We’ve just released a new look and feel for the mobile version of Gmail on your iPhone. Our goal: make Gmail fit nicely as part of the latest Google on your iPhone experience. This means that we had to make Gmail faster and more fluid.

To do that, we decided to use AJAX–a powerful set of web development techniques that make web pages more responsive. We also implemented two of the coolest and most requested features for this release: pre-fetching and auto-complete. Now when you use Google on your iPhone, Gmail will automatically pre-load all your most recent messages for you. So when you decide to read a message it will be on your screen in a snap.

Address auto-complete is my favorite new feature–and one of the most requested. I wanted to be able to type a full email address in under two seconds on the iPhone. With auto-complete you can often get the right email address on your screen within 2-3 key strokes.

Finally, our user experience designer worked hard to develop a very fluid interface that fits the whole Google experience on the iPhone. These changes take into account that you have to tap the virtual buttons with your finger, so we made sure to size everything appropriately.

To get to Gmail on your iPhone and get the full new Google experience, just go to www.google.com in your web browser, hit the Gmail tab and sign in. Google Apps users with custom domains can also use this new Gmail interface by visiting mail.google.com/a/yourdomain.com. Please leave comments on the Google mobile blog and let us know what you think.

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 few weeks ago we invited you to share your Gmail stories with the world, and over 1,500 of you responded with emails and videos describing the creative and productive ways you use Gmail. Many of you were practical, lots were sweet, most were clever, several were talented, and some of you provided a good laugh. We can’t keep these to ourselves any longer, so we created a collaborative video that combines many of the stories we received. We also want to share some of the great emails you sent, so head to gmail.com/yourstory to check them out. We hope that you’ll enjoy the stories as much as we do, and maybe even find some new ways to use Gmail along the way.

P.S. It’s never to late to share your story.

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Sometimes you need to chat with someone about an urgent project, but can’t be bothered by anyone else. And going “busy” just isn’t enough — you might still get that unwanted ping. So, as some people have already noticed, we rolled out invisible mode for the latest version of Gmail chat last Friday. With this feature, you can appear offline, and still send and receive messages. If you’re using AIM in Gmail, invisible mode also makes you appear signed out on the AIM network. Invisible mode is one of the most requested chat features and so we’re happy to add this option, starting in Gmail Chat, and in the future all Talk clients.

As some of you have already noted, chat could be less useful if lots of people go invisible. We’ll keep an eye on it and look for your feedback to be sure we’re doing what’s best for the community.

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We’ve seen people recreate the M from the Gmail logo out of dominoes and even sand, but until our colleagues in Google’s Moscow office created this video, we’re pretty sure no one had ever made a giant Gmail interface with:

- 162 meters of gray tape
- 45 lego pieces
- 32 sticks of plasticine
- 18 brushes
- 18 square meters of batten
- 12 cans of spray paint
- 10 liters of white paint
- 4 reams of paper
- 2 kilograms of millet porridge
- 1 printer
- 1 hair dryer
- 1 mop
- 1 saw

And the actual M at the end of the video? That’s 3 sweaters, 3 balls, 3 pillows, 2 dumbbells, 2 pair of gloves, a set of child’s plates, a hockey stick, a scarf, a paper folder, hats and slippers. All in red of course.

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 few months ago I wrote about how using colored labels with filters can provide an entirely new way to visualize your inbox. I just started using a feature that further helps me quickly prioritize my email. When enabled, “personal level indicators” put arrows next to messages in your inbox so you can tell if an email was addressed to you, a group, or a mailing list that you’re on.

A single arrow (”›”) is automatically placed next to emails sent to you and others, and double arrows (”»”) next to emails that are sent just to you.

I personally get a ton of email from lists (mostly from my college days when I subscribed to student group lists after a campus activity fair), so it’s helpful to see my inbox annotated with arrows that tell me which emails are likely to warrant replies. If I get a bunch of emails with no arrows at all, I know they are probably from mailing lists. Give it a try for yourself by switching the “Personal level indicators” option to “Show indicators” under Settings.

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