Mobile Internet Age: Your smartphone knows everything

5 Tips for Getting More out of Gmail

Gmail is a comprehensive, powerful email program, but it can be confusing, even for thoseme who’ve been using it since it launched in Beta in 2004. That’s because Google likes to add new features to “improve” the way it works. Some changes are welcome,the new tabs feature that sorts incoming mail into types of mail. Others may streamline the look, but hide basic options,changing the subject on an email reply. So I’ve pulled together the five features I find most useful in the current iteration of Gmail. Adding a calendar entryGmail If you get a lot of invites in your email–whether they’re for social events or just plain old work meetings–it’s now easier than ever to add them directly to your Google calendaran open email. Look for any dates or times in the email and you’ll see dashes appear under those words. Click the date and you’ll get a prompt asking if you want to “Add to Calendar.” Clicking yes shows you your calendar for that date with the event filled in. You can change the date and time and name of the event, before adding it to your calendar. Google also includes a link back to the original email right in your calendar entry. Google If Google hasn’t identified a date or time within an email, you can still add the entry without leaving your email. With the message open, click the “More” drop-down menu on top of the email. “Create event” and your email message will show up in the description section. You can then edit and enter details and click “save”. Adding a person’s info to your contacts One of the things I love about Gmail is the ability to easily update a person’s contact information rightwithin an email. It’s just a little tricky to find this option. In an open email, scan over to the right, just above the ads. This isyou see the option to chat with, email or start