Google Unveils New Gmail Design, With Streamlined Conversations, Improved Search And More (PICTURES)

After previewing an upcoming Gmail redesign in a YouTube video in late June, Google has officially taken the wraps off its new-look email service, showcasing the new Gmailin a post on the official Gmail blog. Featuring streamlined conversation threads, new high-resolution themes and a more fleshed-out search bar, users will be able to try out the latest edition of Gmail within "the next few days" by pushing a button in the bottom right of Gmail, whenever the Google gods deem the new interface ready.

The Gmail design change comes hot on the heels of the Google Reader design change, which integrates more closely with the Google+ social network and which is drawing decidedly mixed reviews.

Gmail itself recently rolled out a change of its own: Users can now learn why they see specific targeted ads, part of Google's effort to give more transparency to its advertising program.

For now, however, the big news is Gmail's makeover. Below, check out five screenshots of Gmail's upcoming new look, and let us know what you think in our poll below:

RATE IT!   |  

VOTE

Ick.

Looks great!

CURRENT TOP 5 PICK YOUR OWN TOP 5

USERS WHO VOTED

NEW! CREATE YOUR OWN SLIDESHOW

Quick Poll

What do you think of Gmail's new look?

Thumbs up!

Thumbs down!

Share your vote on Facebook so your friends can take this poll

Comments

[TooManyTequilas]

12:28 PM on 12/13/2011

After 20 minutes trying to efficiently create a filter on this turkey I gave up and disabled Gmail and moved back to Hotmail and Thunderbird along with Mailwash for filtering, thank you very much. When Gmail starts telling me I have to redo or change my browser (and lose a bunch of my favorite addons), that really tears it. Living with Google, Inc. is too much like living in a fascist state!

[Hardyman1966]

02:32 PM on 11/08/2011

LOVE IT! The HD Theme "Ocean" is a winner than changes through the day.

[oriablue]

11:17 PM on 11/06/2011

I tested it out- usually adaptable in terms of new features, but this new gmail UI is way too flamboyant, impractical, detracting from the very purpose of what gmail has really done so well at- making people's busy lives much easier- Colors/visuals are very confusing- intimidating for the brain to easily sort out mail- it's a bridge too far; backgrounds overwhelm the inbox, to the degree that I have stopped checking my email. It is still buggy, does not update mail properly- have to constantly sign off/on again just to access! Please PLEASE leave folks the option to keep the old version! Every company finds a sweet spot, and gmail so far has been great; to over-reach now could be as devastating as Quikster was to Netflix. Some folks may love it, but please leave the rest of us the current version pretty well. Thanks! Diana Cleaveland

[Mary Jean Klett]

04:31 PM on 11/04/2011

Horrible. It looks horrible and it feels horrible. There's no way I'd ever like using this. Where do I go next? Why don't these just leave things alone... :-(

[Victor Stanescu]

01:09 PM on 11/04/2011

Gmail is being updated to be consistent with the new Google+ look and soon to be followed by all the other Google services!

They are going to attract even the user that were still for some unknown reason not using Gmail as their main e-mail provider!

More on this: http://www.vectorash.ro/gmail-just-got-a-new-look/

[lindyf]

08:09 AM on 11/04/2011

Where is the SORT option we have all been asking for? Am I missing something. I have 10 thousand emails to erase if I could sort them and highlight them all at once it would be easy.

[michael redbourn]

10:23 AM on 11/07/2011

And there is no "resend" function which so many have begged for.

[Erik W Grossberg]

06:08 PM on 11/01/2011

Alriiight! Sounds good, let's see it.

[Greg Albright]

05:27 PM on 11/01/2011

And the Microsoft hating tech-blog-o-sphere will ignore that the gmail (and office) new look basically makes it look like Hotmail, and Microsoft online office suite.

Yeah guys, google is obviously ignoring the impact that Bing is having on search. Hurry up and write some more "Bing and Windows are irrelevant" articles before it is too late!

[Pucker]

09:40 AM on 11/02/2011

I noticed that too - it looks exactly like Hotmail. If anything, it's a more convoluted form of Hotmail.

[Erik W Grossberg]

06:46 PM on 11/02/2011

I actually find it pretty easy to use, but yes, it is a rip off of Hotmail. I think more than anything, it is more of a PR stunt to keep Gmail in our face, right?

[StinkyMoBub]

05:39 PM on 11/02/2011

If you've ever had to deal with a hacked Hotmail account, you'll instantly know why ANY version of Google is better..

[poster1122]

05:05 PM on 11/01/2011

I don't like the changes. I have my gmail set to one of the themes, and the new look causes much of the text to blend into the background, creating a host of unnecessary readability problems. I tried flipping through the various themes (rocks, ninjas, ocean view, a couple of others) that they offer, and most cause similar problems. The least problematic were the plain color themes, but that basically defeats the whole purpose setting a decorative theme.

I wouldn't mind so much if I was getting some useful functionality in return, but so far, I can't find a compelling reason to go with this new look at all.

[Pucker]

09:42 AM on 11/02/2011

Same here. I don't know what it is exactly, but I find it very hard to parse through messages or read them.

It just doesn't flow.

And, that's after going to the default theme - the original one I had made things completely unreadable.

[Mary Jean Klett]

04:34 PM on 11/04/2011

My thoughts exactly. Far from being clean and streamlined... it's a vacant looking mess.

[ecoalex]

04:42 PM on 11/01/2011

I never have made peace with Gmail,I have accounts,but pop3 them using Thunderbird.I also kept the old format for Yahoo email.The new Yahoo also is not friendly to users IMHO.

[J0E1]

05:28 PM on 11/01/2011

Why not imap?

[michael redbourn]

10:25 AM on 11/07/2011

IMAP is only partially working with Thunderbird in the new Gmail.

[Cliff Poncier]

03:56 PM on 11/01/2011

The change people want most is the ability to sort by header (sent by / subject / date) yet Google refuses to give users what every freaking email interface in the world already does.

I only use gmail because I have to for work. Until they allow to sort by header I will use something else for my personal email.

[jgeurian21]

04:35 PM on 11/01/2011

That is why I use IMAP/POP. With this you can download messages from Gmail to a third party email application like Outlook and also send emails from Outlook using Gmail. All without ever having to log into Gmail.

http://www.emailaddressmanager.com/tips/outlook-gmail.html

[slyball]

05:01 PM on 11/01/2011

than why use gmail at all?

[zapyourappetite]

04:55 PM on 11/01/2011

Google made a huge mistake with that one, imo. . . not EVERYTHING has to be search - Lemme sort!!

[Jessica Ann Stallings]

02:13 PM on 11/01/2011

As long as I can still get my email through MS Outlook, then I'm good. I rarely actually SEE Gmail itself.

[hungrypilot]

03:29 PM on 11/01/2011

POP access won't be affected. You're good ^_^

[BruthaF]

03:49 PM on 11/01/2011

Totally agree. There's almost never a need...