Available for desktop and mobile devices, the new Google app is designed to reimagine the way emails are managed, in particular by scheduling reminders for specific tasks and bringing in useful up-to-date additional information from the web. Inbox is currently available only by invitation.
Building upon the Tabs concept added to Gmail in 2013, the Inbox app introduces Bundles, a feature that identifies similar messages to sort them with even more accuracy. Emails containing order confirmations or e-tickets, for example, are automatically placed into dedicated categories. Users are free to define which other email types are grouped together.
The Inbox app also brings in up-to-date information related to the content of an email, such as the delivery status with an online purchase confirmation or a map to the restaurant with a reservation confirmation. With a message referencing a flight, Inbox supplies a link to the airline's online check-in service.
Reminders are also supported by the app and are synced with Google Now. Like email messages, Reminders may be enhanced with relevant content from the web.
Finally, the Snooze feature allows users to put any email or reminder on hold at any time for a predetermined period of time.
While Inbox was developed by the team behind Gmail, it is an entirely separate program, more along the lines of the recent wave of smart, time-saving email apps such as Mailbox.
Inbox is available for download at the App Store (iOS) and at Google Play (Android). The app may also be accessed through a browser at google.com/inbox. Regardless of the version, an invitation is required to use the service. Invitations may be requested by email to inbox@google.com.
Watch a video on the Inbox app.
