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New Version of Gmail Being Tested

Keith writes "Gmail was launched on April 1, 2004, and has revolutionized the way many of us use email. The interface has remained largely untouched since it launched, but get ready, it's soon to undergo a change in what they describe as a 'New Version'. Only a select few people have access to use the new interface — mainly employees and trusted people outside the company called 'Trusted Testers'. From the ZDNet blog entry: 'Google lets every-day users who are fluent in both English and another language translate small snippets of English text into the language of their choice. This is how they can offer services in several languages without spending a dime on professional translators. Unfortunately, exposing sensitive information in this manner makes it hard to keep a secret. One of my readers, who wishes to remain anonymous, stumbled across an interesting snippet of text (which I confirmed exists) spilling the beans on a new version of Gmail that is either currently being tested, or about to be released to testing in short order.'"

25 of 227 comments (clear)

  1. The feature everybody wants! by Stephen+Williams · · Score: 5, Funny

    Oooh! Oooh! Let's hope it has Flash ads!

    -Stephen

    1. Re:The feature everybody wants! by eebra82 · · Score: 4, Funny

      According to a friend of mine, who knows someone who knows a person who is a compulsive liar, we might end up seeing Silverlight ads instead.

  2. Dr. Dre would be proud by User+956 · · Score: 5, Funny

    The interface has remained largely untouched since it launched, but get ready, it's soon to undergo a change in what they describe as a 'New Version'.

    Does that mean they're going to rename the existing version "O.G. Mail?"

    --
    The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
  3. Bit speculative by Pop69 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So, on the basis of 2 words in a translation request, there is a whole new version of Gmail coming out ?

    How the hell did this get to be news ?

    1. Re:Bit speculative by desenz · · Score: 4, Funny

      Did you happen to notice what those two words were translated to? Pig latin. Is there really a pig latin version of google?

    2. Re:Bit speculative by the-amazing-blob · · Score: 5, Informative

      Actually, Google has some funky languages to choose from, including Pig Latin, Esperanto, and "bork bork bork" (swedish chef). They're on the preferences page, and I believe apply to all Google services

    3. Re:Bit speculative by iacvlvs · · Score: 5, Informative

      RTFA. The "Phrase in English" is "Newer Version" - and in the "Translation Help" section, it reads "Link that users can click on if they are part of the trusted testers program to go to the newer UI." On the basis of being asked to translate a link to the new UI, there's a whole new UI coming out.

      --
      GENERATION 25: If you haven't yet, copy this into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation. (Social experiment)
    4. Re:Bit speculative by Cutriss · · Score: 5, Insightful

      How the hell did this get to be news?
      Posted by Zonk on Sunday September 23, @05:13PM

      That's how.
      --
      "Mod, mod, mod...and another troll bites the dust."
    5. Re:Bit speculative by JensenDied · · Score: 4, Funny

      $ echo "...and there's someone that they pay to translate phrases into Pig Latin? (a) couldn't that be done by computer, (b) how the heck do you get that job? Document your extensive travel and work experience in Pig Latin America?" | pig
      ...andway erethay'say omeonesay atthay eythay aypay otay anslatetray asesphray intoway Igpay Atinlay? (away) ouldncay'tay atthay ebay oneday ybay omputercay, (bay) owhay ethay eckhay oday youay etgay atthay objay? Ocumentday youray extensiveway aveltray andway orkway experienceway inway Igpay Atinlay Americaway?
      --

      09:F9:11:02 - 9D:74:E3:5B - D8:41:56:C5 - 63:56:88:C0

  4. Lots of mystery... by Glowing+Fish · · Score: 4, Insightful

    seems to be a lot of mystery and intrigue around what is probably going to be minor cosmetic changes.
    Are we all so enamored of googles many accomplishments that a site redesign becomes major news?
    I don't think anyone was that concerned when yahoo and hotmail redid their sites...of course, they just made them more annoying.
    Having said that, it will probably be that this rumored site redesign is when Google starts rolling out their sinister "Phase II"

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    Hopefully I didn't put any [] around my words.
  5. :P by n1hilist · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm a nerd, It's news to me, it matters.

  6. For what it's worth.... by moosesocks · · Score: 4, Interesting

    For what it's worth, Google is stopping to call it GMail.

    All of the icons were changed over the past few days to say "Google Mail" instead of GMail with little fanfare. Not sure if this is any indication of things to come, or simply a branding effort coming from the top-down. Guess we'll have to wait and see...

    --
    -- If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done? - Uli's moose
    1. Re:For what it's worth.... by Bieeanda · · Score: 5, Informative

      That could have something to do with the suit that they lost in Germany... and speaking of Germany, this 'translate tiny snippets of text' thing reminds me of how the British handled The funniest joke in the world.

    2. Re:For what it's worth.... by empaler · · Score: 5, Interesting

      That's just a choice. You can use your mail address (XYZ) in following ways:
      xyz@gmail.com
      xyz@googlemail.com
      x.y.z@gmail.com (/googlemail.com)
      xyz+hotfecalmonkeyporn@googlemail.com
      x.y.z+hotfecalmonkeyporn@gmail.com

      Possibly more. Helps filtering stuff, and in some cases smell out the rats that sell your mail address to spammers :)

  7. Nothing to see here (cause we aren't looking lol) by weirdcrashingnoises · · Score: 5, Informative

    maybe you missed the big, bold "Translate Phrase for Gmail UI" at the top of the image?

    or maybe u missed the "Link that users can click on if they are part of the trusted testers program to go to the newer UI." that is near the bottom?

    +1 irony for subject title this was posted under... "nothing to see here"

    --
    sigs... don't talk to me about sigs....
  8. Re:Cheapskates by GreyPoopon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Why do people do stuff for Google for free? What do they get out of it?

    They get to find out about secret new products and tell the world. ;) But seriously, maybe some people do stuff like that because they want to give back; they want to see Google's ideas succeed. If spending one minute a day translating a sentence helps out, who are we to give them a hard time about it?
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    GreyPoopon
    --
    Why is it I can write insightful comments but can't come up with a clever signature?

  9. Make that 9 words by AySz88 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Here comes 7 more words for ya. At least it has a possible new feature, this time. (Breaking news! Now with 350% more proof!)

  10. Re:I prefer IMAP by johnkzin · · Score: 5, Informative


    http://search.cpan.org/~krs/GMail-IMAPD-0.93/lib/GMail/IMAPD.pm

    I read a review of it, and I'm not sure I agree with all of the implementation choices, but supposedly it works.

    I'd rather have real IMAP from google though.

  11. Re:Cheapskates by Joebert · · Score: 5, Funny

    What do they get out of it?


    First go to the following URL.
    http://www.google.com/

    Next type somthing into the box, anything, type in Hot Monkey Fecal Sex if you want.

    Finally, click the "Google Search" button.

    Do you see why people do stuff for Google for "free" yet ?

    Come on, there's 320,000 results for hot monkey fecal sex for cryin out loud !
    --
    Wanna fight ? Bend over, stick your head up your ass, and fight for air.
  12. Re:What the hell? by macshit · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's just a nice webmail system - webmail has been around for years before gmail. I use gmail, I like gmail, but what exactly did it revolutionize?

    It didn't suck.

    In the context of webmail, that was pretty darn revolutionary!

    --
    We live, as we dream -- alone....
  13. Re:What the hell? by catbutt · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It didn't suck. That's very true. I hated web mail before gmail, and love it now.

    Also, prior to gmail, users of free web mail had to constantly delete all their old messages so they wouldn't go over their quota. Also if you didn't log in for a month you got your account cancelled. Also you couldn't use free web mail for professional purposes because it stuck an ad on your outgoing mail. Web mail also didn't allow free forwarding, pop access, or allow you to use an address at your own domain....which basically locked you in. Gmail changed all that.

    And it was the first mainstream Ajax application I know of.

    I agree...it was pretty damn revolutionary. At least for those who pay attention to such things.
  14. Re:let's get a grip by Tim+Browse · · Score: 4, Insightful

    gmail hasn't brought anything to the table that wasn't there before.

    Apart from a little thing I like to call "User interface that doesn't irritate the living fuck out of me." And almost instant searching of all my email.

  15. Re:One request by mattwarden · · Score: 4, Insightful

    you can search by any of those items (and more) and you would rather sort??? What the hell good does sorting do? Surely you are looking for emails from 1 person, not a group of people with names starting with 'A', right???

  16. Note to mods.. by ColdWetDog · · Score: 4, Funny
    Whoosh!

    Warning! Humor Process Failure. (A)bort (R)etry

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    Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  17. Au contraire: Gmail has an awesome UI by LKM · · Score: 5, Interesting

    In the case of gmail it might be because the current UI is shitty.

    Except that it's the best mail UI ever devised. I have actually switched from my "real" mail client to using gmail exclusively. I love the "keep everything in one folder, tag it and search" approach. Much better than dozens of folders with filters. I love how threaded mails are displayed; I always know what people are replying to. Oh, and search is fast.

    Furthermore, they don't try to create a "real" app inside the browser, instead concentrating on making an awesome "web app." Yahoo recreates a "real" application inside the browser. So you've got tons of buttons and drag and drop and folders and all that crap, all of which makes the application slow, and doesn't really help you get your stuff done. Google has the right idea: It's a browser, make it a great web app, not a shitty copy of a "real" app.

    Pray tell, what is so shitty about the current gmail UI?