Christina Clark's Favorite Apps: Better Gmail 2

by Christina Clark Oct 16th 2008

I do not generally use a whole lot of extra stuff in my day to day computing. I use Firefox with very few add-ons and Microsoft Office. For things like lists, I go analog and use paper and a pen. So when it came time to come up with my favorite apps, I was feeling like I didn't have much to say.

Then I remembered Better Gmail 2. It doesn't feel like an app since I never have to open anything, it's just there, making my Gmail a bit more user friendly. Basically, it is a compilation of Greasemonkey user scripts that add features to Gmail compiled by the folks over at Lifehacker. I like the ease of Better Gmail since it combines all the scripts into one easy to install little package.

My absolute favorite feature is the way Better Gmail deals with telling you how much new mail you have. Since I usually have several tabs open, I see Gmail - Inbox (1) or however many messages I have. In tabs I rarely can see the number of new messages and sometimes can't even see that i have new messages. Better Gmail strips away the extra stuff and will list inbox count first on the tab instead of the default longer listing.

The other feature I really enjoy is row highlighting. As you roll over rows in the inbox, each of them highlights. When you've been weeding through your inbox all day, it's really nice to have that extra visual cue to keep everything together.

Better Gmail also adds attachment icons which let you know if the document attached to your email is a PDF, .doc file or jpg before even opening the message. You can also hide the spam count, use various filters and macros more easily and really get in an customize what you want your Gmail to look like. I only use the three I described but there are more than 20 variations and options that you can choose from once you install Better Gmail 2.

Tags: better gmail, BetterGmail, gmail

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Salsa Shark said 8:23PM on 10-16-2008

Give me a Gmail that actually supports sorting. That "search, don't sort" philosophy is just ridiculous as the two are NOT mutually exclusive.

Chad said 10:34PM on 10-16-2008

Sorting or searching I think is personal preference. I love the way gmail does labels instead of folders. I find it much easier to organize and find emails. I have some coworkers that love to sort as well, but I find it time consuming and difficult to figure out what emails should go in what folder.

Salsa Shark said 3:23AM on 10-17-2008

Again, I don't see how it's an either/or thing.

I like labels. Tagging is a great approach to grouping and organizing data. But it doesn't help me when I'm looking a hundred messages with a particular tag and I can't sort them by Subject or Sender.

Chris said 10:02AM on 10-20-2008

I used to use Better Gmail 1 and then 2, but trashed t for the much much much better "Google Redesigned" from Globex.

http://www.globexdesigns.com/gmail/

Seriously, it rocks!

Featured Time Waster

Civiballs is a beautiful, soothing physics puzzle Time Waster

I have an absolute weakness for physics games, and while Civiballs isn't the strongest physics-based game, what it lacks in the physics department it makes up for a few times over in style and fun.

In Civiballs, you are presented with a few colored balls, and your goal is to get those balls into the same-colored urn on the level. The "civi" part of Civiballs is that there are 3 sets of levels to play, each representing a different civilization. While the civilization doesn't affect gameplay, the artwork for each level is beautifully themed to it's appropriate era.

To play the game, you are given only one tool - a sword with which to cut the chains that are holding the balls. The puzzle part of the game is in figuring out what order, and with what timing to cut each chain. Do it right, and all the right balls end up in the right urns, with no stray balls entering an urn (a no-no). Do it wrong, and you get to start over again.

Civiballs is not terribly deep on gameplay; the entire game can be completed in about 15 minutes. But if you enjoy this type of game, it will be a very enjoyable 15 minutes.

View more Time Wasters