The free software program Gmail Notifier is technically a desktop program that can check multiple Gmail accounts for new messages. It uses IMAP over SSL for the connection and can monitor up to five Gmail accounts whenever it is running.

Gmail Notifier furthermore offers the option to read the header and body of new messages unlike many other Gmail notifiers that only notify the user of new emails. The program will display a message count for every Gmail account that has been added and configured in the software program.

Emails can be marked as read or deleted as well and attachments are indicated to the user. Notifications are in place to inform the user when new emails have arrived in one of the accounts that are monitored by Gmail Notifier. It is possible to switch to the Gmail account immediately by holding the Ctrl key and clicking on the account. This will open the Gmail interface of the selected account in the default web browser.

Gmail Notifier should be compatible with most versions of Microsoft Windows. It was tested on a Windows XP SP3 test system.

The two main features are the following: Feature 1 displays previews of each unread email message right in the Windows 7 taskbar. It makes it possible to preview each unread email message right there and go to the Gmail account with the click of the button.

The second feature is the Gmail jumplists. Jumplists basically display information and links to common tasks. The Gmail jumplists displays the unread email messages of the Gmail account; Again with the possibility to access the account with the click of the button. Common tasks like going to the inbox or writing a new email are displayed in the jumplist as well which allow a user to quickly access some of the most used features of Google Mail.

Gmail Notifier Plus is only compatible with Windows 7 and can be downloaded at the Neowin forum.

Gdow is a lightweight portable application that runs quietly in the Windows system tray. It will check the Gmail inbox sporadically and notify the user when new mails have arrived. The gmail mail notifier will display the current unread mail count of the Gmail inbox in the system tray and even display mail previews when hovering over the system tray icon.

The gmail mail notifier has to be configured before it can be used. Among the required settings are the Gmail username and password. The user can configure the type of information that are displayed (object, summary, sender’s name and address), the way it is displayed (messagebox, popup balloon, transparent form).

It is furthermore possible to change the mail check interval and enable sound notifications for new mails. The system tray icon contains a link to the Gmail inbox. The way the inbox is opened can be configured in the options as well. Among the options are the possibility to open the inbox in the default web browser or default email client.

Gdow uses roughly 12 Megabytes of computer memory while running. The Gmail mail notifier will run on most Windows operating systems including Windows XP and Windows Vista.