Why should I switch to the new-look Gmail?

BANGALORE, INDIA: Gmail is now giving you an option to switch to a new and 'different' look. Soon, it might not be the case.

As the official roll-out seems some time away, you can toggle between both the existing and new looks to figure out which one is more 'friendly' to you.

Well, it might make a difference to check out the features of the new look as soon as possible — with Gmail promising to act upon your feedback on needed changes.

The core idea behind the planned make-over is supposedly to make the popular mail service cleaner and more modern. By and large, the search giant seems to have pulled it off — by cutting some sharp edges and doing away with frills.

But the fact is there are certain changes that deserve a thumbs-up and a few missing ones that could have made the mailing experience much smoother.

New look, simply

The new, customizable look — complete with drop-down options and hidden icons — enhances the overall visual appeal of the mail service. It goes without mention that it simplifies the whole process, too.

The best change, arguably, should be scrapping the page scroll option that used to prove tedious, when you went deep down the page to check old mails. As the mail folder text link options is on top left and the chat window right under the folders, you had to scroll a long way up to view those tools.

Now, a scroll bar is exclusively provided for the inbox, so that you would still be able to view all other options.

Also, you can adjust the display settings by opting among Comfortable (Large fonts), Cozy (Medium) and Compact (Small) by clicking on the new Settings icon diagonally below the top, right default Mail Settings icon.

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Less clutter, low frills

As Gmail puts it, "The new toolbar is always visible and only shows you the buttons you need when you need them."

So much so, all the buttons you used to view above the mail inbox — Archive, Spam, Delete, Move To, Labels — are not visible anymore. Only a mail selection option, a Refresh icon and a More icon, the last to mark all mails as read.

You can, however, view all the buttons once you open a mail. Certainly, a masterstroke to save space and in a way to declutter the existing space.

It is great to be able to increase/decrease the height of the chat window, depending on the number of contacts one would like to view at a point in time. Moreover, a toggle through dedicated icons for chat and gadgets below the chat window makes the task easier.

The search option on top comes with a lens icon, besides the keyword slot, which displays the search mail and search the web options once entering a phrase.

It also has filter for defining dates, subject and labels from the inbox. Clean and efficient.

Threads and trails

E-mail conversations and mail trails are easier to track now, with threads being seamlessly merged instead of the existing graphical demarcations. What more, you can also see the profile picture of the sender of each mail in a conversation.

A quick reply/forward box at the bottom helps with all the options on a regular reply box.

What if?

While the new features would impress most, some might be irked by Gmail's own set of predefined rules marking some — virtually, all — mails as 'Important'. Unfortunately, it gets carried over to the new-look Gmail without any modification.

Some more HD themes to suit the needs of different types of users wouldn't have hurt them at all. Overall, there are 35 themes to choose from.

Lastly, the messages stating: 'You will be automatically upgraded to the new look soon', and 'Revert to the old look temporarily' might not bode well with old-time and 'classic-look' users/lovers.

All said and done, what if they want to stick to the old look permanently?