Google today announced improvements to Gmail for mobile, for the iPhone and Android web browsers. Google claims Gmail for mobile is a lot faster when opening an email, navigating, or searching. If the data network drops out on you, Gmail won't. You'll still be able to open recently read messages and compose messages over an unreliable or non-existent, network connection. (See demo video to the right)



Gmail for mobile aggressively caches and uses new browser technologies, like HTML5 and Gears. The full impact of this new architecture isn't visible yet, but it will enable Google to significantly improve performance and quickly roll out new features in the near future.


The new Gmail for mobile also accesses the inbox faster. Now when you select a message, a floating bar appears near the top of the screen with options to archive, delete, and more. The floating bar stays with you as you scroll through your inbox, so you can easily archive, delete, or view more options no matter where you are.

The look and feel of the messages has also been improved with easier to read labels and look similar to the desktop Gmail. The search menu has been moved to the top header making it more accessible.

The new Gmail for mobile only supports iPhone/iPod Touch OS 2.2.1 or above. If you have an older firmware version, you'll be directed to the previous Gmail for mobile. All Android-powered phones are supported. New Gmail for mobile is available for English only. The roll out will occur over the course of a day, so please check back later if you don't see the updated user interface right away

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