Comments on: Gmail Makes Its iPhone Web Version More App-Like With Swipe Gestures

By: Ray2

Ray2 — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 03:34:34 +0000

I got a better idea. Google should try getting the basics right before it screws around with the bells and whistles you people talk about. I have multiple Yahoo and Gmail accounts loaded on my iPhone. By the time Gmail finally connects, Yahoo is done and I’m reading mails. My biggest issue is if there’s not many Yahoo mails to read, Gmail is still screwing around connecting.

Labs? What a joke. Half the one’s I’ve used don’t work, at all.

Interface, a joke. Why try to solve a problem that never existed.

The Mail.app is the only thing that makes Gmail acceptable. The Web interface is such a cluttered up joke it looks like it was designed as a toy box for 10 year olds.

Both my wife and I have iPhones and iPod Touchs. Its the same across the board.

By: grishick

grishick — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:25:25 +0000

Zimbra did it last week

By: ceejayoz

ceejayoz — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:14:28 +0000

That “offline database system” – SQLite – is already available on the iPhone’s MobileSafari browser.

By: I win

I win — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:06:50 +0000

I agree with you on this kyle. Considering that Google doesn’t use the API and has such a great mobile version of gmail it seems like Apple would have something far superior on their own device. Google has hit the ball out of the park as far as mobile web pages go. There isn’t anything out there even close to this that I am aware of.

By: earl russell

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By: Mark Avey

Mark Avey — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:06:52 +0000

I love the iPhone Gmail app, but why are there still no graphics in emails? Last post I could find said they were “looking at it” and that was 2 months ago.

Or have I missed a hidden switch somewhere?

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:11:38 +0000

The gmail mobile site is broken! No inline images (is it just me???)! WTF? I’ve gone back to using the native iPhone email app which is much improved with the 3.0 upgrade.

By: Cell Mobile Guide » Gmail Makes Its iPhone Web Version More App-Like With Swipe Gestures

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:26:51 +0000

[...] The rest is here: Gmail Makes Its iPhone Web Version More App-Like With Swipe Gestures [...]

By: Adam

Adam — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:56:39 +0000

I’m sure this is just part of the Safari multi-touch and gesture support built in the browser / DOM

http://develope...TP40006511-SW23

By: chad

chad — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:24:46 +0000

I guess I’m just hard to please. I’m iPhone 1.0 user who switched from Apple’s mail app to Gmail’s web version because I needed power-user features like search. I’ve used Gmail in Safari on the iPhone several times a day for a couple years now. It sucks. And it is only getting worse. They absolutely should build a native app.

Try writing an email with it that is more than a paragraph long. You can’t scroll up to the top of your message to review what you’ve typed.

Try scrolling through a long email thread without getting completely distracted by the floating menu that eagerly follows you around.

Try marking an email that you’re reading as unread.

I could go on, but the single biggest reason Google should release native iPhone apps is for the iPhone user interface guidelines. There are UI standards that were established for the iPhone for a reason. Usability.

By: Bob

Bob — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:19:03 +0000

brilliant!

By: jinushaun

jinushaun — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:10:09 +0000

There’s no magic. Remember when the only way to make iPhone ‘apps’ were through Mobile Safari? You’d be surprised what Apple put in there. Mobile Safari exposes certain things to Javascript that developers can tap into, no pun intended.

Unfortunately, it’s poorly documented since all their energy has gone into the native SDK after 2.0.

By: RM

RM — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:04:40 +0000

Siegler my young follower,

Noticed you haven’t blogged about the Adobe Flash announcement.

Thanks for not mentioning it.

Now, sit in you mantra position and repeat after me: the iPhone doesn’t need Flash. Flash will impact battery life. Flash leads to pop-up ads. When I deem Flash is ready for the iPhone I’ll tell you…until then, you don’t need it.

Sincerely,
S. Jobs

p.s. It’s great to be back.

By: igniguy

igniguy — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:00:19 +0000

mobile safari now supports offline databases and geolocation

By: igniguy

igniguy — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:56:39 +0000

apart from graphics-intensive game, i don’t see the reason to create a mobile app for things like gmail or facebook (twitter’s mobile site needs work). the new mobile safari is a great browser, and even supports html5 standards. Oddly, even though google evangelizes web apps, the android browser sucks in that respect.

By: Spencer Schoeben

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:53:25 +0000

Hopefull HTML5 should fix this. Some sort of offline database system is built into Safari 4. If this proves successful, they should bring it to the phone.

http://webkit.o...tabase-storage/

I think, aside from games, most data/content based apps will ultimately be more appropriate as web apps. We have so many websites that we use online, why should each one have to have a separate app on the phone?

By: Adam

Adam — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:52:52 +0000

Getting an App accepted means you get in the App Store. That’s where all the users keep ending up buying any old tat that would never sell elsewhere

By: Spencer Schoeben

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:48:36 +0000

Good point. It would make it feel more like a native app as well, rather than just a part of their website.

By: Spencer Schoeben

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:45:56 +0000

They don’t use any of Apple’s APIs. They just emulate the design concept.

They just track the cursor—in this case, your finger—for movements and then display their button, allowing you to take an action (delete the email).

Anyway, nothing beats a native app, however, they do a pretty good job mimicking the experience on the web. The web, in general, is taking over and is becoming just as good as desktop apps for many reasons. On the iPhone, native apps have more of an advantage than native apps on the computer (given the size of the device and the concept of keeping it in your pocket but staying connected.)

Just like on the computer, web apps are doing amazing things and no API’s are needed (for interface things like swipes). API’s are only needed to interact with core features of the phone. In the future, similar APIs will be available to web developers.

By: Havoc Marketing

Havoc Marketing — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:32:29 +0000

Hi MG,

That’s definitely a good news for iPhone and iPod users. Until Apple allows the gmail app, iPhone and iPod users could enjoy using these cool features.

Mani Raj
Havoc Marketing

By: Ryan Townsend

Ryan Townsend — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:28:36 +0000

For offline/low connectivity use, greater performance, instant loading, 3D rendering, push notification usage… the list goes on.

I’m not sure this is part of the API either, simply JavaScript to recognise it.

By: Derry Quinn

Derry Quinn — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:26:21 +0000

I don’t think it uses the native API, just Javascript perhaps? I’m not a webdev so I haven’t I clue, but that’s what I’m guessing so it’s obviously 100% true.

By: kyle

kyle — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:25:55 +0000

I wish Apple would make the mail client on the iPhone more like Gmail’s web iphone app. I’m amazed at the thoughtfulness of the iPhone Gmail experience. Great stuff, except that it seems slightly slower than it was in the past. Other than that, it’s way more useful than what Apple provides as the default mail experience.

nice stuff, google.

By: freshteapot

freshteapot — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:19:01 +0000

Without making myself look to foolish.

If Google is able to tap into the iphone api ( im assuming it taps into it ) and know when the phone is being swiped to archive emails.

What is the need of building an app for iphone which may or may not get rejected?

Otherwise, im curious to know a url or shortlist of other functions a website can use when interacting with an iphone user.

By: Sanjay Vakil

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:18:40 +0000

One thing I’d love to see changed is to NOT have the Google logo link to the Google homepage.

I understand why it is there, and that all roads want to lead to Google, but it is right next to the [Inbox] button and so I hit it far to often.

Make it an pretty image. Not a button.