2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44
The day before yesterday, Google introduced a new service, Inbox, with great fanfare, which should replace Gmail in the long run. This morning we finally received an invite to a new product of the Corporation of Good and are ready to share our impressions of it.
Overview
Email apps became very popular with developers a couple of years ago and started with Mailbox, who introduced the concept of an email inbox as a to-do list, where each email can be "done", "postponed" or "deleted".
When creating Inbox, Google took a lot of inspiration from this email application. The mechanics of working with letters are very similar - you can also "execute", postpone or delete them. One has only to compare the two applications to understand how much they have in common.
If the letter contains video or photos, then you can see them immediately in the "Inbox", without going directly inside the letter itself.
However, Google uses its own algorithm for submission of letters. If in Mailbox all letters are displayed "as is", that is, each individual letter is a separate task, then in Inbox the letters are grouped by category, as in Gmail. For example, letters from banks are sent to the "Finance" category, social media alerts to "Social networks" and so on.
Inbox takes a lot from Google Now. For example, if you receive a letter with information about the flight, Inbox will show you the corresponding card with the flight number and status. Letters from hotels are accompanied by geotags. As in the case of videos and photos, they are displayed immediately in the "Inbox". By the way, many people call Inbox "the child of Gmail and Google Now".
Google has also implemented separate reminders in Inbox that have nothing to do with emails. Indeed, many have used Gmail as a full-fledged work organizer, and it will be useful for them.
As you can see, Inbox has the ability to set reminders for tasks and letters not only in time, but also in place. This is very similar to the similar feature in the standard "Reminders" on iOS and OS X.
Important letters can be "nailed" in a special section so as not to lose information:
Our impressions
What can we say about Google Inbox? This service cannot be called purely "mail", because its functionality is somewhat broader. Rather, it is an organizer, albeit with an emphasis on the postal component.
- I liked the design of Inbox. Like the whole Material Design concept;
- Previewing photos and cards in Inbox a la Google Now is a good idea;
- autogrouping letters is a common thing. Thanks to her, the use of Inbox does not become much more convenient or much worse;
- working with a large number of letters is inconvenient, because 3-4 letters can fit on one screen, while in the same Gmail or Mailbox - 2 times more;
- corporate accounts are not yet supported;
- on-site reminders are a very useful feature;
- the web version only works in Chrome (minus), but works very smoothly (plus);
- in the iOS application, only photos and videos can be attached to emails; documents from cloud storage (even Google Drive) cannot be added yet.
In general, it is impossible to formulate an unequivocal opinion about Google Inbox. Firstly, it is not yet available to all users, it will be finalized. Secondly, Inbox is definitely not suitable for those who heavily use mail for work and receive large flows of letters.
Inbox will appeal to those who use mail for personal purposes. He exchanges photos with friends (though it's not clear why, when there are instant messengers and social networks, but this is not the subject of our review, so let's skip this moment), travels a lot and receives relevant notifications, monitors discounts in online stores and updates from the forums.
Opinions of users and experts
Joe Rossignol Posted by 9to5mac
Inbox is the brainchild of a marriage between Gmail and Google Now. This service is built for modern users who want to quickly and efficiently manage their tasks.
David Pearce Editor The Verge
Inbox works great on all platforms due to the fact that it is built on the principles of Material Design. The interface is conducive to easy sorting of letters and tasks. Implementing Google Now cards is a good idea. All in all, it all looks like the email of the future.
Alexey Ponomar Project Manager Lifehacker and Makradar
A clone of Mailbox, and not yet the most convenient one
What a cheap PR with invitations, use it yourself, MailBox and Mail are enough. They immediately try to get into other boxes in order to collect even more information for advertising.
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