Some of the tweaks that arrived with the launch of Gmail Labs are fairly silly (Mail Goggles and Old Snakey spring to mind), but a new option that arrived Thursday makes it increasingly apparent that Google is doing something right with the e-mail service.
The company launched Advanced IMAP Controls in Gmail Labs, a feature that lets users fine-tune the behavior of the IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) technology that outside e-mail services or software can use to access Gmail accounts.
For example, you can limit which of your mail labels are exposed as folders to outside e-mail clients to improve performance. That's useful, according to the Gmail blog posting, "if you find your mail client choking on a big All Mail folder," the often-overstuffed location where Gmail messages are archived so they're still available but not in the way.
Of course, technically savvy folks might enjoy this option. But the bigger reason this is interesting is it shows how flexible an infrastructure Google has built under Gmail. That's powerful because the company can monitor how often people use the options, and how that affects Gmail's performance and utility.
And because the Gmail Labs options are largely independent of each other, Google can test many improvements simultaneously. The overall approach lets the company gradually morph Gmail rather than release massive, disruptive overhauls. Perpetual flux aside, though, I still think that it's time to take Gmail out of beta.
(Via Google Operating System.)
Gmail Labs lets people fine-tune settings for IMAP, which is used to let other e-mail software access mail stored with Gmail.
(Credit: Google)
Gmail is getting support for IMAP clients like Outlook, Thunderbird, and the iPhone. This means Gmail users will no longer be limited to the Gmail.com user interface or to the weak integration they might get from clients using the much more rudimentary POP e-mail protocol.
There's no word on the official rollout schedule for IMAP support. Some users have it, some don't. I do. Don't ask me why. To see if you have support, click the "Settings" link to see if you have a "Forwarding and POP/IMAP" tab.
Update: IMAP rollout should be complete within a few days, according to the Official Gmail blog.
Look for the IMAP label.
If your account is IMAP enabled, these instructions will walk you through configuring your account and client software.
Why does this matter? Because IMAP is a two-way e-mail protocol. IMAP client applications can interact with IMAP servers, like Gmail's, so data on both sides stays in sync. If you have multiple IMAP client applications, they'll all show the same e-mail messages (and indicate which messages have been read) as long as they stay connected. However, Gmail handles e-mail differently from most standard e-mail client software, so the integration takes getting used to. For example, if you move a message from one folder to another in your desktop e-mail client (such as Outlook or Thunderbird), the message's label in Gmail will change to match--since Gmail doesn't have folders, per se. Google's IMAP behavior chart lists the differences.
With IMAP support in your e-mail client, Gmail's labels become folders.
Gmail's automatic message threading (where it groups messages with the same subject line) also doesn't translate to IMAP, although some client applications may offer their own threading features.
I think it's great to have rich client-side support for Web-based e-mail, and vice versa (example: Outlook Web Access). However, Gmail's native interface is so weird that no client I know of is a good match for it. It is very nice to be able to access more of Gmail's features from a real desktop client, but it requires a bit more of a mental context switch than I think most people will want. I tried using Gmail from Outlook, and I didn't like it. That's partly because Outlook's IMAP handling is quirky, but also because it's so different from Gmail's native interface. What would be more useful, I think, would be an offline Gmail interface using Google Gears.
Also, it's worth noting that the IMAP support is one-way: You can use IMAP clients to read and send your Gmail. You cannot use the Gmail interface to access e-mail from non-Google IMAP servers or from Exchange. The only non-Google e-mail servers that Gmail can access are POP machines, and you don't get any mailbox synchronization with that method.
First spotted on Download Squad.
Calgoo, the Java-based app that syncs up your online and offline calendars (previous coverage here), launches its second version today, and has graduated from a closed beta to a public download. With the update comes support for iCal, Microsoft Outlook, and both tiers of Google Apps (free and premiere). It's also undergone a face-lift that makes it similar to Apple's iCal with a touch of Outlook.
(Credit:
CNET Networks)
Calgoo does require a small download, but what's nice is that you can create appointments and schedule your Google Calendar without going online. The next time you're able to connect, Calgoo will sync up your changes.
The one thing that seems to be missing from Calgoo is an e-mail client that ties in with Gmail. If you're used to Outlook for scheduling and e-mail it seems right to have both services in one place, and with Calgoo it's oddly absent. Since Google isn't providing an offline app for Gmail (besides POP3 support), it would be great to have it in the same place as your Google Calendar. In the meantime, Calgoo provides a great solution for pushing your Outlook calendar to Google Calendar without uploading giant CSV files.
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