Gmail 2.0 for iOS hands on: It’s not perfect, but it’s getting there

Gmail has finally made the jump to version 2.0 on iOS, much to the joy of users of the Google-made email service. A whole new look and some much-needed feature additions like multiple account support make this a worthy upgrade for most, though power users may find the navigation troublesome.

Google has been making it a point to show its apps some more love these days. After an update to Gmail on its native OS of Android, Google decided to give iOS users a gift of a major update to its mobile mail client. The previous versions of the app on Apple devices left a lot to be desired and led to a lot of third party solutions, one of the best of which being Sparrow, which is now owned by Google. After six months of reworking its in-house offering, it’s clear Google made something worth using – as long as you don’t compare it to it’s Android equivalent.

After getting the update to the new look Gmail app, the first thing users will notice is an entire redesign to the interface. The previous theme of Gmail included dark colors and somewhat boring, rounded corners, and so-so fonts. Now bright colors, crisp texts, and sharp boxes. Even pulling down the menus to refresh or loading a message displays a multi-colored, animated ball that offers just a second of extra brightness to the experience. 

It’s not a deal-making feature or anything, but it’s just a nice little touch that adds a bit of class to browsing mundane emails. That or it’s a very clever cover up for some in-app lag, in which case it worked because it’s distracting.

The threaded message view now includes a nice icon, subject, sender, and message information taking up all available space. There’s a bit more in the iPad version, taking advantage of the extra screen space, but on the iPhone it’s a little sparse. It’s also a bit more difficult to collapse an expanded thread on the iPhone. This is just the start of issues with message movement. You have to back out of each message and re-navigate your inbox to go to the next message. It seems like a little thing, but it really does change your browsing experience – especially if you’re used to Sparrow or other major third party options.

Integration with other Google products like Google+ and Calendar are welcome improvements that make things a lot easier. Direct replying to events with Calendar is great for creating a more universal Google experience. Seeing Google+ notifications right in your Gmail inbox is also nice, especially if you’re a heavy user of the social network that, with the bigger push by Google through other tools like Gmail, now seems like an inevitably perpetual presence than a forgotten option.

A heavily requested feature that has finally made an appearance in Gmail 2.0 is the ability to include multiple accounts in the app. You can link up to five Gmail identities to the Gmail app and switch between them. It’s nice, but if you’re a power user it probably still isn’t quite what you’re looking for. Changing between accounts is a multi-tap process. It’s not painful or anything, but it’s a little cumbersome and less than efficient – more just required to get to where you need to go. Perhaps we should just be glad it’s here but when you’re used to things like Sparrow, it’s hard to accept less.

All things considered, Gmail 2.0 for iOS is anything but a disappointment. For people using Apple’s Mail app or other free alternatives out there, Gmail is definitely a big enough step up to act as your go-to mail client. It looks great, the ability to manage multiple accounts was much needed, and the overall Google integration is very useful for people that already call other tools from the search giant their defaults. If you spend a lot of your day communicating from inside your inbox, Gmail 2.0 probably still leaves a bit to be desired. Navigating the app can be cumbersome and there’s a bit of a lag issue. It’s too clunky to be as quick and easy as one would want, it’s not quite up to par with Sparrow or the Gmail Android app – technically making Google it’s own biggest competitor no matter how you look at it. Gmail 2.0 is a huge jump from its previous version, but it doesn’t quite land it in the big leagues yet.

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Nintendo: No Wii U price cut like there was for Nintendo 3DS

The Nintendo 3DS is a proven success, but it only got there thanks to a drastic price cut six months after its release. Is Nintendo planning to drop the price of the Wii U in the same time frame?

The Wii U’s off to a promising start in the US. On Friday, Wii U debuted across Europe as well as in New Zealand. Next week, Wii U goes to Japan. Nintendo’s in a good spot but its last new console, the Nintendo 3DS, had an equally promising debut. Sales dropped quickly, though, and Nintendo was forced to dramatically cut the price. Is a similar price cut waiting in the Wii U’s future?

Not as of now according to the company. Nintendo UK executives Shelly Pearce and James Honeywell said during the console’s UK release that the company has confidence in Wii U’s price.

“The 3DS was a strong launch for us—we’re hoping the Wii U will be just as strong or even stronger,” Honeywell told Eurogamer, “As for whether there will be a future price cut we certainly have no plans for that at the moment.”

“We have no plans for a price cut,” said Pearce, “If someone really wants it this Christmas they should go and but it.”

Nintendo sold 400,000 Wii Us in one week, a promising debut for a console that created a lot of confusion earlier in the year. Following E3 2012, as Nintendo began the slow process of marketing its machine, it wasn’t always clear what Wii U was. Late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon thought the Wii U was just a new controller for the Wii, as did a CNN reporter that wrote a story about the console. Now that the Wii U is out, though, people are responding but it won’t be until the holiday period is over that the Wii U can prove itself.

$300 or $350 for a new Wii U may prove too expensive next spring when the post-launch period begins and Nintendo has trouble bringing new games to market. The Nintendo 3DS price drop came within six months of the device’s release. With only two Nintendo-developed games scheduled to come out between now and May—namely Pikmin 3 and Game & Wario—Nintendo may ultimately find itself in a similar situation with Wii U.

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BBC responds in detail to why there is no iPlayer for Windows Phone

O iPlayer, Where Art Thou?

The on again, off again saga of iPlayer for the BBC and Windows Phone has been toying with anxious readers for months now. At first the Inquirer said it was coming and then Pocket-lint effectively squashed that rumor just three days later, leaving consumers with little hope for an effective media solution.

The hope was always that Nokia would some how come in and save the day for Windows Phone users but alas, that does not seem to be the case. One of our readers, Paul A., emailed the BBC asking for information as to their reasons for not supporting Windows Phone. Surprisingly, Daniel Danker who is the General Manager of Programmes & On Demand for the BBC gave a very thorough response to Paul’s question as to why there is no Windows Phone support.

The response can be summarized as the following: Microsoft and Windows Phone use different “technologies” for streaming than iPhone and Android. While the latter two also have their own unique system, it is unique to both so the BBC can recycle their content across both platforms making a wise investment of funds and resources.

However, for Windows Phone 7, the BBC would have to build from the ground-up an app to handle that technology, costing them more than they evidently can spare. Here the phrase “return on investment” probably rings true especially with the low marketshare of Windows Phone in comparison to Android and iOS.

Another problem is the just announced Windows Phone 8, which changes things again for developers and would cause any Windows Phone 7 app to have to be “re-built” for the new system. The idea that Windows Phone 7 development would slowdown for some major companies in anticipation of Windows Phone 8 appears to be a valid concern after all.

Finally, the matter of web-streaming is also brought up with blame being put right into Microsoft’s lap for an alleged browser bug:

“...today there's a bug in Windows Phone that prevents our standards-based media from being played on those devices. Microsoft has been aware of the bug for over a year now, and we're hopeful they'll address it (on Windows Phone 7 as well as Windows Phone 8) so our Windows Phone audiences can access iPlayer.”

It seems clear from the email that BBC would be open to supporting Windows Phone if the conditions were more apt and inviting for them to do so. But with the phasing out of Windows Phone 7 over the next few months, the uncertainty of Windows Phone 8 and what is evidently an issue with Internet Explorer preventing web-based streaming, the chances of a BBC iPlayer coming in the near future looks slim.

Danker does close out the email with a bit of hope for users though:

“As you can see, there's no easy answer. I'm optimistic that one or both of the options above will become possible in Windows Phone 8, but that's little help to people like you who are using Windows Phone 7. Nonetheless, hopefully this additional detail helps you understand our thought process.”

Indeed it does. Once again, all eyes are on Windows Phone 8 to change things for developers and consumers, bringing them the content they want and deserve.

Until then, users will have to use the upcoming BBC Radio Player Pro from Igneous Software as detailed in our earlier hands-on coverage.

Thanks, Paul A., for sending us the email

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