Here’s my new favorite thing: Gmail Browser.
It supports Gmail’s built-in shortcuts - well, mostly - I’ve found that in some instances, keyboard input appears to stop working and I have to resort to clicking. But that’s happened in other browsers too.
Gmail might have been suffering some downtime problems in the last week or so, which makes me hesitant to return to it full-time. But I still check a couple of Gmail accounts about once a week, and Gmail Browser makes the job that little bit more pleasant.
One thing that doesn’t work in Gmail Browser is Google Documents & Spreadsheets, but not because of any fault of its own. It’s just that Docs & Spreads does not fully support WebKit yet. Google’s little explanatory note about this is entertaining:
If you are working to fix problems with a specific browser and would like to bypass this check, just add
&browserok=trueto the end of the Google Docs & Spreadsheets URL. Please note that it is a violation of intergalactic law to use this parameter under false pretences, so don’t let us catch you at it. And, it won’t work very well — really.
If it's against the intergalactic law, why did they even suggest it in the first place? Lame..
It's only a violation if you do it under false pretences. If you realy are pretending to be an OK Browser then it's prefectly legal under cosmic statutes.
Personally, I use Mail.App for GMail, which works just fine. I don't use Google Calendar as it does not offer full syncronisation with iCal - although it will import data from iCal (just not the other way round, and it's too fussy a process).
As to why you would prefer GMail Browser to Mail.app (or ANY other email client) or to Safari (it is essentially a limited Browser), I'm not sure. Is your attention span so limited that you need this to "not get distracted by links in the email" as the author proclaims? If so, I would urge you to consider medical therapy.
MailPlane looks to be a far superior realization of this concept. Invite-only beta, though.
What's the best way to warn people about Google suspending service on an account for some reason that has to do with failures in their software. I have started getting "Lockdown Sector 6" and the following message:
Our system indicates unusual usage of your account. In order to protect Gmail users from potentially harmful use of Gmail, this account has been disabled for up to 24 hours.
This is likely due to the use of a third party software tool with Gmail.
If you are using any third party software that interacts with your Gmail account, please disable it or adjust it so that its use complies with the Gmail Terms of Use. If you feel that you have been using your Gmail account according to the Terms of Use or otherwise normally, please contact us.