New features include keyboard shortcuts that mirror Gmail's keyboard shortcuts, a sort by last name filter, faster editing options, autosaving and custom labels so that users can add their own fields to contact records. Perhaps most notably, the Contacts section looks and feels exactly like the Gmail inbox.
In speaking with Project Manager Benjamin Grol, it became clear that the Contacts overhaul was a necessary upgrade for Google. He indicated that the new version of Contacts makes Gmail a viable cloud-based contact manager for professionals, and indicated that the simplistic feature set was specifically designed with Andriod users -- who can sync their mobile contacts with Gmail -- in mind.
With the Contacts rollout, Google engineers have also slightly refreshed Gmail's appearance. For example, the new Contacts section of Gmail is now accessible from a shifted upper left-hand menu, and there's an updated "Compose mail" button that better aligns with Gmail's button branding. "We've made subtle but important UI changes in Gmail," said Grol in an interview with Mashable.
Contact management may be a tedious necessity for most, but Google's updates to Contacts will help ensure that updating and locating contact records is a much more painless process. However, the feature upgrade temporarily excludes the audience most likely to benefit from it -- Google Apps users using Gmail via their own domain.
