Google has launched a new Gmail mobile web app for the iPhone and Android-powered devices. The app has been revamped to have the same look and feel as your desktop Gmail. The app also has a new floaty bar (more on that below) and offers basic offline support.
Google says that the app is faster in performing actions like opening an email, navigating, or searching, and let’s you access your Gmail messages even if your network connection is flaky. All of these new features are enabled through leveraging Google’s browser technologies, especially HTML5 and Google Gears. Google has recently demoed the app at industry conferences, but Google engineer Joanne McKinley writes on the Google Mobile blog:
The full impact of this new architecture isn’t visible yet, but it will enable us to significantly improve performance and quickly roll out new features in the near future.
The new Gmail for mobile also lets you easily archive, delete or move emails via a “floaty bar” that appears near the top of a screen whenever you select a message. The floaty bar gives you the options to archive, delete and take other actions and stays with you as you scroll through your inbox. Messages are also easier to read and labels look more like the Gmail labels you see on your desktop site. Also, the search menu has been placed up into the top header. For more, see Greg Kumparak’s take on MobileCrunch.
Here’s a video on the new Gmail app: