Gmail Update Adds Easy Calendar Access

Google is making it easier for Gmail users to schedule their lives.

Dates and times within emails are now lightly underlined, encouraging the user to click them to schedule a dinner date or birthday party, without leaving the comfort of Gmail.

Click on an underlined date, and you can preview your calendar for the day, to see if that training session fits into your schedule. Change the title, date, or time of the event, and click "Add to Calendar" to set the event in stone.

The calendar event includes a link to the original email, making it easy to check back for additional details like location, attendees, or directions.

Google promised in a blog post that the new feature will roll out over the next week to English users; other languages will be added soon.

The move comes as Microsoft ramps up competition in the email space with the transition from Hotmail to Outlook.com. Redmond announced Thursday that all Hotmail accounts have been rolled over to Outlook.com.

Outlook.com now has 400 million active accounts, according to a Thursday blog post from the company.

:story: PC Magazine