Google adds themes to Gmail

So now the sun shines out of your inbox

November 20th 2008 | Tell us what you think [ 1 comments ]

Or you could keep it just the way it is

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Google has brought themes to its Gmail webmail client – allowing you to personalise your page.

Themes have been present in iGoogle – a personalised home page – for some time, and that functionality has now been rolled out to the popular Gmail service.

Google's mail client is some way behind the likes of Microsoft's Live Hotmail and Yahoo mail, but it has taken a considerable chunk of the market.

The themes include the likes of beach, planets, ninja, pebbles and a whole host of colour changes.

Stylish

"Gmail fans have been building unofficial extensions to spice up their inboxes for a while, but up 'til now themes haven't been an integral part of Gmail," said engineer Annie Chen on the company's Gmail blog.

"We wanted to go beyond simple color customization, so out of the 30 odd themes we're launching today, there's a shiny theme with chrome styling, another one that turns your in-box into a retro notepad, nature themes that change scenery over time, weather driven themes that can rain on your mailbox, and fun characters to keep you in good company."

You may not be shocked to hear that Gmail remains in beta, however.