Google revamps Gmail web app for feature phone users

While the mobile culture is increasingly shifting towards smartphones, there are still a few people who may want or need a simple phone and subscribe to the feature phone culture. Search giant Google is now keeping them in mind with the launch of a newly revamped version of its Gmail web app. While the lack of a web browser and a touch screen may be a bit taxing, the new Gmail app, from what the company has to say, will definitely give feature phone users a competent webmailing experience.

The new Gmail web app is said to have a number of improvements packed in. Chief among them is the reduced number of button presses required to read, reply and compose messages. The new web app will allow feature phone users to directly reply to a message from the mail thread view, as well as be able to move back and forth between conversations. And the company has said that these are just a few of the many things that the new Gmail app will come with.

Google has revamped its Gmail web app for feature phone users

While the smartphone culture is definitely the rage right now, feature phones still come with enough numbers backing it up. A recent IDC report about the booming smartphone culture in India showed that feature phones still account for 85 percent of the total Indian mobile market.

In comparison, the Indian smartphone market has almost tripled its shipments year over year in the second quarter of 2013. Vendors across the nation have been able to ship in a total of 9.3 million smartphones in the second quarter as compared to the 3.5 million units in the same quarter last year. The increasing number of smartphone units being shipped out can be credited to cheaper models being offered as well as fierce competition. While shifting trends definitely seem in favour of smartphones, there is at least one mailing app out there that promises to give simple phone users a decent way to check their mail on-the-go.