In order to use Gmail, you can use its web interface at Gmail.com or you can use one of desktop e-mail clients (which is probably Apple’s Mail, if you’re a Mac user). Constant visits to Gmail’s web interface to check for new e-mails and to compose a new message can be very time consuming, so many are choosing to set-up a Gmail account in the Apple’s Mail client. Here’s where the problem occurs since Google’s IMAP implementation can be very confusing for new as well as experienced Mac users. Many simply don’t know a difference between POP and IMAP accounts, so even after they set up their Gmail with Apple’s Mail, it’s still not functioning the way users wished. This is the number one reason why many are switching back to Gmail’s web interface, at Gmail.com.
Fortunately, Google has developed a small but very helpful application which integrates into Mac OS X in order to silently check for new e-mails and to notify you when you have a new mail in your inbox. It’s called Gmail Notifier and it can be found at Google’s website. It’s a very small, so you’ll download it in a bit and you won’t even have to go through any installation processes.
After you download a file, you’ll get “Google Notifier” icon on your desktop or in your Downloads folder. Simply click on it and you’ll get a small window where you’ll need to sign-in with your Gmail account and that’s all you need to do. You’ll immediately notice a small Gmail icon at the top of your screen, in the main system’s toolbar. Now, each time you receive a mail, a new notification will pop-up, letting you know about the situation in your inbox. Simply click on the notification to have it removed.
When you click on the Gmail icon, you’ll get additional tools which can take you to your inbox, or directly to a compose mail window. This means that a Safari (or any other default browser you might be using) will open and take you to your account, without any need for additional sign-ins. This little button will also list your unread messages, so you can go directly to a specific unread message. It’s important to say that it has no attachments to Apple’s Mail application or any other desktop e-mail clients. It simply provides shortcuts to a Gmail’s web interface, providing a much better user experience.
