Irfan’s Corner on the Web On Mac, Linux, Grid, Virtualization and Software Technology

My Favorite Gmail Features continued…

In my last posting I forgot to mention my other two favorite Gmail features:

Gmail Drive

The Gmail Drive is a virtual drive which can be mounted to your computer and used as an external storage device. It has a block size of 5MB, which means that uploading small files will waste a lot of space in your gmail account. The beauty of the concept is that you can store your important and private data in the drive, and ,esp. if you are a Windows user, you can never be sure when your files will be corrupted by a virus, and you always will have your data in a safe place. Ofcourse you must ensure that no one hacks your gmail account, by keeping complex passwords. There are a plethora of online storage services like Xdrive, which offer more space than Gmail provides, but I dont like to maintain a seperate account for file storage purposes. I like them all in one place. Gmail is increasingly becoming a virtual office, it allows me to edit documents, spreadsheets, manage my calendar etc.

Integrated Chat Client
A feature which is really innovative and started by Google is the integrated Gtalk Client in the Gmail interface. I really find this very useful, and allows me to get in touch with my friends from anywhere, without installing any software (MSN/Yahoo messenger). The Gtalk client has basic features, however I prefer simplicity over feature-bloat. I really dont think that user need a whiteboard, application sharing, super-size winks most of the time. What they require from a chat client is just a simple way to communicate with their peers.

So this sums up my list of favorite Gmail features.