Google gives Gmail a new look

"We're excited to finally share Gmail's new look with you," Google user experience designer Jason Cornwell said in a blog post.

"We'll be bringing these changes to everyone soon," he said. "But if you'd like to make the switch right away, we're rolling out a 'Switch to the new look' link in the bottom-right of Gmail over the next few days."

The new layout has a revamped "conversation view" to make it easier to keep track of who said what in email trails and improved tools for searching mailboxes, which typically serve as storage bins for users.

Google also began providing more insight and control regarding how ad pitches are personalized to users.

"We're committed to giving you notice and control over the ads that you see," Google advertising senior vice president Susan Wojcicki said in a blog post. "If you don't wish to see personalized ads, the choice is yours."

Information such as location and search history is used to decide what ads people might find more useful, according to Google.

"Our advertising system is designed to show the right ad to the right person at the right time," Wojcicki said.

"Over the coming weeks, we're making improvements to provide greater transparency and choice regarding the ads you see on Google search and Gmail."

Google search and Gmail pages will feature "Why these ads?" links that people can click on to explore the reasoning that went into picking the paid messages displayed, according to Wojcicki.

People can use Ads Preference Manager tools to tune systems to their tastes or block messages from advertisers that are of no interest to them.

The Google news came a day after it introduced a new version of its Reader that gives the tool a more Spartan design and increases integration with the California-based Internet titan's Google+ social network.

(c) 2011 AFP