GMail tips and tricks

[pzarquon]

Re: GMail tips and tricks

since some of you are already on gmail, what's your thoughts on placing you mobile number on Gmail to receive your e-mail on you cell phone?

Serenity, there was a period where you needed to give Google your cell phone number to get an account (confirmation codes would be sent by SMS), ostensibly to limit the number of spammers signing up... but they recently made signups wide open.

As for checking e-mail on your phone? The two ways I check my e-mail from my phone (a Treo 700p) is via their minimized mobile web interface at m.gmail.com or via the Java client which is installed on your phone. There are hacks out there to have your Gmail messages sent by SMS... but that sounds expensive and awkward to me.

Either way, the collection of your cell phone number by Google/Gmail has nothing to do with how you check or receive your mail on your phone. (For now!) The site you linked in your post talks about the Java client that installs on your phone, for example. And if your phone doesn't support JVMs (Java Virtual Machines), there's always the minimized web interface. Either way, though, you'll probably need the data plan from your service provider.

As far as I know, Gmail has no concept of folders. Everything basically stays in your inbox indefinitely. What they do is "tags".

Actually, Google calls them "labels" in Gmail (and uses the term "tags" for other services -- they've gotten flack for being inconsistent). You can think of them as folders in the conventional email sense, if it helps, but just know that a single message can be filed with several labels/tags/folders. Read more here.

By the way, speaking of neat features...

Gmail recently improved its support of checking other e-mail accounts, which I love (because in most cases, you can also automatically reply "from" that alternate address). Combine that with labels/tags/folders, and you have those individual accounts or messages from a specific mailing list automatically sorted and kept separate from your general inbox. Great stuff.

[scrivener]

Re: GMail tips and tricks

The gmail mobile app doesn't work well with the Blackjack. There are fixes out there, but I'm only halfway through them and the entire thing has been an enormous expenditure of time and effort.

However, the minimized web version works quite well.

I would like to set gmail up as my default email from my smartphone, so I can send photos and other files right from the phone to an address, rather than open the browser. I haven't been able to send attachments that way anyway. So this is my new project, and it's been a challenge.

The new email gathering from gmail is wonderful. You can set incoming mails to be labeled automatically so you know which email address each piece of mail has been sent to, and as pz mentions, you can set different "send from" addresses, and you can choose from any of your valid "send from" addresses with each piece of responded-to mail. Sweet.

Now, if Google would set up "pro" accounts so I could get rid of ads, I'd totally sign up.

[pzarquon]

Re: GMail tips and tricks

However, the minimized web version works quite well.

It does. I find I use it more than the Java app, even though it works on my Treo. The Java version looks snazzy, but the web one seems snappier, more direct.

Now, if Google would set up "pro" accounts so I could get rid of ads, I'd totally sign up.

The ads don't bug me. The storage limit does. (I laugh heartily at its insistence that I don't need to delete anything because its almost unlimited.) I can't believe I paid for Yahoo! mail extras at one point... and I get much more for free from Gmail today.

Still, Google and Gmail owns so much of my life, I'd love to pay them for more services and more assurances... but it seems ad revenue keeps them quite happy (and paying consumer-level customers would probably increase their headaches tenfold).

[Bard]

Re: GMail tips and tricks

Actually, Google calls them "labels" in Gmail (and uses the term "tags" for other services -- they've gotten flack for being inconsistent).

Ahh, sorry! You're right. I forgot they called them labels. Can you tell, I don't use my Gmail account all that much right now? I've been thinking of switching over to it for my main email though. Lots of attractive things there.

[pzarquon]

Re: GMail tips and tricks

Huh! We were just talking about our willingness to pay Google to get more reliability, more space, and fewer ads. And today, they launch "Google Apps Premier Edition." An uptime guarantee, 10GB instead of 2GB, "optional" text-based ads... plus lots of other extras.

I just might sign up.

Of course, this is for folks who let Google run the backend of their domain name, rather than consumer users of Gmail.com. (I use Google Apps on a couple of my domains already, though.) Hmm...

[Adri]

Re: GMail tips and tricks

huh. Gmail is offering a new service. If you want them to, they will print out all your email and snail mail them to you (given 2-4 days delivery time). That seems funny ~ to mail email~ but I guess they must have had enough interest in the service to offer it.

[Adri]

Re: GMail tips and tricks

duh. Nevermind. I just realized what tomorrow is.

but in my own defense, this follows my reading a lengthy listserv thread on how paper is the safest way (in terms of durability and making sure you can always access it despite changes or failures in technology) to store documents and written communications and how people are printing out their work emails for their files and still keeping hard copies of documents even if the documents are saved in DVDs or flash drives, etc.

[SusieMisajon]

Re: GMail tips and tricks

Gmail is fun and easy...but I suspect that they are becoming a victim to their own great success, as the GoogleTalk is often hiccuping.

And....if you'll look to see where your unwanted spams are sent to....there are real Spam recipes at the top of the page. So funny!

[DaFerret]

Re: GMail tips and tricks

Here's something I came across from a tech blog, 30+ Tools and Hacks for Gmail.

Also, the official keyboard shortcuts help page, if you're interested.

[1stwahine]

Re: GMail tips and tricks

I'm having problems with gmail this morning!

Auntie Lynn

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: GMail tips and tricks

Lifehacker presents a list of Top 10 Unofficial Gmail Apps and Add-ons.

The dragdropupload Firefox extension that lets you drag and drop files to attach them to email messages in Gmail? Heaven! Attaching photos using an Add Files browse window can be a pain when you can't easily view the thumbnails and the files just have numbered filenames. It's a lot easier if you can drag and drop thumbnailed photo files directly into the Gmail attachment filename box.