Gmail for Android keeps getting better

You knew good things were coming for the Gmail on your Android when Google made it a downloadable app. It was previously tied to the OS, so it would only get updates when the whole system did. Now that it’s an app in the Market, at least for Froyo users, Google has the opportunity to make it a powerful email client. They took a step in that direction this week by rolling out a fairly significant update. It includes four new features, and while some of them might seem minor, they do play a large role in the email experience.The explanation is at the Google Mobile Blog, but I think they undersell some of the points. Which is fine, of course. They’re just providing information. It’s our job to put that into context. I have to admit that when I saw that the top update was Priority Inbox, I was a bit disappointed. It’s a feature that I haven’t much used. But then two things dawned on me. First, perhaps other people enjoy it and I’m just a stick in the mud. Second, maybe Google improved it to the point where I want to use it.

The main change is Priority Inbox view, which lets you see just your important messages. From there you can change the importance, or you can perform any other function you can with emails. But the feature that has me wanting this is the ability to receive special notification when you receive an important email. If I set my email to vibrate or play a tone, I’d go nuts. There are just too many of them. Just hearing the tone for an important email, though, sounds about perfect. That way I can get immediate notification of emails that might be time sensitive.

I also think that the new compose functions give the Gmail app an edge. I have a few daily email chains that require me to hit reply all frequently. I don’t exactly mind this on the Android. All I have to do is hit the down arrow and then select the double reply arrow. But with the single reply arrow on the screen by default, it’s easy to forget. The new compose screen, as you can see, has a drop-down box above the recipient field. That makes life a little easier.

Another Gmail feature I use is sending and receiving from diffeent accounts. The receiving works fine on my Android, but I can still only send as my default address. This is no more. You can now reply from any address linked to your Gmail. And when you reply, you can create in-line comments.

It hasn’t been too long since Google moved Gmail to the Market, and already they’re showing why it was a great development. While there’s still plenty of room for improvement, Google did just drop us four features ranging from neat to completely useful and practical. By this time next year I presume we’ll have a Gmail app that very nearly resembles the desktop app we’ve used for years.