Apr 27 2009
GMac
Everything is big about Google: big storage limits, big search indexes and big maps. But, as evolved as webmail can get, we’d all like it to behave a little more like desktop email clients. For this, we turn to freeware…
Growl is about the coolest way to get notifications on your Mac. Gmail+Growl bridges the Growl alert system with the Google Gmail Notifier to bring you system level alerts of incoming mail. Gmail+Growl shows you the Address Book icon of the sender and an excerpt of the message. Its a very cool way to stay on top of your Gmail without a browser.
Whether the Gmail UI is attractive or not isn’t really the point. We’re not the type that likes to look like everyone else. And lucky for us, someone has devised a system for hacking up the Gmail interface. With just an extension and a CSS file you can pimp your mail. There are already a few pre-made skins available (like here, here and here). This similar Greasemonkey script is worth looking at too.
This Firefox Extension monitors multiple Gmail accounts, letting you pick from a drop-down and track notifications for all of them. Flexible options let you control what you see in toot tips and where the icon shows up. It is the best way I’ve seen of staying on top of multiple gmail accounts while integrating Gmail into Firefox.
Here’s another cool Firefox extension that bends Gmail a new direction. This extension allows you to access and use your Gmail storage space like a remote drive (think FTP). The GSpace command from the tools menu brings up a remote and local file view. transfers support files greater than 10 mb, with caveats. This is a very new program doing something Google didn’t intend, so enjoy it while it lasts!
Don’t forget that a few weeks ago we looked at a Mac app that does this same thing outside your browser: gDisk.
That’s it for my Gmail roundup. And it should be plenty to get your Gmail a little more how you like it. Thanks for reading!
