5 Favorite Gmail Add-Ons
Maybe you already love Gmail from Google. But are you taking advantage of the free add-ons in Gmail Labs that turn this Web-based e-mail service from good to great? Here's a look at five favorites.
5. Google Calendar Gadget
How it helps do no evil: One of the fundamental problems with Web-based e-mail and productivity suites is a lack of integration, where each app is walled off from one another. One of the most important aspects of any on-premise e-mail system like Lotus Notes or Microsoft Exchange has been the integration with your calendar. By adding the Google Calendar gadget,you have that capability in Gmail on the left side of your page. You can add events to your calendar (the full version can be found by clicking the "Calendar" link in the upper left side of Gmail). In the widget, under options, you can click to show a mini-calendar of the current month.
How it works: Go to Gmail Labs, click enable, and save. The widget will appear on left column of your Gmail page.
Doing no good: When you start to add an event, you can't add many details other than the time and the activity (Tuesday, 7 p.m. dinner with Anna at Nick's Crispy Tacos). If you click to add more details, you're sent to a more robust page with fields for addresses, numbers, etc. (that will open as a tab in your browser). While that's really not a huge deal, a smaller pop-up beside the widget might be preferable.
