New Google Toolbar

Are you wondering what happened to the black tool bar across the top of of your Gmail and Calendar that allows you to open other Google Apps? Google replaced the bar with a new Apps launcher icon to the top right of the screen. Clicking on the icon opens a window of Apps you can choose from... including Calendar and Drive.

For more information visit the blog posting
"Updating the Google bar: many products, multiple devices." 

Gmail Inbox to be updated; Mailbox tabs and graphics update

Recently posted on the Official Google Blog, Google is planning on rolling out an update for Gmail's inbox which changes the overall look of the inbox.  This is largely an aesthetic update, but the default is a bit different from the interface we all know and use daily.  The video below gives us a brief tour of the new inbox.

↵ Use original player

Meet Gmail's New Inbox

By Google

YouTube

• 1080p
• 720p
• 360p
• 240p FLV

← Replay

X

i

As of right now details are a bit sparse as to how email is filtered into the tabs or how much control users have over tabs; we will update users as more information arrives.

If you do not like the idea of multiple tabs in your email, you can always switch it back to classic mode.

This update should be rolling out over the next few weeks, though a specific time has not been stated.

Original Link

Email Large Files with Gmail and Google Drive

Ever have trouble sending large files as email attachments? There's now a new tool in the Gmail Compose window allowing you to attach Google Drive files to your email message. You can now insert files up to 10GB into your email message. Since the recipient will access these files from the cloud, they'll have access to the most current version as well.

Please note that this feature is only available with Gmail's new compose experience, so you'll need to opt-in if you haven't already done so.

For more details visit the Google Drive Blog posting, Gmail and Drive - a new way to send files.

New Streamlined Compose Window in Gmail

Google Gmail now offers a new streamlined compose window. When you click the red "Compose" button in Gmail, you'll be prompted to preview the new compose feature.

Click to enlarge

To try it out, click the blue "Try it now" button at the lower left portion of the window. Otherwise, click the "Not now" button.

Should you decide you want to revert back to the old Compose, click the down arrow in the lower right corner of the Compose window and choose "Switch back to old compose" from the menu.

For more details visit: Official Google Enterprise Blog: Introducing the new compose in Gmail

For Gmail Help on this topic, visit Gmail's new compose and reply experience

Star and Label Gmail Messages Before Sending

When composing a Gmail message, you can now star and label it before sending. Just use the "Labels" drop-down menu.

For more information see: Star and label messages before you send them | Official Gmail Blog:

Automatic Upgrade to Gmail's New Look to Happen Soon

You'll be automatically upgraded to the new Gmail look very soon. But if you don't want to wait, you can switch to it today by logging into Gmail and clicking "Switch to the new look."

Check out the video to see some of the new Gmail improvements.

And for more information about the Gmail new look visit Gmail's New Look.

New Google Mail Lab: Preview Pane

Ever wish that you could view your list of Gmail messages as well as see the content of an individual message? The Gmail Lab "Preview Pane" provides this functionality; click on the image below for an example. This works especially well when you have lots of screen space.

To enable this lab:

1. Click on the gear icon in the upper right corner of your Gmail window and choose "Mail settings". 
2. Click on the "Labs" tab and search for "preview pane". 
3. Click the "Enable" radio button to the right and then click the "Save Changes" button at the bottom of the page.

For more information and detailed instructions, visit the Google Enterprise Blog posting.

Cosmetic Changes to Gmail, Docs, Sites, and Contacts

There's a slightly new look to the top menu bar of Google Gmail, Docs, and Sites in Google Apps for Education. The navigation links at the top left corner of the page are now more button-like. And the top right links for getting to Settings, Help, etc. have been rolled under a gear icon.


In Gmail, the left menu has been "cleaned up" to make it easier to get to Contacts and Tasks. You can also hide the Contacts and Tasks buttons by clicking the "-" sign to the right of "Mail". And now there's a more prominent "Compose Mail" button. This results in a smaller header area that put the first message in you Inbox about 16 pixels higher on the screen than before.

For more information, visit:  http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/updates-to-contacts-and-slightly-new.html

Desktop Notifications for Emails and Chat Messages

If you use the Google Chrome browser, you can now enable desktop email and chat notifications. See more details here.

Unthread Your Gmail (or Not)

One of the most hotly debated features in Gmail has been the threading of messages. Unlike more traditional email clients like Thunderbird or Outlook that order incoming email messages chronologically, Gmail displays messages as conversations or threads which group related messages and topics together. But now, users have the option of toggling off the conversation view to see email as individual messages in chronological order.


To Turn Off Gmail’s Conversation (Threaded) View:

1. Go to the main Settings page
2. Look for the “Conversation View” section
3. Select the option "Conversation view off" to turn it off
4. Save your changes.

If you want to toggle back to Conversation View, you can always go back to Settings and make the switch.

Image from http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ysAuSNZolhE/TKNic5tvYqI/AAAAAAAAAUU/QTFmqh7UdwQ/threaded.png

For more details, see the following official posts from Google:

• Threaded email or not, now it’s your users’ choice in Gmail
• Turn off Gmail’s conversation view

Gmail: Only send a vacation response to people in your domain

When using a Gmail vacation response, you can now choose to send the vacation response only to individuals in the plu.edu domain. Go to "Settings" -> "General" -> "Vacation responder" and check the option for "Only send a response to people in Pacific Lutheran University". 

See the official Google blog at: Google Apps update alerts: Gmail: Only send a vacation response to people in your domain

Gmail - Priority Inbox

Over the course of the next week, the Gmail Priority Inbox feature will be rolled out on the PLU Gmail domain. On the upper right hand corner of your Gmail window you'll see a "New! Priority Inbox" link. Click for instructions on how to proceed. Or watch the video below for a quick introduction.

For more infomation, see the Official Google Blog Article at http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/email-overload-try-priority-inbox.html.

For help with Gmail Priority Inbox visit  http://mail.google.com/support/bin/topic.py?topic=29809.

Fraudulent Emails

From time to time you are likely to receive email messages asking for your PLU email account password. These messages claim to have been sent from a PLU tech support address, but they are in fact fraudulent attempts (often called phishing scams) to obtain your login information. 

PLU will NEVER ask you to reveal your password or other such personal information via email! Never share your password with anyone, ever.  If you have questions about the authenticity of emails, contact the Help Desk at helpdesk@plu.edu or 253-535-7525. 

For information, check out the Cyber Safety page which contains links to examples of these kinds of fraudulent emails.