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Gmail innovations could help cut communications costs and improve
company email efficiency
by Alan Zisman (c) 2010 First published in Business in Vancouver
September 28-October 4, 2010 issue #1092 High Tech Office column
Google software developers are encouraged to take part in what the
company calls “innovation time off,” spending a percentage of their
workweek on projects of their own choosing.
Google offerings such as Gmail, Google News and AdSense arose from this
program. Marissa Mayer, Google’s vice-president of search products and
user experience, suggested that half of the company’s recent product
launches were the results of ideas generated during innovation time off.
Users of Google’s Gmail webmail service were recently offered two new
optional features. First off the mark, the company added voice chat –
and phone calls – to Gmail. Users logging in got a pop-up message
cheerfully proclaiming, “New! Make phone calls from Gmail.”
Enabling the service required downloading and installing a browser
plug-in, after which a call phone button appears in the left-hand
column.
Though building on Google’s existing U.S.-only Google Voice service,
Canadian Gmail users have also been offered the Gmail add-in. Calls
made to phone numbers in the U.S. and Canada are free – at least
through the end of 2010. International calls cost, but rates are as low
as $0.02 a minute – and users start with a $0.10 credit.
In my tests – and I was one of the reported million people making calls
on the first day the service was offered – call quality was pretty
good, considering I was sitting at a computer using the built-in
microphone and speakers. It was certainly on a par with dedicated
services like Skype. Nicely, it integrates with my Gmail contact list,
letting me phone a contact by just starting to type the name.
Unlike Skype, however, which offers service on iPads and a variety of
smartphones, these new Gmail phone calls can be made only from a
desktop, laptop or netbook computer. No mobile-device support, at least
not yet. You need a Google voice account to receive incoming calls – so
no Canadians need apply. This limits its usefulness. I’m not sure I’ll
use it often, but as a cheap way to make long-distance calls (from a
computer) it may have its uses.
Google cites research claiming that on average, a business user gets
and sends 110 email messages each day. Managing email is, for many
people, a growing part of the workday.
Gmail does a good job filtering out spam – making an educated guess
about what email messages I would rather not see in my Inbox. Another
recent Gmail add-on tries to do the opposite: predict what messages
will be most important to me.
Again, what Google is calling “priority inbox” popped up as a new
option for Gmail users. Once accepted, the software peeks at messages
in your inbox and guesses which ones might be more important to you;
you’re asked to confirm or change its choices.
Afterward, new mail messages Google hopes you’ll consider more
important show up at the top of the list; the rest appear down below.
Among the data it considers: if you’ve ever emailed someone or replied
to an email from that contact their future messages are prioritized. If
it guesses wrong, you can correct it – plus and minus buttons let you
indicate whether a message is more or less important to you.
Even without training, it seems to be doing a pretty good job. In
general, email from people takes priority over newsletters and sales
pitches. When a top-level message has been read, it drops down into the
regular inbox, listed as normal in chronological order.
Clicking the “inbox” link on the left brings back the standard,
non-sorted list of all messages; clicking “priority inbox” restores
that view.
Google claims that priority inbox will make it easier for users to wade
through mountains of email. Google product manager Rajen Sheth told PC
Magazine that testers spent 6% less time managing their inboxes. While
this may seem insignificant, he claimed it added up to “over a week of
additional time each year.”
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