Google’s Inbox app wants to revolutionise email on your phone

Ever since Gmail was released over 10 years ago as Google’s free email service, it’s become one of the world’s most popular applications. People around the globe use it to chat to relatives and colleagues, make travel arrangements, keep track of receipts and stay updated on your social web.

Even though the Gmail app was the first ever to hit a billion downloads on the Google Play Store, the search giant thinks it can do better. That’s why it’s unveiled Inbox — an answer to emails for mobile.

Inbox looks like a cross-breed between Facebook’s News Feed and Google Now, with highlights of your travel itineraries, pictures and the works; all looking colourful. Who’d have thought your inbox could look colourful?

The point at which things get most interesting is where Inbox shows you “useful information from the web that wasn’t in the original email.” Essentially, this will be suggestions based on your content, which means that there’s probably advertising involved.

The app also has a feature called Bundles. It’s almost like an extension of Categories (Promotions, Social, Forum, and so forth) that the Gmail team introduced last year but, with Bundles, you can teach the app which emails you want to see and Inbox will naturally “adapt to the way you work.”

Then there’s a feature called Assist, which sounds the Google Now for your email. This will push reminders to your smartphone from a reminder to pick up groceries to giving your in-laws a call. Naturally, you’ll be able to Snooze reminders for when you see fit.

What makes this feature interesting is the fact that it will automatically pull additional information like a map of the closest grocery store or your relatives’ contact information.

The app is currently available on both iOS and Android though you’ll have to request an invite from the big G itself, or get one from a friend.

Incidentally, another one of the world’s most popular email services, Yahoo Mail, also rolled-out a new “more personalised” update for its email app that focuses on travel and event notifications.