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Google launches Gmail for Mobile 2.0

Second version of Google's e-mail application for handsets addresses some of the issues found in the first iteration and provides a more reliable experience for users.

Don Reisinger
CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
Don Reisinger

Google on Thursday announced that it has launched Gmail for Mobile 2.0 for J2ME-supported devices such as the Nokia N95, as well as BlackBerry phones.

According to a Gmail engineer, the focus in the second iteration of the popular e-mail client was to produce a faster and more reliable experience for users. The online application now offers faster performance and smoother scrolling, with no freezing, Google said. Users with multiple Gmail accounts also can now switch between them without using different applications to access messages.

Gmail for Mobile 2.0 offers the option to save multiple e-mail drafts in the phone and adds shortcut keys that enable users of phones equipped with QWERTY keyboards to press 'z' to undo, 'k' to go to a newer conversation, and 'j' to go to an older conversation.

As an added bonus, for those who won't find themselves in signal range, the updated Gmail for Mobile boasts offline support, and lets users compose and read e-mail when there is no signal. All outgoing messages written when a user is offline are saved in the outbox and sent automatically when coverage is restored.

Gmail for Mobile 2.0 is available now and can be downloaded by accessing Google's mobile page.

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