Ever since Gmail launched, it’s been my primary webmail account as I remember they are the first company that provides free email account with continuous expanding capacity for everyone. Of course, it doesn’t become a concern anymore when more and more email account provider are able to offer the same email storage space, but what I like the most is their simplicity and fast loading, as well as their lab features. However, if you are an extensive user of Gmail for your studies, business etc., I am pretty sure that you might started to get bored of the default Gmail theme, even though there are some nice themes available, but they easily get bored as well. So what can you do about it? If you are using Mozilla Firefox for accessing Gmail, then you must be one happy guy (or girl?), because there is one well optimized, cool, tidy, and modern theme for your Gmail account.

Google Redesigned

I won’t deny that I love eye candies. I will try to get every software, every applications I used to become nice looking, and comfortable to use. It was long time ago since I discover Gmail Redesigned even when Gmail’s own theme isn’t available; it was with a plugin for Firefox called Better Gmail. After that, Globex Design decided to be a standalone plugin for Firefox, and keep on improving the whole interface. Check some screenshot below, and you will know why I am loving it:

Pretty cool eh? Everything become more visible, more email get viewed, full of colors (if you consider the dull Gmail classic theme). Not only that, if you used Google Calendar and Google Reader, they skinned them for you as well, all just with one plugin. They even extended the Redesigned theme to GDoc, but currently they are still in closed beta testing stage, and I am pretty sure we can get it for free when it is ready to made available. Excited? Below shown the skinned Gcal and Greader:

You might want to know the way it works since the skin/theme isn’t officially supported by Google, here’s how:

Google Redesigned first detects when you’re visiting a supported page (such as Gmail). When it detects that you are looking at Gmail it will load a new CSS file from the extension overtop of your current Gmail page. This changes the way the interface looks.

Every now and then, Google Redesigned will automatically connect to our servers and check to see if it’s got the latest version of the styles. If not, it will download and install the update for you so that you’re always using the most recent and best version of the styles.

Google Redesigned has no access to any of your data or personal information. Google Redesigned also doesn’t change the functionality of any Google services, it only changes their appearance.

Obviously, the above statement was taken from their official site, explaining how’s Google Redesigned work with your Gecko-powered browser. So if you are using Firefox right now (or Gecko-powered browser such as Flock, IceWeasel, Songbird, Prism), go on ahead to GlobexDesign to install the plugin and experience the differences they brought for you when using these Google web-based applications. However, if you are using other browser, especially Internet Explorer, and you wanted Google Redesigned theme so much, I would advise you to change your browser to Mozilla Firefox, which you can get it from here. Don’t worry about the shifting, if any page that you having problem accessing using Firefox, there is a plugin called IETab that using the Internet Explorer core within Firefox, so I believe no big deal with the changing and you will be able to surf internet more safer, and not to forget the nice Google Redesigned theme for your Gmail, Greader, and Gcal.

You might find the above screenshot even drooling as you can access your calendar and reader within your Gmail account, all within one page. But I wouldn’t tell you how to do it, if you interested with it after you get Google Redesigned installed, go to Globex Design page to look for something called ‘Integrated Gmail’, and from there you will find out how to get your Gmail works like the above.

P/S: There might be some minor problem if you using the Integrated Gmail with NoScript plugin, you might want to check the workaround at here (Ops, do I accidentally put the Integrated Gmail link here?).  

Editor’s Note

Go on and install it, if you are the Google apps supporter. It not only enhance your experience using them, but it also able to make your become more productivity and efficient (who wouldn’t with such a beautiful skin?), but please, stop staring and admiring the skin. Hehe. Lastly, I would like to thanks to Globex Design Inc. for their time in designing such a nice theme for Gmail and others. If you are affordable, why not buy a coffee or two for them by donating (if you donate to them, you are able to access the beta testing Gdoc for now). That’s all folks! Until next time! 

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