Gmail to get new interface?

Google might be the 800 lbs gorilla at the moment compared to the scrawny monkey that it started out as originally, but that does not mean being of this size offers it the luxury of just resting on its laurels – nice to know that the spirit of innovation continues even until now. Case in point, Alex Chitu caught a YouTube video (which has since been taken down, of course, but not before he managed to capture some screenshots) of a new Gmail interface that is said to resemble that of the recent Google Docs refresh, albeit throwing in some rather sizeable avatar photos of your contacts to your inbox display.

Not only that, other changes (cosmetic and otherwise) include advanced search functionality, a simple interface, and missing contacts and tasks links from the top of the interface. Will contact avatars work in Gmail’s favor? I guess that can only be answered by users, and again over here, it really depends on the kind of user you are. I would suppose instead of going through a long list of names, sometimes you can just click on the face of the person whom you want to email – isn’t that easier?

No idea on when this change will be implemented across the board, but I guess it will be sooner rather than later.