A new version of the Gmail app in Android Market has been released with some welcome usability updates. This is the first time that the Gmail app has been made available as a standalone download, so Gmail updates are no longer dependent on system updates.
Updated Gmail app screenshot
The changes to the app itself are minor. When scrolling through a threaded email the most important message actions like ‘Star’ and ‘Reply’ stay fixed at the top of the screen, so they are accessible at all times. Also in threaded emails, the ‘Show quoted text’ feature has been enabled, just like in the web browser version of Gmail. Finally, Priority Inbox is supported, although limited, with all messages deemed important given the appropriate label ‘Important’.
Unfortunately this release is only available on handsets with Froyo installed (Android version 2.2), which currently accounts for around 29% of all Android devices.
If you’re one of the lucky Froyo users and have updated the Gmail app, let us know what you think in the comments.
