Do you want to personalize those Christmas emails you’re sending out to family and friends? Maybe add something that gives it a more Christmas-y feel? If so, and if you’re sending your Gmail mailings from a mobile device, Google has introduced Scribble for Gmail just in time.
The Scribbles feature is available in iOS Gmail app, or if a user navigates to Gmail in their mobile browser — well, with for the following environments: iOS 4+, Android 3.1+ or Playbook device — and it features a compose view element, allowing users to draw whatever scribble-based image they choose. Because of the calendar, the Google post discussing the feature has a heavy Christmas lean, but you can make scribbles for any occasion.
Judging by the example images, scribbles are attached to Gmail mailings as PNG files, which, as long as they aren’t overdone, should add a level of personalization normal signature blocks don’t convey:
Google is also inviting folks to submit their scribbles for comparison/contrast purposes, and you can do so by mailing them to [email protected] They also recommend using the #GmailScribbles hashtag. Apparently, this designates them as share-worthy. Whether or not Scribbles for Gmail will be widely adopted or not, you have to admire Google’s commitment to “selling” the feature’s needfulness:
From prehistoric humans etching in caves to the modern-day thinker sketching a stroke of genius on a napkin, scribbling is a natural form of human expression. Not constrained by formatting or font styles, scribbling is a versatile outlet for expressing individuality and creativity. Not to mention it’s a lot of fun.
For holiday emails, Scribbles would be perfect, I agree, but for everyday, run of the mill mailings, they could get a little intrusive.
