Google shows off Gmail on Android

By David Neal

Oct 21 2008 6:30AM

The first Android-powered phoneis se t for release by T-Mobile this week, and Google has been showing off the Gmail experience running on its new mobile platform.

Android product manager Jonathan Matus demonstrated in a blog posting how the online mail system works on the new operating system.

"If you like using Gmail on your computer you'll feel very much at ease with Gmail on Android-powered phones," he wrote.

"You can download documents and MP3s, manage and view labels, star and archive messages, save drafts and even report spam."

Gmail users will be notified of any new emails through an alert on the main screen of the device. By clicking on this the user can then access the new message with "a single swipe", according to Matus.

However, it is the platform's ability to link applications that Matus was most keen to demonstrate.

"The best thing, in my mind, about Gmail on Android-powered phones is the way email is deeply integrated with other applications," he wrote.

"For instance, let's say I'm browsing the web, reading my favourite tech blog. When I come across a post that I'd like to share, I can simply press and hold my finger down on the link and then choose 'share' to immediately create an email with that article's web address.

"The tight integration with Contacts on the device then allows Gmail to suggest contacts based on the first letters I type."

Any existing Gmail account information is linked to the phone, including contacts, and devices will automatically synchronise the data.