Gmail’s New Look Rolls Out: New HD Themes, “Streamlined” Conversations, Better Search & Other Tricks

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Google updated Google Reader yesterday, and made one more mistake people will remember, it fixed something it wasn’t broken. But this is not a rant against the new Google Reader version that may just convince me to get an “app for that” as I’m about to show you the new features of Gmail for desktops, which was also updated today.

Unlike the Reader, which I’m having a hard time adapting to, I do like what Google has done to Gmail. Maybe I got used to the look and feel of the new Gmail since I’ve been using one of the new beta themes for quite a while now. What’s certain is that I appreciated some of the features you’re about to discover when checking your Gmail later today since Google leaked the introductory Gmail presentation a few weeks ago.

In case you missed the video, it’s available bellow, but let’s look at what the new Gmail brings to the table first:

• Streamlined conversations
• Elastic density
• New HD themes
• Smarter navigation
• Better search

The conversations thread has been completely changed to reflect Google’s new emphasis on its Google+ social network. The interface is minimal and intuitive showing you just what you need to see. But don’t worry, all the menus are still there, even if we’re looking at an entirely designed toolbar, among other changes. On top of that, each contact has a picture now, the same image that’s available via one’s Google+ profile, but then again, we’re not surprised by that, are we?

The elastic density refers to the way Gmail is displayed on various devices that have different screen sizes. The elements of the new Gmail themes can now automatically adjust to the new display size, and you can choose from three available options: comfortable, cozy and compact. I wish we had a similar options in Google Reader, but hey, this isn’t an anti Google Reader rant so let’s move on to the next feature.

There’s not much to say about the new HD themes. They are new, and they are HD. The images come from iStockphoto, not that we really care about such details. I’m using the clean, simple Google theme, but you may certainly want to further customize the look and feel of your Gmail experience by adding a more colorful theme to it.

The smarter navigation helps you keep a better balance between the way you use the features available in Gmail. In case you do a lot of Instant Messaging then you may want to increase the size of that area. On the other hand, if you’re more focused on emails, labels and folders then you can minimize the chat section to see more of those.

What I really find interesting is the “better search” feature. Instead of the regular search bar, which was customizable by clicking on the “advanced search” link, we now have an improved drop-down menu that will let us better refine our search. If you’ve been using Gmail for as long as I have, then it means you also have plenty of archived email threads which are always a pain to go through when searching for specific information. Therefore I certainly appreciate the Gmail search improvement and I’m certain it will shorten the amount of time I’m used to spend in Gmail search until I find that specific document or conversation I’m looking for.

With all that in mind, I can say the new Gmail doesn’t look that bad. If you haven’t tried it yet, you can do so by clicking the link in the bottom-right corner. If you hate the new look you’ll be able to revert to the old Gmail theme and use that for a while. Now, I just want my Google Reader back…