Google companion app turns Gmail into to-do list

Published October 23, 2014 6:04pm

If you use Gmail as a to-do list by sending emails to yourself, you might want to get this companion app for Gmail from Google.

Dubbed "Inbox," the companion app is "designed to focus on what really matters," Android, Chrome and Apps SVP Sundar Pichai said in a blog post.

"(W)e get more email now than ever, important information is buried inside messages, and our most important tasks can slip through the cracks—especially when we’re working on our phones. For many of us, dealing with email has become a daily chore that distracts from what we really need to do—rather than helping us get those things done," Pichai said.

He said Inbox can help the Gmail user with:

Bundles: stay organized automatically as Inbox expands upon the categories introduced in Gmail last year. Purchase receipts or bank statements are neatly grouped together, or a user can teach Inbox to "adapt to the way you work by choosing which emails you’d like to see grouped together."
Highlights: the important information at a glance, including key information from important messages like flight itineraries, event information, and photos and documents emailed from friends and family. "Inbox will even display useful information from the web that wasn’t in the original email, such as the real-time status of your flights and package deliveries," Pichai said.
Reminders, Assists, and Snooze.

Assists are pieces of information a user may need to get the job done.

"For example, if you write a Reminder to call the hardware store, Inbox will supply the store’s phone number and tell you if it's open. Assists work for your email, too. If you make a restaurant reservation online, Inbox adds a map to your confirmation email. Book a flight online, and Inbox gives a link to check-in," Pichai said.

But Inbox is not yet for everyone. Google is sending the first round of invitations where each new user will be able to invite their friends.

Those who want to try the new app may email inbox@google.com to get an invitation.

However, tech site The Verge said there is no Google Apps support yet.

"This is the key (concept) of Inbox: your emails, your to-do lists, everything represents something you need to deal with. So why not put it all in one place?" it said. — Joel Locsin/TJD, GMA News

Tags: google, gmail