After such a long time when almost everyone has cribbed about the missing ‘Task’ feature in Gmail, finally today, Gmail Labs adds Tasks.
Before you do anything, make sure Labs are enabled under Gmail settings.
Features available in Tasks in Gmail:
  • Once you enable tasks in labs, you will see a new link under contacts in Gmail sidebar.  
  • When you click, it opens a similar window as it opens for chat.  
  • Start typing whatever you want to remember as a task and hit enter or click outside to save.
  • There is a small arrow right at the task you wrote, which lets you add the due date and some note for the tasks.
  • You can indent and use keyboard short-cuts to use tasks, define completed task and all those goodies.
  • You can create separate lists for separate purpose if you want and arrange the tasks properly or use indenting for this purpose (say Personal, work etc.)
  • Covert email into a task by selecting the drop down menu ‘More actions’.
Suggestions to improve Tasks in Gmail: 
Though tasks in Gmail is really an advancement for Gmail fans, and recently Gmail have been on improvement spree with those themes, gadgets and all.  But I would personally love some of the following features added to Tasks in Gmail:
  • Ability to define time for the task like 2.15 pm etc.
  • Gmail Calendar integration – Ability to see the tasks in Gmail Calendar and define items in Calendar to use as task as a to do item.
  • The link in sidebar should show number of tasks due today just like it shows for unread mails in Inbox.
  • Labeling of tasks to arrange the tasks properly instead of using workarounds.
  • Using Tasks as a gadget just like recent Gmail gadget and other Google Desktop and iGoogle gadgets.
I am sure there will be lots of feature already on the Gmail labs team todo list.  And some feature will be added pretty soon.
Till then, I will manage my tasks with this new feature added.
Frankly, this new feature in Gmail might make some of the service like Remember the Milk etc. reduntant for Gmail lovers.
What do you say?

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