• On The Insider: Kim Kardashian Tweets Sexy Pics
April 15, 2010 12:31 PM PDT

Gmail gets drag-and-drop attachments

by Josh Lowensohn

Google put out a pair of small, but useful Gmail updates on Thursday that make it both easier to use and more integrated with the company's free Calendar service. Notably, both have skipped a trial through the service's "labs" section, and gone straight through to the final product.

The first is drag-and-drop attachments, a feature which lets you drag files from your desktop machine right into your e-mail message to have them begin uploading. It works the same as the system Google implemented in its Wave service for photos and other media types. It also has the same requirement of the user having to run Google Chrome or Firefox 3.6.

To use it within Gmail, users just drag any file from their hard drive (or from within an open application) into a new green box that appears within the compose menu. The service then uploads it in the background, which--just like uploading any other attachment--lets you do other things as the bits are being pushed.

Gmail's attachment handling now works with a drag and a drop from your computer. You'll need Chrome or Firefox 3.6 installed though.

(Credit: Screenshot by Josh Lowensohn/CNET)

The other new feature is a nice follow-up to the experimental rescheduling feature the company introduced to its Calendar product just last month. It adds a little "insert invitation" link just below the subject line of outgoing e-mails. When clicked, it pops up with a Google Calendar invitation-maker that includes a visual of when there are open times to meet based on those people's schedules. As soon as you send it, the event gets added to everyone's calendars (if they're on Gmail that is), or attached as an .ICS file.

Between the two, the drag-and-drop attachments is really the new, killer feature. For those users on Chrome or Firefox (with Mozilla's Prism installed) who are running Gmail as a standalone desktop Web app, this adds a whole new layer of functionality, and one that more closely resembles a real piece of software.

Related: Dragdropupload, which added the drag-and-drop feature to Gmail, as well as a handful of other Web mail services.

Josh Lowensohn writes about Web start-ups, video games, multimedia tools, and the occasional robot. He joined CNET in 2006, and posts to the Web Crawler and Webware blogs. E-mail Josh, or follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/Josh.
Recent posts from Web Crawler
Want a face tattoo? Try Obsessive Ink first
Gmail gets drag-and-drop attachments
Evernote doubles note size limits, adds versioning
Broadcasts Monitor puts 25 video streams in a tab
BirdHerd lets you share your Twitter account (invites)
Trendsmap to get a little more local, multilingual
Mint now lets you write in expenses ahead of time
Adobe Flash evangelist: 'Go screw yourself Apple'
Add a Comment (Log in or register) (24 Comments)
  • prev
  • next
by slecalvez April 15, 2010 1:13 PM PDT
WWWWOOOOOOWWWWW... really? Should we get excited about this? Is this what Google calls Innovation?
Reply to this comment
by vkalathil April 15, 2010 1:54 PM PDT
And how many web based email services that you use provide this functionality?
4 people like this comment
by slecalvez April 15, 2010 2:36 PM PDT
Yahoo!, Apple (Me)...
by cbscowards April 15, 2010 4:18 PM PDT
slecalvez: No they don't. Not with web-mail based services.
1 person likes this comment
by slecalvez April 15, 2010 1:55 PM PDT
None, that's why Id' rather use Thunderbird, Oultook, Windows Live Mail, or a rich client... But is this really news? That is my question.
Reply to this comment 2 people like this comment
by Chakkan April 15, 2010 2:01 PM PDT
news to me, I never heard about this feature till I read this.
1 person likes this comment
by tmeesseman April 15, 2010 2:22 PM PDT
For someone who doesn't know how to use a reply button, you sure have a strong opinion on the best software to use.

The news here isn't that they are providing a revolutionary feature - its just nice to know that they are constantly adding new things to it, and had I not read it on CNet, I may never have even noticed it.

If you don't think Gmail is one of the best web-based clients, you're nuts.
1 person likes this comment
by BazNZ April 15, 2010 3:02 PM PDT
"The news here isn't that they are providing a revolutionary feature - its just nice to know that they are constantly adding new things to it, and had I not read it on CNet, I may never have even noticed it."

I have to wonder if C|Net (news.com) would provide this 'service' for other companies that offered web-based email services.
by loose_screw April 15, 2010 5:10 PM PDT
Yes, it is news to me as well, as a Gmail user. Thanks Josh/CNET!
by Chakkan April 15, 2010 2:09 PM PDT
@slecalvez
Its news to me. I hadn't heard about this feature until i read this article. I'll admit its not overly news worthy but then again this is a news blog, not a news report/article.
Reply to this comment 1 person likes this comment
by js555554 April 15, 2010 2:18 PM PDT
News to me also @slecalvez
Reply to this comment 1 person likes this comment
by Dr_Garcia April 15, 2010 2:22 PM PDT
Apple mail has done it for a while now.
Reply to this comment 1 person likes this comment
by js555554 April 15, 2010 4:52 PM PDT
Well, so as outlook, outlook express and any number of email applications not MS. But the story was about Gmail. What does Apple mail have to do with it?
by loose_screw April 15, 2010 5:11 PM PDT
Apple has free webmail that supports drag & drop? Since when? How do I get one?

If not, then please stop making comments like this.
1 person likes this comment
by slecalvez April 15, 2010 2:29 PM PDT
If you use Gmail everyday, it wouldn't be news... If you don't, it's not a feature that will attract more users.
Reply to this comment
by bduboff April 15, 2010 2:32 PM PDT
Yahoo mail has had this for a while - I use both emails and still am amazed at how ugly and unituitive gmail is with it's threads - still, I'm glad that it's got drag and drop now
Reply to this comment
by pianom4n April 15, 2010 3:28 PM PDT
Except Gmail doesn't make you install a plugin, it uses the W3C File API (read http://hacks.mozilla.org/2009/12/file-drag-and-drop-in-firefox-3-6/ if you're interested).

And I always though Yahoo's whole interface was ugly and unintuitive (yes, the new one).
1 person likes this comment
by bduboff April 15, 2010 2:33 PM PDT
Yahoo mail has had this for a while - I use both emails and still am amazed at how ugly and unituitive gmail is with it's threads - still, I'm glad that it's got drag and drop now
Reply to this comment
by loose_screw April 15, 2010 5:12 PM PDT
Yahoo only does it if you install a plug-in. No thanks!
1 person likes this comment
by divanw April 15, 2010 2:52 PM PDT
Hallelujah! The drag and drop feature is fab!
Reply to this comment
by CookevilleWeatherGuy April 15, 2010 3:07 PM PDT
I think this drag and drop feature is awesome. For those of us who use it and use attachments daily, it's a time saver.

For those 'negative Nellies', get a life....
Reply to this comment 1 person likes this comment
by b-e-q April 15, 2010 4:31 PM PDT
It'd be great if Gmail could combine this new drag-and-drop attachment feature with the existing "Inserting images" labs feature (the latter which allows embedding an inline image in the message body). For example, files dropped into the green box will be attachments, whereas images dropped into the message body area will be embedded inline...

Going further, it'd be great if we could also use copy-and-paste to insert (both file attachments and inline images in the message body).
Reply to this comment
by loose_screw April 15, 2010 5:13 PM PDT
Maybe those features will come out as well!
(24 Comments)
  • prev
  • next
advertisement
CNET River
advertisement

The quick rise of a teen hacker

q&a Marc Maiffret, the security expert who poked holes in Microsoft, says the company has raised the bar in software development and talks about the shifting threat landscape.

Kids on YouTube: How much is too much?

From a manic cooking show hosted by a 3-year-old to tykes parodying a "Scarface" scene, online videos of kids toe a fine line between adorable and digital-age stage parenting.

About Web Crawler

Josh Lowensohn grew up in a household full of technology. From a young age, he was taking apart computers, snaking Cat5 cable through walls, and reprogramming video games. Prior to joining CNET, he covered video game news and wrote reviews for GamersReports.com. For this blog, Josh is exploring the latest Web apps and technologies, the video game industry, multimedia tools, and trends in consumer entertainment devices.

Add this feed to your online news reader

Web Crawler topics

advertisement
advertisement

Inside CNET News

Scroll Left Scroll Right