Update: Our full story on Gmail Labs is here.
At 1pm PST Google is hosting an event to launch a new Gmail feature they’re calling the “next evolution of 20% time.” They say it will be a change in their development process and “users will be able to influence Gmail’s design.” Mike, Mark and Steve Gillmor are on the way to the event and we’ll be updating this post with live video and pictures.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Mike and Mark’s Notes live from the event:
We’re being given an overview of new product work Google has done with Gmail, as well as historical views of Gmail and Gtalk.
Google says they are making a big change in how they do product development. Currently they read user requests, their own ideas (GTalk is example, or single view on multiple messages in a related thread).
There are currently tens of millions of active Gmail users.
They’re trying to build a more open connection.
Google has invited us here to give the press a better picture of what Gmail looks like. They’re showing a lot of things that haven’t been shown before including a number of text features.
They’re going to show mockups of early version of Gmail and Gchat.
All features are launched internally weeks or months before it reaches the public. Now they want to get Gmail users to help them refine how they do things. Gmail was filtered for longer than that before shown to the public.
They want to take next step and test with users.
At 6pm PT they’re launching Gmail Labs – it will be a tab on top of settings, a list of features that are rough, have gone through almost no filtering. Using the send feedback link users can go to the Google Conversation. Every user will have this available.
The first batch will include 13 new features being tested now, all created by Gmail engineers. Everyone will have access to these.
When they opened labs, lots of engineers built on greasemonkey scripts. Lots of stuff is being built, some stuff good some bad. Someone even built Snake (the game) into Gmail.
The benefit of developing on Gmail is the user base is so large.
There will be a number in top right of screen will show you how many beta apps you have installed.
“Gmail Labs is taking the 20% of your own project time idea to next level.” It allows internal engineers to have a ready audience for their creations. Right now all of these ideas are Google’s internal ideas, any engineer can code a labs feature in 20% time. Once it’s working it will go out to users in the next code build.
It is not open to non-Google engineers, at least yet.
There is a code review vetting process to make sure it doesn’t break, but no user interface analysis or product analysis. It just has to be functional code to push out. Features can literally modify anything in the Gmail code base. They would like to get to the point where more people build on this — that world needs one interface, a more restricting one.
They have no plans to launch the open developer platform for others. Non-Googlers can build on the platform eventually, but it will require less interface because they can change any aspect of the code.
They’re interested in letting third parties eventually do things, but for now third parties go through send feedback.
Anyone can send feedback directly to the developers of these add-ons.
Gmail Add-on Examples:
Quick Links: adds a box to the left column that gives you 1-click access to any bookmarkable url in Gmail. You can use it for saving recent searches, important individual messages, and more
Superstars: adds additional star icons
Pictures in Chat: see your friends’ profile pictures when you chat with them
Fixed Width Font: adds an option to the reply dropdown menu that lets you view a message in fixed width font
Custom Keyboard Shortcuts: lets you customize keyboard shortcut mappings. Adds a new settings tab from which you can remap keys to various actions
Mouse gestures: Use your mouse to navigate with gestures. Hold right click and move the mouse left to go to a previous conversation, move right to go to the next conversation, and move up to go back to the inbox view. It works best on Windows.
Signature tweaks: Places your signature before the quoted text in a reply
Take A Break: locks you out of your Gmail for 15 minutes (you can refresh to get out of it). When it locks you out it says, “Break time! Take a walk, get some real work done, or have a snack. We’ll be back in 14 minutes!”
Users can enable or disable these modules.
The description on the top of the Labs tab in settings: Gmail engineers come up with new ideas all the time. Gmail Labs is our place to try them out and get your feedback. None of these features are really ready for prime time yet, so they might change, break, or disappear at any time.
There’s an escape hatch for broken add-ons
If (when) a labs feature breaks, and you’re having trouble getting into your account, there’s an escape hatch — just go to http://www.mail.google.com/mail/?labs=0 and Labs with be temporarily disabled.
The most popular add-ons will eventually be built into Gmail.
There is no integration with Google Reader on Gmail. They need to create a module. Product managers are writing these. Some keep the site up and running
Lots of different people in different roles creating these features. They are calling these “features” not add-ons or components or apps.
Engineers can integrate third party APIs into modules, like Twitter’s. You just have to make sure it can scale. They say “we generally embrace all APIs”
When will Gmail be Open Social compatible?
Their response: “We are interested in making Gmail Open Social compatible. It’s something we’re interested in doing, but nothing to announce right now”
Google will also continue to have regular launches of new features not through labs. They still plan to have regular feature launches for larger projects and more important ones.
A few dozen people work on Gmail, but they say they don’t know the exact number because they share so many resources
Keith Coleman, Gmail product manager has been doing most of the talking. Todd Jackson, is also here, another Gmail product manager. Keith leads Gmail Plus, which includes Reader and Gtalk.
They can tell how many people are using which features, which will be a factor on which are actually integrated. It will be the primary metric for deciding this.
No one has proposed ad blocking add-ins yet, but… (he doesn’t really address whether it would be possible…assume it wouldn’t)
When Google Labs first launched internally, they had a 2 day hack-a-thon. They plan to continue to do this.
Here’s a video taken before the event:
When will they remove the Beta tag?
Whatever it is, i hope it’s passed on to the google app. (branded gmail) users as well.
I second the google app integration.
Let’s see how the 3G network / qik hold up this time.
So far google app gets all gmail features..doesnt it? So, I dont see any reason this new feature would be restricted to gmail only.
GMail Themes? …..
What timezone?
They sent Steve “Grammar” Gilmor along with the big boys to the event? Is this part of his internship?
Looks like video might not be happening.
@Faramarz
There is a setting in the Admin control area of Google Apps that you can check to say that you want the domain to receive new features as soon as the standard google account tools receive them.
If whatever it is today isn’t enabled, login to your admin control account and have a look around. It’s a check box. I have it set for th few domains I manage and all my domains have all the features.
Anyone here have a guess at what it is. Probably just the ability to theme or add remove features etc.
Hmm.. To bad. No Live coverage….
Let´s wait for the updates.
Cheers, Nag
“I learn something new about journalism every day!” Quote of the year
sorry, Qik sucks in the US…sweet in Europe
Mike,
Why did Google not want live video of the event?
Joel
holy whack gadgets for gmail?
wheres gmail on gears, where’s search for nonlabelled archived emails!?!
13?? Wow! What???
So It’ll be like Gmail Beta Beta?
Silly Google!
Google really is the best. I honestly mean that. I refused jobs all over LA, because I still dream of either starting up a company like google or working at one.
I turned down all sorts of positions here either out of a conflict of interest or because It didn’t look enough like Google for me. No lie.
I don’t think any other company here will ever live up to that ideal soon.
BTW, I will be gone for the next week. I had an emergency.
http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/.....uggestion/
hmmm…wonder where they are getting their idea
Thanks Richard, found it!
Gmail is the new Thunderbird (hope the Mozilla folks take note)
This will be recognized as a game changer 3 years from now.
Good lord, the reporter was surprised that such a thing as a “reporter’s notebook” exists? What J school did you go to? Sheesh.
OK Google folks, tell me when you’ll implement a feature on Gmail that lets me shunt off the stuff I’ve labeled, into their own labels? I know you didn’t want to go with traditional file folders but c’mon, give us that as an OPTION.
I do not like the progress bar when you sing in the new Gmail version. Hey Google dudes, you must optimize for faster load times.
This is a great idea. I’ve written Outlook add-ins to help ease my workflow, and hopefully once they open this up to the pubic, I can write a couple Gmail add-ins as well.
Underwhelming so far - when you compare with, for example, GTDinbox …
.. (GTDinbox) which might solve Lani’s problem. Open the gmail, click to open label list, click to select label, click Archive and you are done.
It sucks when you use to be a social network Luddite and now you begin to use your facebook account in 2008 and just started having fun (400) friends, one group (402 members) and their system kicks you off and disable your account as I was adding too many friends (50 every 3 days is the limit).
What FUCK is wrong with Facebook? I thought these guys were fucking cool. Well having said that, I hope they fix my fucking account eally fucking soon. Such cool site and so many fucking silly rules.
I heard some info about the same problem but thought those guys were bitching, but now I see what they were saying. Myspace Sucks, and hi5 is boring. I am a Facebook junkie. So fuck you.
Not what the fuck am going to do for internet fun besides read this blog?
UMMM, I think I see my Facebook clone on the horizon, anyone else see it.? No rules and just for niche market applications thus your own Facebook but for your own country. Sounds like a plan.
It will be interesting to see what kinds of features they come up with.
This is exciting stuff!
It’ll be interesting to see how much of the interface / user experience you’ll be able to alter with Gmail Labs. The hacks you list mostly just scratch the surface of what you could possibly do with the product.
Gmail seriously needs to be updated now, hopefully they will churn out som enew cool features!
being able to load widgets is really nice but how about fixing the IMAP server to also speed things up ?
it could properly announce capability and namespace…
also how about some spam metrics ? like who is trying to spam you the most and how gmail deals with all the spam… being sent through it !
alot of spammers are using gmail as a relay should they not deal with detecting spammers from within the interface…
I like GMail alot but I see more and more spam coming from them…
regards
John Jones
Folders and go to next message on delete would be super.
When will they remove the Beta tag?
.. (GTDinbox) which might solve Lani’s problem. Open the gmail, click to open label list, click to select label, click Archive and you are done.
I just want to be able to get my “firstname.lastname@gmail.com” in Gmail but someone else claimed it before I could.
Now I can only do something like “firstname.lastname23@gmail.com” I don’t want to switch to Gmail unless I can get a good mail alias.
Hey Google! Can you figure out a way to give people more options than a stupid “.” in between your names!! C’mon!
@Senior Editor
What’s with the fucking profanity and the fucking off-topic comment? Seriously, go the fuck away. Seriously, fuck you. Fuck.
Don’t want ads in your gmail inbox?… use the CustomizeGoogle extension
Only one worth noticing new feature “Custom Keyboard Shortcuts”.
Gmail add-ons? Oh no! I can imagine the weekend Steve Gillmor bitchmeme already…
I can see the TechMeme headlines now:
NEWSFLASH: Steve Gilmor predicts the quick death of Microsoft Outlook after bearing witness to Gmail Add-ons!
Has anyone mashed up Gmail with OpenCalais or some other tagging tools? It would be great if Google made it easy to perform text mining on your emails in batch mode and write back tags or other annotations. I suppose you can do it off line, using POP or IMAP to download everything, but that defeats the benefit of storing everything in the cloud.
Please remove the loading……page which hits before taking to mail page
10 million active users? Are you sure you heard that correctly? ComScore makes it seem as though Gmail has 100 million active users worldwide.
If the gmail team has not used XOBNI http://www.xobini.com, they should and take note. These are the types of features that should be integrated into Gmail
Sorry for the Fat fingers its http://www.xobni.com
i love gmail
Now, My gmail not updata…
It seems great.
I’m in China now. How could I use this? I changed my location from China to USA but didn’t work.
my Gmail don’t have labs. Does anyone have it yet?