Monday, April 27, 2009

14 Add-ons that make Gmail more awesome


Gmail has been my email client of choice ever since I managed to get my hands on an invite years ago (ah, the days of Gmail-by-invitation-only, I'm just glad I never paid for mine). I never really did much do pimp my inbox though, until now. Well, until Multiple Inboxes made it possible to prioritize my messages and turn even my inbox into a to-do list.

Turns out, I can do a lot more than just this, as long as I download the right script.

I decided to compile a list of the Firefox extentions and scripts that seriously pimp your inbox and improve on Gmail's basic powers.

Productivity & Organization Add-ons

  1. Gspace: If uploading to Google Docs isn't enough, you can use Gmail as a virtual online drive. 
  2. GTDInbox: I was unable to find a version of delegate to Remember The Milk that actually works with the latest version of FireFox, but I did find GTDInbox. I suppose if you already have a RTM account, then this doesn't help. But GTDInbox does come with some other functions. You can use it to make task listsmanage projectsteam working, and even customer support. I still like the native Gmail taskmanager, especially because it makes a link to a related email when you click "create task" in a particular message.
  3. Gmail Todo: Another script to turn Gmail into a To Do list.
  4. Dragdropupload: This little script lets you drag files to the attachment box, instead of manually adding each of them separately.
  5. Folders4Gmail: If you don't really like sorting your messages with labels, you can use this add-on to go old-school and create folders in Gmail.
  6. GMail Attachment Icons gives you a little icon in your inbox showing what type of file is attached in each message. Endlessly helpful when you are looking for that one PDF file among all document attachments.
  7. Gmail Lite: This reminds me of productivity geared text processing programs that remove all the extra stuff, leaving you with minimal distractions. Gmail Lite takes away ads, footer, stars, and chats. If you need minimal visual stimulation to be productive, this one is for you!
  8. EasyJobApplications: If you use Craigslist a lot to apply for gigs or jobs, this script seriously cuts down on the time-per-application you need. Apply to Craigslist positions with a click of a button.
  9. Gmail notifier: This speaks for itself, this add-on notifies you of incoming messages. The cool part is that it supports multiple accounts.
  10. Gmail Manager: One of my new favorites. Anyone managing multiple accounts needs this script.
  11. Clean Gmail Print: If you need to save color ink on your printer and print a lot of email messages, this script removes the Gmail logo when you print something out. Over time, it can save some money, or comes in handy if working in a logo-unfriendly environment.
  12. gDate2Cal 0.1: This makes dates in Gmail into links that take you to the same day in Google Calendar. I'm not sure yet how useful this is… but I'll find out.
  13. GmailTo: Opens mailto: commands from websites to compose in Gmail. I love this one, no more waiting until an email client I never use opens when I accidentally hit one of these links.
  14. Gmail Multiple Signatures, plus Float: If you wear multiple hats, you have multiple signatures. This one changes your signature based on the return address you enter. Love it!

Which one of these are you using? I went from a plain-Jane inbox to a seriously souped-up experience within just a few days, and I am loving the increased functionality I got from my Gmail.

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