I also love the changes the made to the gadget, like archiving. That was functionality I was longing for!

Joe

I used iGoogle before i started to use g/apps for my domain and now in many cases there's a lot of mess when I try to use igoogle... will ever merge all services under g/apps account? (actually merging g/apps and g/accounts into the same system?)

naorm

Full screen lifehacker too, what does this mean for your ad revenue?

The gmail is good but it is missing drafts folder and a few things, I find myself having to type gmail.com into my browser now

Adamzski

I've been toying with iGoogle and I am not sure I like it much. First off, I always have problems with the gmail widget refreshing. Second, how hard is it to check a couple sites? I hoped the sandbox version would be better, but...

I actually HATE the new thing on the left side because width is what I care about most and it takes a couple inches away.

jkrell

Oh - and if you like to read the comments - which I assume you do since you're reading this it's an added click which pops you out of their crap reader to the actual site...which you should have been on to begin with.

[citadel-of-light.com]

Glamdering

I got forced switched over and why you'd want to use this pile of garbage beats me. If you use iGoogle for a data splash page this upgrade is a disaster.

It wastes space, makes direct linking to articles a hassle, and fills your screen with pointless summaries that expand widget size to the point where it will only display 2 widgets where previously it had ample space for 3. The way it opens most posts in a gmail like format is obnoxious and makes navigating less efficient/makes opening multiple posts in tabs nearly impossible.

Meanwhile the worthless and obnoxious sidebar now takes up a large amount of space and can't be removed.

I'm still on the fence on if it's new negatives outweigh it's benefit.

Glamdering

With all of the reporting you guys do about gmail, why haven't you picked up on these recent items?

Gmail reveals your identity: [blogs.securiteam.com]

Spammers choose gmail: [www.allspammedup.com]

spidermedic

I begin to love iGoogle now :).

Nxqd3051990

ads? there's no ads on lifehacker.... or anywhere.

Thanks adblock+filtersetg updater!

marcmarc

Can I guess on the partially missing subject line in the pictured Adam-Gina email thread:

Heading to the bar, can't take this anymore
Heading to the bath, smell funny
Heading to the barrio, need taco truck

Apot

I'm not wildly fond of the new look, mainly because the sidebar is way too big. But I also have a problem with the new gmail view. I can no longer click links without opening full blown gmail. I routinely get emails in which I need to follow a link. This just adds another step!

e-gadgetjunkie

I like igoogle (classic) because everything is small and I can see stuff without having to click around.

Why have full screen when you can just open another tab?

Rob Kohr

I'm unhappy with the way Google Reader is looking. And the Gmail looks pretty bare-bones. Weather is great, but they'd better pull a few all-nighters next week if this is going to be done by the end of the month.

Condalmo

@Adamzski: Ads? What ads? :P

Ortzinator

how the hell do i opt out of this new look? i tried restoring a backup but since today it keeps forcing the new look on me, which i HATE. wish i'd never signed up. incredible waste of space with two-line summaries that no feed is optimised for - what a disaster. makes me want to use netvibes and have a soothing dark background. google are really going to shit.

Tactical-Incineration-Development

@Tactical-Incineration-Development: ...oh, that reminds me of a Lifehacker feature request: how do I block commenters I don't want to read? This site used to be like Our Town, but it's becoming more like Baghdad. Little help here, guys?

longbourne

The iGoogle calendar gadget needs to get super-sized like the Gmail gadget. It's ridiculously small and basically useless.

Otherwise, I like the sandbox version. I wasn't crazy about the top-mounted tabs, and I like the summary link for each gadget. If you use themes, the tab move from top to side makes the theme mush more appealing as well.

shefarted

@spidermedic:
On the first point, Google appears to have closed this. I tried it when I read about the calendar sharing bug and it worked. Earlier today it did not.

On the second point about Gmail spam, Lifehacker editors probably don't read the blog that you referenced about Gmail spam because the author of said blog cannot read. From the blog post:

From June 13th through July 3rd, spam from Google rose from 6.8 percent to 27 percent. Aside from the successful CAPTCHA cracking, spammers also find Google attractive

That is totally incorrect. If you go to the Roaring Penguin website and click through to the PDF it makes it very clear that Google has the lowest overall spam rate in their observations at just about 2.5% The probability (in Vegas they call those odds)that an email from Gmail is spam rose from 6.4% to 27%.

Huge difference.

You should improve the quality of your reading. :)

dualsub2006

The problem I'm having with the iGoogle is that in the gmail, I can't reply -- no option, compose only. Seriously? After all the trouble I had w/extensions timing out gmail recently, this just sucks.

However, I dig the big weather. And I second the need for a big gcal.

space race ace

I don't like change, and this is a good example why. My iGoogle looks a mess now!

PatrickRS

The trouble with _some_ improvements is that they make a mess when the original looked better, worked better and everybody could use.

It will not work with my Opera browser now (Fx is my main but when my RAM's all whammed out and needs a rest I surf with Opera) not even masked as Fx :o( Gmail still works however.

I am very happy with Gmail, it is not just Gmail that is spam city in fact the most problems we have ever had was from Hotmail, to our accounts and spammers signing up for Hotmail accounts - so I read and experienced - I could go on but I think it stopped due to mail going astray / not logging in *hurrah for their incompetence* it saved the day.

Sorry about the digression but somebody needs to get the Gmail thing into perspective, it's an excellent service and spammers use / sign up for many accounts everywhere, sadly!

New idea for an invention: anti-spam spray! Like fly spray only not, this is for pesky spammers. sadly the acronym does not bode well... ASS :o( it needs a rethink!

exploding-carrots

Dont like the new tab, and no way to disable it for people who were in the 'forced' testing group.

Red_Eye

Is anyone else still unable to use Gmail Chat in iGoogle in Firefox 3?

FoolsRun

@spidermedic:
"With all of the reporting you guys do about gmail, why haven't you picked up on these recent items?"

Because neither of those are life hacks. This isn't a news site, it's articles are always something you can do, some action you can take, to improve your life.

Flenser

@Tactical-Incineration-Development: I just clicked a link to "go back to classic".

jkrell

Umm, if there are a bunch of double posts before this, I'm sorry. For some reason, my posts just didn't seem to be going through. I saw some text appear for a fraction of a second after I posted, but not long enough to actually read more than a few words.
I finally managed to copy it: "Your post has been received it won't appear on the site until your account is approved."
Wups?
PS: if someone happens to be sifting through those posts before they go up, delete all of them (and this one) but the one before "Test" (Otherwise, everyone ignore those? <.<)

Quicksilver_Johny

"RSS feeds now look and feel very much like Google Reader." But, Google Reader is still the same, as well as Google Calendar. I'd expect them to get good fullscreen support before this roles out.

@jkrell: Yeah, that's the first thing to go in Greasemonkey.
Speaking of which, when can we expect a Better [Gmail/Gcal/...] iGoogle extension??questionmark?

Quicksilver_Johny

So, when can we expect the Better iGoogle Gmail extension?

Quicksilver_Johny

I like having the new igoogle 'look' AND it looks like you use skitch... I like that too...

krijali

No such link for me jkrell, believe me i've looked. I was a forced switch.

Glamdering

@flesner: I would argue that protecting your privacy is in fact a lifehack.

@dualsub: The gist of the article was that gmail's reg techniques were soft and spammers were taking advantage of it.

I love Lifehacker, but the Google fanboyism is beginning to rival the apple crowd. Sorry to offend you! :)

spidermedic

@jkrell: no such link. google are falling apart.

Tactical-Incineration-Development

@jkrell: chat has been disabled on all browsers except IE. At least for me it has...

chewy5000

hmmmm... i'm pretty much a google fanboy. i'm also a fanboy of doing what everyone else is doing.

i hope lifehacker runs another "show us you igoogle" when people get their new homepages reconfigured, so i can copy the best layouts and gadgets

SinA

I was not a "forced switch" so maybe that's why I had the link...?

jkrell

If you guys are still there, there's a greasemonkey script that gets rid of the sidebar. Check it out!

jkrell

Hopefully this will not stick...or there will be an option to use or not to use. The new style negates what made iGoogle so appealing.

dalton