We received our BlackBerry PlayBook review units last week, and have been messing around with its features since.  The PlayBook came preloaded with a Gmail link as well as Hotmail and Yahoo alike. Every user has his/her preference and here we are given the option. So to start off with Gmail, first thing you need to know is it is an icon on the home screen which essentially redirects you to the browser. Rather than Gmail opening up in a format you are familiar with from a computer browser, it has been optimized for the PlayBook, more or so as HTML 5 (as seen on the iPhone) to open up in such a fashion that is convenient and user friendly.

As you will see in the screenshots, it has a very fluid layout which at times, can remind you of outlook or other email clients. On the left side of the page, you can see email headers by date, and on the right-side, you have a preview window which enables you to read the email right from there. The layout looks great and is quite responsive to user input.

Gmail on the PlayBook has a number of convenience features available such as folder views, emails searching, deleting, and even archiving messages. The application has been developed with the end user’s preferences in mind and with that consideration; the browser allows you to switch to a Basic HTML view, or the default Desktop view.  The tablet even allows Gmail Chat (Google Chat) to function from Desktop view. This like many other applications and interfaces are relatively a new breed to the PlayBook and as time progress, so will the enhancements of the apps. We look forward to seeing what else Gmail and Google have to offer as far as applications and web experiences go.

Related posts:

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2. Hands on with Gmail Plugin for BlackBerry
3. Push Gmail coming to BlackBerry in July
4. RIM to release Gmail Plugin for BlackBerry
5. Gmail Contact Syncing Option appears on BIS site
6. Video: Hands on with BlackBerry PlayBook Media Sync
7. BIS Gmail Two Way Read/Unread Sync Active?
8. BlackBerry PlayBook gets another hands on video
9. Check out the BlackBerry PlayBook Facebook App – View Facebook photos & updates in a PlayBook
10. Videos: Quick hands on with native Calculator & Weather apps for PlayBook!