Gmail comes with brand new look

If you use Google’s services on a regular basis, then Gmail taking on a new look today isn’t going to come as a big surprise. It has already been introduced to Google Docs, and Google Reader had the visual update earlier this week. Now Google’s flagship service is moving to the new design.
There is going to be equal amounts of hate, love, and couldn’t care less about this redesign. Some will say it wastes too much space, others will like the way it simplifies the overall look. There are some options you can change, however, to make it more to your liking, and we’ll go through some of the more important changes below.

HD Themes

You’ve always been able to theme Gmail, but Google has re-done them and now offers “HD Themes.” They use imagery taken from iStockphoto, and add a bit of visual flare to the service. However, if you’re anything like me, then it’s all about the emails and not the look, and you’ll want to choose a simple theme. Thankfully, Google has included 13 color themes to cater for your tastes.

Choose your own density

One thing you will notice when first loading up the new Gmail is how much (wasted) space there is. By default, it looks like Google has opted for a finger-friendly tablet layout with big entries for each message. You can change this easily from the settings by selecting between Comfortable (default), Cozy, or Compact views. Power users who deal with a lot of mail every day will most likely prefer Compact (I know I do).

Cleaner conversations

Conversation view has been made a lot cleaner. There’s less clutter on the screen for the reply box, and each person now has their profile picture displayed. I don’t think anyone will complain about this as it keeps the functionality but fine tunes the implementation somewhat.

More navigation options, better search

Finally we have more navigation options such as the ability to customize how much space you give labels and chat. The arrow keys on your keyboard can also be used to move around that area now. One thing I don’t much like is the inability to display both the chat and gadget areas at the same time, so you either see your chat buddies or your Google Calendar, but not both together down the side of the page.
As for search, the search box at the top has a drop-down menu offering advanced options. If you don’t like organizing things under labels and prefer to just search, this may be the best part of the update for you.

Get used to it

Google has rolled out the changes to all Gmail users now. You should see a message asking if you’d like to switch. If you don’t, then hard refresh your page and it should appear. If you don’t like the new look you can revert back to the old look, but it’s only a temporary fix that Google will eventually disable. So it’s best to just take the plunge and start getting used to the change.