Updated Gmail app now available in the Android Market

So this new gmail app for Android has a couple of nice new features but one thing I'd really like to see is the ability to swipe sideways to flip between accounts. Right now you have to go through the menu or tap on the username at the top and then choose which account you want to view. A simple swipe action would let me flip backwards and forwards between accounts so much more easily.

Updated Gmail app now available in the Android Market: "
A new version of the Gmail app is now available in the Android Market. This means the app is no longer tied to Android version releases anymore. New features include:



- Important message actions will now stick to the top of the screen, one click away, no matter how long the email is.

- View previous message content more easily, just like in the desktop version of Gmail. Tap “Show quoted text” to reveal the previous message.

- Limited support for Priority Inbox. If you’ve enabled Priority Inbox via the desktop version of Gmail, you’ll see an “Important” label that shows all messages flagged as important. You can even add a shortcut to “Important” to your home screen.



Editions included:

Standard, Premier, Education, Partner Edition and Google Apps for Government



How to access what's new:

- The Gmail update requires Froyo (Android version 2.2), so it’s available if you have a Nexus One, HTC EVO, Motorola Droid 2 or Motorola Droid. (Not sure if your device is running Android version 2.2? Check here.)

- Get the update from Android Market.



For more information:

http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2010/09/updated-gmail-app-in-android-market.html



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Higher Quality Video in Gmail Chat

Enhanced video quality coming to video chat in Gmail teases of future enhancements too!

http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/new-in-labs-video-chat-enhancements.html

Tip: Just the text, please!

Now this is a useful little tip from the Chrome team.

Tip: Just the text, please!: "Has this ever happened to you? You're writing an email online and you try to copy some text from a webpage. But when you paste it in, you get all the original fonts, colors, and spacing. 'Wait!' you say, 'I just wanted the text!'

This happened to us so many times while building Google Chrome that we added a special shortcut to do just that. Alongside the common Ctrl-V keyboard shortcut for 'paste', Google Chrome supports a similar shortcut, Ctrl-Shift-V, for 'paste as plain text'. (And it’s Command-Shift-Option-V on a Mac.)



You can use this shortcut in any rich text editor (like Gmail's compose window, or when writing in Google Docs) to strip out all the presentation from the original source and just paste in a block of text.


Posted by Peter Kasting, Software Engineer

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Microsoft BPOS Outages

Interesting to see how Microsoft are struggling to build a reliable cloud service http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/microsoft-apologizes-for-spate-of-recent-online-services-outages/7337

Their basic problem is that they're not building a proper multi-tennant infrastructure, it's still just a bunch of servers that they run instead of you. They still need to have scheduled down-time to patch and update them. Contrast this with Google's approach which is fully resilient and doesn't require and scheduled down-time at all.

I think the choice is clear.

Walk this way

This looks like a really great upgrade to the maps and navigation features on Android but I'm a little wary of how much data it's going to consume and how great the performance will be when you don't have full 3g coverage. Certainly I've found 3g on my HTC Desire from Orange to be particularly patchy with fluctuating signal levels and dropping back to GPRS on and off throughout the day, even if I'm stationary.

Anyway we'll give this a try and hope for the best.

Walk this way: "Whether you’re going for an urban hike or wandering from your hotel to find that restaurant you passed earlier, you won’t have to flag down a local if you’ve got Google Maps for mobile 4.5 on Android. Maps already had Navigation and walking directions, and today we’re happy to share the perfect marriage of the two: Walking Navigation (Beta). If you need help deciding where to walk (or drive), you can now also use Street View smart navigation or the new Google Maps search bar to guide your choice.

Walking Navigation
Walking Navigation lets you use GPS navigation with walking directions that are more direct and use pedestrian pathways when we know about them. To try it now, choose the “Walking” option from the Navigation icon. Walking Navigation has a few changes that help when you’re on your feet. For example, your phone will vibrate when you need to make a turn. You can even turn off voice guidance and just use these notifications while soaking in the sights and sounds around you. To help you orient yourself with your surroundings, the map will rotate with you as you turn the phone, and walking mode uses satellite view by default. Use it like a virtual compass with satellite imagery to look ahead or help pick out landmarks along the way.

Choose the “Walking” option after selecting the Navigation icon (left) to use Walking Navigation (right).

Keep in mind that Walking Navigation is still in beta, and Google Maps may not always have up-to-date information or optimal walking routes. Whether you’re walking or driving with Google Maps Navigation, you should always be safe and pay attention to road signs, follow signals, and use good judgment about routes that can’t be walked.

Street View smart navigation
If you want a sneak preview of where you’re going, use the new Street View on Google Maps with smart navigation and updated imagery. Just like with Street View smart navigation on your computer, you no longer have to slowly move down a street by tapping arrows along roads repeatedly. Now you can quickly navigate Street View by dragging Pegman from the corner and highlighting where you want to go with a lightly shaded “pancake” on roads or a rectangle on buildings. Let go of the screen when highlighting the front of a building, and you’ll fly there and turn to face it. With a swipe of your finger, you can hop rivers and scale buildings.

You’ll need to download an update for the “Street View on Google Maps” app in Android Market separately from Google Maps. Once you update, access Street View just like before: open Maps, search for a place or long-press the map, and choose the Street View option if available.

New Google Maps search bar
At the top of the map, you’ll find the new Google Maps search bar always available for easy access. Tap it to quickly start searching, open Places, use the Layers menu, or find yourself on the map with My Location. Here are more new features that may be helpful when you’re looking for nearby places:

• Filter search results by distance or ratings
• View prices categorized with dollar signs
• See cross streets for places.

Google Maps for mobile 4.5 and Street View smart navigation are available now for Android 1.6+ everywhere they’re currently available. Search for Google Maps (tap here on your phone) and then Street View on Google Maps (tap here) in Android Market to update both.

Visit our Help Center to learn more or tell us your feedback and questions in our Help Forum. Give us suggestions and vote on other people’s on the Mobile Product Ideas page.

Posted by Andrey Ulanov and Kevin Law, Software Engineers

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Backing the Winning Mobile OS

Which mobile operating system is dominant? Well in North America at least it's the iOS on the Apple iPhone range of course. But will it be that way for long? Look at the trend between iOS and Android thend draw your own conclusions. My take is that open systems will always win out against monopolistic closed environments.

Archos Android Tablets

Can't wait to get my hands on one of these devices the form-factor is ideal and with an Android phone in your pocket you can share your existing 3g connection! No need for more mobile contracts.