A few weeks ago, my computer crashed. Suddenly, I was fully living in the cloud, depending on Gmail for my email, Google Calendar for my calendar, until I could get Outlook up and running again. And I realized that despite Google wanting the browser to be the interface to everything, software applications still have a place — with Twitter being a case in point.
Plenty of people start off using Twitter on the web. But as you get into it, you realize how much better your experience is when you use a dedicated application like Twhirl or Tweetdeck. Light and easy to install, they provide many features that Twitter on the web does not. They also provide a better user experience for those who want to interact with Twitter.
That brings me back to Gmail. I love Outlook. It’s an outstanding email / contact manager / calendar client. But it’s heavy, and it’s a pain when you need to reinstall it. It doesn’t remember all those account settings you have, how you want your email to display, signatures for your email, what “day of the week” you want your calendar to start on and so forth.
So why not shift fully to Gmail, which remembers everything? The “client” in the browser is still clunky. Sometimes I want to open several “email windows.” Or with Google Calendar, I want to see a month at-a-time with that meaning four weeks, not literally a particular month. Most important, I use multiple Google accounts. If I sign into Gmail with one, I’m stuck with that, having to sign-out into another. (Moving From SpamCop To Gmail & Loving POP Download With Archiving explains more about why I like Outlook as a client to Gmail).
A Gmail client would solve this. I’d be able to log into my main Gmail account without worrying about whatever else was going on with my browser. Those who worry about Google tracking them when logged in would be especially reassured by a client. Plus, I suspect a better user interface could be crafted. (I could use Yahoo’s Zimbra, I suppose, but I found it also kind of heavy).
With few exceptions, Google doesn’t provide apps for its software (Picasa and Google Earth are examples of those exceptions). Google pushes the Chrome browser because it fully believes that the browser is the way forward when it comes to software applications — those applications will live in the cloud, and the browser will be the universal user interface.
I hope Google thinks beyond the browser, Chrome or another. Using Adobe AIR or anything that can give me and others a lightweight, multi-platform application that can access our cloud data (and our preferred user settings). The browser can remain a universal backup, but for many, I think custom applications still can enhance the user experience.
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you can share google calenders between different google accounts. For example I’m getting the kids acquainted with working on line by letting them maintain the “family calendar” in a google account. They share it with me in my google apps for domain account. My wife can also see the “family calender” online when she’s at work, and I can see it on my phone, it’s soooooo much better than outlook.
Want multiple tabs for mail and calendar, just right click and “duplicate tab”. Want to see 4 weeks and not a month, go into the setting tab and change the custom setting from 2 weeks to 4 weeks.
You can’t live without desktop software completely, but mail and calendar are two spots you definitely can.
Danny, actually, all of the “issues” that you said would only be solved by a client are actually already available in Gmail/Calendar. You can shift-click any conversation in your inbox to open it in a new window, and you can shift-click “Compose Mail” to open a draft in a new window. In Google Calendar, visit your settings and you can set your default view to be customized as a 4-week view — this is what I have for my personal calendar.
The only “unsolvable” I see if your desire to manage multiple accounts. You can, however, manage multiple POP accounts from Gmail (for example, my parents use a single Gmail account — my dad’s — to compose and respond to messages for both my dad and mom’s separate accounts.)
Google AdWords Editor (AE) is a really nice app that runs on the desktop. It can do all sorts of things not available via the web interface. I happily use both, depending on what needs to be done.
I suspect Google could create a Gmail application or API, but there would have to be demand for it. Once they release something, they are committing to support it (or risking a loss of reputation if they don’t).
Good comments so far. I notice myself going the opposite direction; I’m trying to get more and more into the cloud. I was cleaning files off my laptop this weekend, for example, and I noticed that I had Twirl installed but hadn’t used it a few months. I like that the web has fairly standard user-interface idioms for dealing with things, but programs can get much more unintuitive with their UIs.
Many folks are turning to Thunderbird with the GmailUI skin and others coming along. Various POP3 tweaks help to download an entire Gmail account and help with sync. Seems to be a trend I might soon try myself.
I tend to favor Danny’s view more than the rebuttal comments so far. Particularly cuz of the ease of use.
However, what struck me is the “datum” that those who worry about Google tracking them would no longer have a concern using a client version email. I fail to see that. I think there still is quite a bit to worry about still.
I also don’t find Chrome as strikingly impressive as Matt states often. I use it for speed purposes sometimes. Generally however, I stick with Firefox and I also use IE8 for some purposes. Each have their advantages.
Gmail supports IMAP so you can use absolutely any email client with it.
Try using Postbox (http://www.postbox-inc.com/) if you want an experience that is similar to Gmail’s web interface
@graywolf re using the cloud for email.
Sorry if your serious about doing stuff online some one who’s doing business who doesn’t set up and use a proper email address is a sign of a dilettante or as Dogbert would put it a Luser or a “Sub” in oldskool Telco terms.
Use a Gmail address as away for you to access your mail remotely or as a throw away address is ok but as your only address the sign of a rank amateur.
Btw if you think this sounds arrogant its not like I quote my phone/telex numbers in X.400 form 1 variant 3 anymore
To be clear, I use Google Apps for my email, rather than Gmail proper. That means I control my own domain; the email that goes out uses my domain name rather than Gmail. It’s a serious way of doing it. There’s more my email archives.
Hi Danny,
I definitely do see your points, and I also like the clarifications from other commenters here.
I found your example of Twhirl (and similar AIR apps) interesting and a bit problematic, though. I can’t imagine this being a native limitation of the AIR platform, but in all the apps I’ve tried, I have to re-enter all my settings on my two desktops and laptop separately. For instance, I initially tried out Tweetdeck, but quickly balked when I realized that I’d have to specify friend-groups separately on each computer… and on an ongoing basis, too.
Could apps like this sync settings (and read/unread status and such) to the cloud? Sure. But then you’re once again depending upon a central server, with all the connection/privacy/other baggage that entails.
I think many people have switched away from desktop clients to Google Mail because they actually prefer the interface. My mother finds it less confusing. I find it more convenient. And it’s far easier to customize GMail (e.g., with Greasemonkey) than Outlook. It’s nice that Outlook meets your needs exactly, but I suspect that among E-mail users in general, you may be in the minority. Furthermore, GMail actually does address many of the issues you raise, you just need to read the (fairly short) help file.
Danny,
I think Google agrees with you. From what I can tell, the are building Chrome not so much to be a browser, but to (ultimately) be an operating system of sorts. Apparently (and I may very well be wrong), each tab is a separate system process – meaning a crash of one tab won’t affect others. With technologies like Google Gears and HTML 5 (offline storage), Google probably hopes they will soon have enough of a software stack to replace Windows, especially at the very low end (netbooks). So yes, I imagine there will be a desktop GMail client. It just might not be a Windows-based one ;-
I wonder if Prism will give you what you want.
Maybe not, if you’re thinking how TweetDeck provides features you don’t get using Twitter online. Those new features have to come from somewhere/one. But then again, maybe there are Firefox extensions for Gmail, etc., that you’ll add to a Prism version of Gmail that you keep out of your browser in general.
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