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GmailGeiger 2.5 - Gmail Mail Checker

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By , About.com Guide

GmailGeiger

GmailGeiger

Heinz Tschabitscher

The Bottom Line

GmailGeiger is a widget for the Yahoo! Widget Engine that lets you watch multiple Gmail accounts and specific labels in them for new unread mail. The flexible announcements of GmailGeiger are great; more information about the messages waiting and ways to interact with them (delete, archive, reply,...) would be even greater.

Pros

  • GmailGeiger announces new mail in multiple Gmail accounts with sound, count and pop-up
  • You can watch individual Gmail labels with multiple instances of GmailGeiger
  • The GmailGeiger widget can hide when no new mail is waiting

Cons

  • GmailGeiger does not display any message information
  • You cannot act on new emails right from GmailGeiger
  • GmailGeiger only takes you to the Gmail Inbox, not individual labels or messages

Description

  • GmailGeiger counts the number of unread messages in Gmail.
  • You can either watch the Gmail Inbox or any label with GmailGeiger.
  • Multiple instances of GmailGeiger check separate accounts or labels, each with their own settings.
  • GmailGeiger can announce visually, by jumping to the foreground, and by playing any sound.
  • You can go to your Gmail Inbox (in the default browser) right from GmailGeiger.
  • GmailGeiger lets you choose from a number of visual styles and icons.
  • With no unread mail to announce or count, GmailGeiger can automatically hide.
  • GmailGeiger supports Windows 2000/3/XP and Mac OS X.

Guide Review - GmailGeiger 2.5 - Gmail Mail Checker

In German, a "Geiger" is somebody who plays the violin (GmailGeiger can announce new mail using any custom sound), but also more generally a master who does whatever she does in most virtuous a manner.

Watching either a Gmail Inbox or any label, GmailGeiger plays the new Gmail announcement game with virtuous simplicity as you can have multiple instances of GmailGeiger check separate labels or accounts. (To create a new instance of GmailGeiger, copy and rename the GmailGeiger file; the copy will act as a separate widget in the Yahoo! Widget Engine.)

Using a number of icons and designs, GmailGeiger counts the number of unread messages stylishly, and when new mail is detected in can jump to the foreground. The possibly best visual aspect of GmailGeiger is its ability to hide when no mail worthy of announcement is waiting. A click on the GmailGeiger icon will take you to the Gmail Inbox.

Unfortunately, that's about all the interaction you get from GmailGeiger. You cannot go to a specific — watched — label, for example, or open individual messages right from GmailGeiger. GmailGeiger does not even display any information about the messages waiting. Counting them it does in a virtuously useful manner, however.

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