Google's Gmail For iPad Site Adds Two-Pane View To Utilize Extra Space

If you look at what's happening in the software development world, it's pretty remarkable to see how the iPad has shuffled things up. With any new platform, some tweaks are made, but few happen this fast. There were only a few months between the debut of the iPad and the launch of it, yet many developers have already created new applications that take advantage of the extra screen space. This rapid rate of development is likely spurred by just how successful the App Store has been on the iPhone and iPod touch, and many developers are seeing green at the chance to charge even more for "HD" versions of these apps for the iPad.

Google is no different. The company has had their problems with Apple over the past few months (remember that lawsuit against HTC that specifically calls out Android devices?), but Google still understands just how important Apple devices are to their continued success. In order to make Gmail more iPad compatible, Google has retooled Gmail and how it renders when viewed on an iPad. The new web app (which requires accessing it via Safari) is built on the Gmail for mobile HTML5 app, but thanks to the extra screen space on Apple's new tablet, it's different looking than the versions already out for Android and iPhone.


The iPad view of Gmail has a new two-pane view that places a list of conversations on the left and messages on the right, which definitely makes scrolling through your mail a lot easier. Have you tried it on your new iPad? Google's admitting that this is still in beta, so drop them a line if you see a bug.