Reuters, The New York Times, Major League Baseball, Vimeo, The White House, Virgin America, Flickr, and Sports Illustrated.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    john.bjohn.b Posts: 2,742member
    Can it manage more than one GMail account simultaneously? Or would I have to switch between accounts?
  • Reply 2 of 15
    dagamer34dagamer34 Posts: 494member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by John.B View Post


    Can it manage more than one GMail account simultaneously? Or would I have to switch between accounts?



    Coming in iPhone OS 4.0.
  • Reply 3 of 15
    spotonspoton Posts: 645member
    Notice too that the buttons and icons are bigger to accept finger input?



    It's really remarkable, HP produces the iSlate with a touchscreen UI just like the iPad (and before the iPad too) and they don't get to change the web in short order like Steve Jobs can.



    Steve is really throwing his weight around on this one.





    So I guess now we know what Eric and Steve were having coffee about the other day and what that



    "they are going to see it anyway" comment was all about.
  • Reply 4 of 15
    foadfoad Posts: 717member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpotOn View Post


    Notice too that the buttons and icons are bigger to accept finger input?



    It's really remarkable, HP produces the iSlate with a touchscreen UI just like the iPad (and before the iPad too) and they don't get to change the web in short order like Steve Jobs can.



    Steve is really throwing his weight around on this one.





    So I guess now we know what Eric and Steve were having coffee about the other day and what that



    "they are going to see it anyway" comment was all about.



    As far as the buttons go, the iPhone formatted version of Google's services have the larger buttons as well. They've had them since last year.



    HP announced their slate device before the iPad, but it was a preemptive announcement. Manufacturers probably know more about the competition than they lead on and HP wanted to at least try to steal some thunder from Apple. It is the same thing with the Courier concept video. Apple for the most part announces products that are immediately shipping or close to shipping. The first iPhone was an exception to that philosophy. They don't do concept products or videos. They have a ton of prototypes in their labs that never see the light of day, but they don't just announce stuff just to announce it.



    The HP is much further along than the Courier but for the most part the HP slate is Windows 7 with touch elements added, whereas the UI in the iPad is touch based from the ground up and the Courier is just vaporware until I see the hardware. Also, we saw limited use of the HP Slate.



    If you want to really broaden things, the iPad is an extension of the concepts in the iPhone, so much of the foundation and drive for iPad web related development have been a long time in the making.
  • Reply 5 of 15
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    It was interesting listening to an interview on NPR yesterday (?) with the current head of the FCC. He spilled the beans about being a big Apple fan by saying "...in the future, when we're all using our iPads, or what have you..."*



    *not an exact quote
  • Reply 6 of 15
    Flash is gonna be SO dead after this weekend!!!
  • Reply 7 of 15
    lowededwookielowededwookie Posts: 1,177member
    Can we get this interface on our normal Macs?



    It's so much nicer than the current one.
  • Reply 8 of 15
    foadfoad Posts: 717member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lowededwookie View Post


    Can we get this interface on our normal Macs?



    It's so much nicer than the current one.



    I think you might be able to trick Gmail into thinking that your desktop version of Safari is the iPad version. Currently it only shows the iPhone and iPod touch user agents under the Develop menu, but I am pretty sure a future version would add the iPad as a user agent.
  • Reply 9 of 15
    tenobelltenobell Posts: 7,014member
    HP did not develop an entire platform solely devoted to developing apps for the iSlate, such as Apple has done with the iPad.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpotOn View Post


    Notice too that the buttons and icons are bigger to accept finger input?



    It's really remarkable, HP produces the iSlate with a touchscreen UI just like the iPad (and before the iPad too) and they don't get to change the web in short order like Steve Jobs can.



    Steve is really throwing his weight around on this one.



  • Reply 10 of 15
    haha!!! YOU BET



    So I guess now we know what Eric and Steve were having coffee about the other day and what that



    "they are going to see it anyway" comment was all about.
  • Reply 11 of 15
    matrix07matrix07 Posts: 1,993member
    Hmm, where is Chat?
  • Reply 12 of 15
    I still remember some two months ago, when the gmail website started to crash Safari on my mac. On login, an infinite list of chat items would load on the left pane, and hang my system. You could say it was a Safari bug, cause it worked fine in FF. But you could also say it was Google's fault since Safari didn't experience any problems on other sites. Anyway it's easier for a web developer to test all the current brosers than it is for a browser dev to test every website!



    I wrote a rant mail to Google threatening to move to Yahoo (sure! I can be a dick sometimes ), now it is fixed somehow. Never had a problem since.
  • Reply 13 of 15
    icyfogicyfog Posts: 338member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Kevin Winsness View Post


    Flash is gonna be SO dead after this weekend!!!



    Hope you're right.

    I can't wait to try GMail on my iPad.
  • Reply 14 of 15
    ajmasajmas Posts: 601member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by lowededwookie View Post


    Can we get this interface on our normal Macs?



    It's so much nicer than the current one.



    Changing the user agent will do the job. Someone beat me to the punch: http://m.lifehacker.com/site?sid=lif...efId%3D5508260
  • Reply 15 of 15
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ajmas View Post


    Changing the user agent will do the job. Someone beat me to the punch: http://m.lifehacker.com/site?sid=lif...efId%3D5508260



    Damn, it looks good - but i can't scroll the label ("folder") list
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