Google Soft Launches "Inbox" App for Smarter Gmail
As the company gears up to launch Android 5.0, AKA Lollipop, Google is unleashing all kinds of goodies that will make its mobile operating system the belle of the ball. One such goodie is an app called Inbox, which is being called a cross “between Gmail and Google Now.” It’ll be available for Android and iOS users, but only through the Chrome web browser for now.
What does that mean, exactly? One of the main features of Inbox – which relies on users’ Gmail accounts to work – is that it’ll group similar messages together, meaning you won’t have to hunt them down. For instance, if you receive a bunch of confirmation emails from Amazon, they’ll all be grouped into one section, while the confirmation email on that flight you bought two months ago should also be easily accessible in the travel section. That’s convenient, and takes the onus of inbox organization off the user. As a messy email kind of guy, I really appreciate that.
Inbox will also provide highlights in message previews, like relevant travel or shipping information, or even just a few thumbnails of pictures your friend sent to you, without requiring you to open the email itself. It’s a quick-view feature that, again, might really help people keep from wasting time on sifting through messages to find the information they need in that second. Inbox also boasts a reminder system that sounds very similar to the one that’s already included in Google’s note-taking app, Keep, so I have to wonder whether or not Inbox’s reminder system will differ much from Keep’s.
Will Inbox replace Keep, Google Now, and Gmail all in one fell swoop? Or will it coexist with these three other apps while providing its own reason for being as well? I’m looking forward to finding out. I’ve requested my invitation to the program – the only way to get access prior to its official launch – by emailing inbox@gmail.com from my Gmail account.