Google was n’t the first company to declare oneself free e - chain armour account that you could access in a WWW web browser . But Gmail leave an remarkably muscular amount of depot ( at least 2.8 GB per exploiter ) , excellent junk e-mail filtering , and the convenience of fast , dependable Google searching through all those GB of store e - mail . Plus , you get all this in exchange for nothing more than some little , relevant , and unnoticeable textbook ads that appear near your messages in your web web browser window .
Using Gmail
Gmail has many ( though by no means all ) of the same capabilities as a desktop e - mail guest such as Apple Mail or Microsoft Entourage . you’re able to sort your message with filter , categorize mail with labels , and indite to the full formatted hypertext markup language messages . And because Gmail is a World Wide Web program and your substance are stored on Google ’s waiter , you may get at your messages from any World Wide Web web browser app .
program HoppingGmail is well integrate with the other Google applications , too . For example , if you receive an e - mail message with an attached Word or Excel single file , you could select it to open it flat in Docs or spreadsheet . If you take in a meeting invitation , you could sum up it directly to your Google Calendar ; you could also produce a meeting petition while compile a new tocopherol - chain mail message and add it to your calendar at the same time .
confabulate with FriendsGmail is integrated with Google Talk , which means that you’re able to reply to an e - mail content with an inst message if the sender is online , and you’re able to do so without even having to open up a new window . Transcripts of all your schmoose and e - mail message are redeem ( and searchable ) .
Gmail tips
Gmail has batch of tricks up its sleeve , and get word about some of them can make your life easy . Here are my favorites .
habituate Keyboard ShortcutsLike Docs and Spreadsheets , Gmail offer an extensive raiment of keyboard shortcuts — such as blow for Compose Mail and R for Reply — but they ’re disabled by default . To turn them on , select the options link at the top of the Gmail window . Go to the General tab , pick out the Keyboard Shortcuts On option , and get across on the Save Changes button . When you recall to your inbox , you ’ll see a few sample keyboard shortcuts ( gross listing ) .
Use the Archive ButtonEven though Gmail earn it wanton to search through gigabytes of e - ring mail , there ’s no reasonableness to countenance every single subject matter you ’ve ever welcome muddle your inbox . Once you ’ve register , answer to , or cover with a message , select it and press Archive . This propel the message out of your inbox , without invest it in a specific letter box . ( To see all your messages , even the archived I , tap the All Mail nexus . )
Label Your MessagesGoogle ’s searching is just , but sometimes it is n’t as smart as you might like — for instance , when you have 985 subject matter that include the wordsAppleandJobs , but you need to see the few that pertain to your search for employment in Cupertino .
Labels can avail . These text tags have you group messages by subject , and they take the position of a hierarchy of folders or mailboxes . They make searching easier and more accurate , too . To make a unexampled label , tick on the Edit Labels link in the Labels box . typecast a label name in the Create A New Label field , and get across on Create . To apply a recording label to the current message or selected messages , select the recording label from the More Actions menu ( see “ Label It ” ) .
Help Google Fight SpamGmail has an first-class junk e-mail filter , which rout distrust junk e-mail into your Spam postbox . If a junk e-mail content gets through to your inbox , be sure to select it and come home on Report Spam ; this helps Google improve its spam - filtering accuracy .
Forward Mail to Your PhoneIn most atomic number 99 - ring armor programs , filters ( or rules ) based on messages ’ transmitter , subject , or contents are used to charge substance into mailboxes . In Gmail , you may use filters to mark your chain mail , but a more interesting use is to forward selected messages to your cell earpiece as SMS messages . ( Most cadre sound immune carrier provide a extra data format for converting your cell phone issue into an tocopherol - mail savoir-faire . )
tap the Create A Filter link at the top of the Gmail Thomas Nelson Page . Now fill in some criterion for content that you want send on to your phone . Keep in head that you should do this with only a small numeral of abbreviated substance , so choose your criteria consequently — for example , mail from your spouse with the wordurgentin the subject line . Then sink in on Next stair , pick out Forward It To , and put down your cell sound ’s e - mail address . select Create Filter . Now , to prove the filter , institutionalise yourself a subject matter ( or have someone else commit one ) that meet the criteria you entered .
Take Gmail with YouLike any entanglement - base e - chain armor serve ( and like the other Google entanglement applications programme ) , Gmail knead only when you ’re connect to the Internet . Sure , you could set up POP access to your account through your favorite e - mail client , but then you might encounter problems keeping all your content in sync . You ’ll also waste a lot of place storing all those messages on your hard drive . Instead , try installing GoogleDesktop ( ) , a free raw desktop lookup public utility company . One thing it does is index your Gmail content and squirrel away them topically in a highly succinct form , so you’re able to search and read your Gmail messages even when your electronic computer is offline .
Is it for you?
Gmail is dependable , various , and easy to get at from almost anywhere . If you ’re using other Google program heavily , it can also help you by allow you to flip applications less oftentimes . Still , it wo n’t work for everyone . Although it ’s possible to access your Gmail messages when you ’re offline ( using Google Desktop or a papa client ) , you lose all integration with other Google applications . That makes Gmail less than idealistic for people who need to drop a swell passel of time without Internet access .
Regardless , using Gmail as a lowly east - post destination is a no - brainer . It makes for a convenient backup if you have difficulty access your main account .
Four excellent add-ons
Wish Google Apps could do more ? A slice of add together - on software might help . Here are four of my favorites .
1.Address Book to CSV Exporter(free ) exports your OS X Address Book in comma - bounded data formatting so you’re able to spell it into your Gmail account . observe that this does n’t solve the problem of syncing your contact — if they change , you ’ll have to spell them again .
2.gDisk(free ) let you put ordinary files and folder in your access - from - anywhere Gmail storage quad . That means you may utilize your Gmail accounting as a convenient backup location when you ’re on the route .
3.Google Notifier(free ) exhibit alarm in your menu bar when you have an upcoming case in Google Calendar or new messages in your Gmail inbox . If you ’re using the Google Apps package for your knowledge domain , a third - party public-service corporation call GoogleHosted Mail Notifiercan alert you to await e - mail messages .
4.Spanning Sync(one - time purchase , $ 65 ; annual subscription , $ 25 ) lets you execute two - way synchronizing between your iCal calendar and Google Calendar .
[ Joe Kissell is the senior editor in chief ofTidBitsand the author ofReal World Mac Maintenance and Backups(Peachpit Press , 2007 ) . ]
