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Gmail Updates Themes, Recipient Suggestions

Josh Wolford — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 19:22:23 +0000

Google announced two updates to Gmail today – background themes and email recipient suggestions.

First up, your backgrounds. For a while now, Google has given Gmail users the ability to change their backgrounds using pre-made themes like ninjas and space. They also already allow users to create a semi-custom background using different colors.

Now you can upload your own image to use as the background for your inbox. I made a zombie background. Awesome.

Just go to the top right options button and click mail settings. From there click on the Themes tab and there will be an option to create your own.

Next up, are the features titled “Don’t forget Bob” and “Got the wrong Bob?” These features have moved out of the Google lab and are now there to help users send their emails to the right people. When you add a recipient, Gmail automatically generates suggestions for other recipients based on groups of people you email most often. If you click on their name, it will add them to the recipient list.

Gmail will also notify you if it thinks you have added the wrong person to your multiple recipients. Just click on the right recipient to replace the wrong one on the list.

These features are bound to save someone from sending sensitive work information to Uncle Ted instead of Ted from accounting.

Microsoft Wants You To Bing Up Your Windows 7

Chris Crum — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:03:21 +0000

Microsoft unleashed Windows 7 onto the public today, and the company’s Bing team has released some downloadable wallpaper things for the operating system. The themes are based on the images that the search engine uses on its homepage.

"A lot of people ask us for desktop versions of our images," says Stephanie Horstmanshof of Bing. "And now you (and your friends, and your family, and your casual acquaintances) can get them!"

Whether or not you are a fan of Bing as a search engine, there’s no denying that there are some visually pleasing images that appear there. Here are some of the wallpaper options:

The themes are more than just wallpaper images though. The themes are a combination of pictures, colors, and sounds for the computer. They include desktop backgrounds, screen savers, window border colors, and sound schemes. Some include icons and mouse pointers.

Microsoft reminds users that they can also integrate Bing right into the operating system by:

1. Downloading the Bing OpenSearch description document.

2. Double-clicking the downloaded document to add the Bing "Search Connector" on your machine.

3. From Windows explorer use the Search Box, type the terms for which you want to search and get the power of Bing into Windows.

"You can perform Windows actions on the search results, such as Open, Send to, and so on," says the Bing API Team.

Four New Gmail Themes Released

Doug Caverly — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:46:23 +0000

Gmail users who require that everything be just so may be in luck; a few new personalization opportunities have been made available in the form of four new themes. And in fact, one of the four themes caters to indecisive types, so members of the Gmail team really covered their bases.

All right, we admit it – these Gmail themes aren’t going to generate Google’s next billion dollars. In all likelihood, they won’t even convince more than one or two souls (if that) to switch from Hotmail or Yahoo Mail.

Still, these are the first new themes in about ten months, so on we go.

Pictured on the left below is a screenshot of what Googlers Jake Knapp and Manu Cornet identified on the Official Gmail Blog as the "Orcas Island" theme. Knapp promised "a new image each day of the week."

On the right, you can see what Cornet called "High Score." It should seem familiar to anyone who spent more than a few minutes playing the original Nintendo.

The third theme is called "Turf." It shows some green grass and not much more. Finally, Cornet wrote that the "Random" theme "merely cycles through all the others."

Knapp and Cornet welcomed feedback if you’re inclined to give it, and they also indicated that still more themes might wander down the pipeline at some point.

Gmail Brings Style And Color To Your Account

Mike Sachoff — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:07:05 +0000

Google has introduced a slew of new themes and colors to Gmail that allow users to customize the look and feel they want.

The Official Gmail Blog gives more details. "Gmail fans have been building unofficial extensions to spice up their inboxes for a while, but up til now themes haven’t been an integral part of Gmail."

"We wanted to go beyond simple color customization, so out of the 30 odd themes we’re launching today, there’s a shiny theme with chrome styling, another one that turns your inbox into a retro notepad, nature themes that change scenery over time, weather driven themes that can rain on your mailbox, and fun characters to keep you in good company."

"There’s even an old school ascii theme (Terminal) which was the result of a bet between two engineers — it’s not exactly practical, but it’s great for testing out your geek cred."

Google says it has also done some minor changes to Gmail’s default look that make it appear cleaner along with moving around a few colors and pixels.

To get started picking out your new Gmail look go to the themes tab under settings in your inbox. Google says it is still rolling out themes and everyone should be able to see them in a couple of days.

iGoogle’s Artist Themes

Philipp Lenssen — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:38:18 +0000

Google in the US is currently promoting a new “artist themes” section for iGoogle via a special logo and text below the search box. IGoogle is the name of Google’s personalized homepage, and as it allows skinning with special background graphics and so on, this directory offers works by artists like Jeff Koons, Coldplay, Robert Mankoff, Dolce & Gabbana, Akira Isogawa, Anne Geddes and more who Google says collaborated with them. (Other countries also have interesting iGoogle themes, like an Astroboy one for Japan.)

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iGoogle Themes Get A Directory

Doug Caverly — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 17:24:36 +0000

Remember how, in the early days of consumer computers, so much attention was paid to backgrounds and screensavers? iGoogle might have followed this trend, except that it’s often hard to come across different themes. So now Google has gone and created an iGoogle themes directory.

You’re still not at risk of losing yourself in options – I can only view 18 themes at the present time. Yet Tony Ruscoe, who was among the first to discover the directory, wrote, "I’m currently seeing different themes depending on which server I’m hitting, so the directory is obviously still being made live."

Also, several of the themes are pretty eye-catching, and in what should become a much-appreciated feature, there are approximate user counts, as well as user reviews and comments. More users need to accumulate before this becomes truly useful, but it’ll be a good way of determining what’s worth your time.

In related news, people who don’t like the current selection (or who just want more, anyway) are being encouraged to create their own themes. On the Google Code Blog, Jesse Shieh stated, "There are only three steps involved: designing images for the header and footer, entering metadata and color information in an XML file, and submitting the theme. To find out more about the API, start with the developer guide."

SMX: Cutts on Themes and Latent Semantic Indexing

Andy Beal — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 21:45:32 +0000

Having worked closely with latent semantic indexing, during my time at FI, I’ve become a big advocate of making sure you have structured themes in your content, and that you include a supporting cast of semantically connected keywords.

In this clip from SMX Advanced, Matt Cutts shares how Google is continually testing the use of LSI, and keyword themes.

Click To Play

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Google’s Themes for Your Homepage

Steven Bradley — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 17:07:55 +0000

Say good bye to the plain old search box on a white background. If you want to say good bye that is. Google added custom themes to your personal home page today. You’re still welcome to keep the old standard, but I’ve already got a new theme.

From the Associated Press

Sprucing up its famously plain Web site, Google Inc. is offering a new option that plants its Internet search box in panoramic settings that change with the time of day and the outside weather.

You can read the full article here.

As soon as I read the news I logged into my personal home page and found a link in the upper right to select a theme. When I clicked the link here’s what I saw

Once you select and save a theme Google presents you with a text box to enter your location. The location is because

This theme will dynamically change to match your time of day, including local sunrise and sunset times.

I tried a few themes and they all look pretty good and are supposed to contain “easter eggs” that will open if you click in the right place at the right time.

Google plans to offer additional themes each month and may eventually accept user created themes as well. I’ve been hoping Google would offer something like this ever since they started offering personal home pages.

Comments

Missing the Point: Blog Post Themes

Wayne Hurlbert — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 01:25:13 +0000

It happens to all writers at one time or another. It may be an occupational hazard that occurs when fingers tap keyboards. A reader will misunderstand the point of your blog post. There may even be issue taken with a very obscure part of the article. Instead of debate taking place over the main theme of the column, some obscure section may find itself the topic of various interpretations.

Different people find many alternative messages in all of your writings. While most blog posts are accepted at face value, many of your writings may find themselves under a microscope. Your intended point may be bypassed for a less than important aspect of the post. As surely as snow in winter, misinterpretation happens to all writers at some time or another. Instead of lamenting the event, it’s more productive to consider how the misunderstanding took place.

We all view the world through different eyes. We may be seeing the same picture or reading the same words, but our perceptions are often different entirely from one another. We see everything through the prism of our lives and experiences, and create a reality based on the sum total of our backgrounds. Because of these widely different realities, we read words based on how we see ourselves. As a result, we often misinterpret what other people write; and often in very radical and unexpected ways.

When we read another person’s writings, we superimpose our values, ideals, experiences onto their words. This is usually done on a subconscious level, and we often don’t even know we are viewing through our own glasses of experience. This lens, created from our own values, reflects those values onto everything we do every day. Writing is no different. Very often, the way we see things gives someone else’s writing meanings and shadings that were never intended by the writer.

All too often, words are misread and ideas read into the words, that are seen only through the eyes of the reader. Not only are the main themes of post often misinterpreted, but very often an innocent word or a random seeming sentence will be the cause of an unexpected controversial debate. To prevent these unfortunate and unexpected misreadings, it’s important to consider the article or post from the author’s point of view.

Decide upon the author’s main theme for the post or article. Usually, the title and first paragraph or two will convey what the writer plans to tell the readership. If the argument put forth is consistent, accurate, and to the point then the writer has done the job properly. The reader may then agree or disagree with the main premise of the piece.

If you notice any words or sentences that seem to strike a raw nerve, take a deep breath before screaming and hurling coffee cups at your monitor. They may be simple badly worded sentences that missed the rewrite process. They may have no ulterior motives and messages attached to them at all.

Before you debate a writer for something other than the main thesis of the article, take a step back first. Place yourself in the author’s shoes, and consider their point of view. You may still disagree with the overall message, but at least you will have a complete understanding of their thoughts and ideas.

Fewer misunderstandings lead to better reading understanding. They may also make you a new friend as you will now have a better grasp of the author’s view of the world. It might help both writer and reader to understand each other’s world view a bit better too.

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Google Talk Themes

Nathan Weinberg — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 21:16:16 +0000

Ever since the new avatar/themed version of Google Talk came out, people have been creating themes for it, many of them pretty cool. Lets try to run them down.

Novelist – very clean, sharp text on plain white, looks like a book. (3.7/5)
Slashdot – looks like Slashdot, complete with green bars (and rounded corners) and “posted at” times. (4.5/5)
DOS Box – looks like a DOS command prompt windows, complete with C:\YourName> prompt. (4.3/5)
Windows XP – similar to XP’s folder grouping. (2.6/5)
PHP – looks like PHP code in a text-based HTML editor. (3.9/5)
A combo of Bubbles and Ping Pong themes. (2.8/5)
Windows XP – dialog boxes in the XP style (3.6/5)
Daring Fireball – based on the website, white text on a charcoal gray background. (3.6/5)
mIRC – By Phillip, resembles an IRC chat window (I’m using it right now). (3.8/5)
Windows 9X – Windows 98-era dialog boxes. (3.4/5)
Shoop – sheep with dialog balloons on a blue background. (4.0/5) Page also includes several other decent themes.
Star Wars – Star Wars font names, lightsaber seperations on a starry background. (3.5/5)
Digg – Digg font style names and seperators. (3.7/5)

There are a lot of themes being posted all the time here. If you have a cool one, post a link here or shoot me an email.

Just so you know, if you want a high rating, make me a Windows Vista theme.

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Nathan Weinberg writes the popular InsideGoogle blog, offering the latest news and insights about Google and search engines.

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