In interview for CNet, Todd Jackson, Product Manager for Gmail, revealed some of the news that is being developed for Google’s email service.
New Themes, including Custom Themes
In the last month of November, Gmail gained a new feature that allows users the option to choose between 30 different types of Themes for the webmail interface.
According to Jackson, people loved the implementation and reveals that new Themes are being developed, although he does not disclose when their availability should occur.
When asked about the possibility of creating a Theme builder as recently launched for iGoogle, Jackson emphasizes the complexity of the Gmail interface.
“The structure of Gmail is an application entirely written in Javascript.
It is a brutal difference.
The levels of detail we did on the Themes was very profound.
”
Jackson, who does not exclude the possibility of creating his own Themes, just adds that the functionality will allow users to change the colors of each element of Gmail, similar to the color popup that currently exists in the webmail label system.
HD Video Chat
Gmail users can prepare for a better conference with their contacts.
According to the Google Product Manager, the choice of the plugin, a technological implementation much discussed by the community, offers superior quality to Flash technology.
Jackson says that a new version of the plugin will be able to provide high-quality videos while promoting a better connection between people, gaining a definition of graphics with 640 Ă— 480 pixels, high-definition mode.
Contact Manager will merge duplicate contacts
Do you have duplicate contacts in Gmail? An integrated solution should prevent this from happening again.
According to Jackson, Google is aware of this problem and a fix is ​​being worked on to merge this information, which will assist the user and simplify his contact list.
At this point, the only way to get rid of this duplication is to merge the information by hand, and then remove the duplicate contacts.
Total limit for attached files may grow
Although the 20MB limit implemented in 2007 is sufficient for most Gmail users, this restriction has side effects for those who like to share photos and videos with friends, compromising the experience of using the product.
“We know that files exchanged by people are getting bigger.
They want to share their files, keep them in the cloud, and not worry about which computer to access them.
Google wants to solve these problems, ”says Jackson, who may have indirectly revealed the launch of the long-awaited Gdrive.
Gdrive, one of the most anticipated concept products by the community, is nothing more than an integrated Google solution that will allow file storage and sharing.
Although there are traces of its creation, the company has never clarified or presented tips on its development.
Gmail application for iPhone is still uncertain
Many iPhone and iPod Touch users look forward to a native Gmail application, just as they do on Android and Java phones.
For Jackson, the company could potentially develop an application for e-mails, but it would also have to create for Palm and BlackBerry.
«For each platform, there will be time consuming».
With the expansion of 3G technology and the adoption of HTML 5 standards, using Gmail in mobile browsers will get better and better. “If we can implement the same experience on the web as you do when using Gmail in the browser, we believe it will be a great experience” concluded the Google Manager.
