Google's new Gmail has tabs that make it easier to
organize (and ignore) email.
Over the next week, millions of Gmail users will notice that something's changed. Just like the web browser containing it, Gmail will have tabs.
But it won't be tabs
for handling different accounts. Instead, the tabs will represent the new
auto-sorting powers Google's Gmail has been granted in an attempt to make your
email more useful. You might say it's an evolution of the spam blocker
Leveraging years of
data collection from Gmail accounts, Google (GOOG,
Fortune 500) will be
able to take notifications from services like Facebook (FB)
and Twitter and file them away in a folder titled Social. Groupon (GRPN)
deals and the never-ending onslaught of email from Fab will be tucked away in
the Promotions folders
All those bills,
receipts, and nagging reminders you don't really want to deal with? Updates
folder. And for those who still use message boards and mailing lists, there's a
folder for any emails from that corner of the internet.
The amount of email
we all get has gone way up. But as our methods of communicating electronically
have become more varied, we receive far fewer emails we actually care about --
emails that can get lost in the flood of knockoff Cialis offers.
With the updated
Gmail, which Google unveiled earlier this week, what should theoretically
remain is an inbox of email you actually want to look at.
Google has tried for
years to supply tools to make email less painful. It introduced the
aforementioned spam filters, a Starred email folder, and an auto-populating
Priority Inbox, all in an attempt to reduce the noise. But aside from the spam
filter, people haven't really latched on to any of the other solutions. And
even with the spam filter, most people still have way too many emails.
When Mailbox, an app
built on top of Gmail, was released for Apple's (AAPL,
Fortune 500) iOS
earlier this year, it stood out for its simplistic approach and painless way
for filing non-urgent mail.
Google is wise to
build some of that sorting into the core experience of Gmail, but it's even
smarter to move a step ahead and automate the process. Few companies arguably
have more data and insights on the type of mail people really want to engage
with, and if anyone is audaciously qualified to attempt such a feat, it's
Google.
(Source: CNN)
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