1. Archive instead of delete

Tidy up your inbox without deleting anything. You can always search to find what you need or look in "All Mail."

2. Chat and video chat directly within Gmail.

You can even talk face-to-face with built-in video chat.

3. Labels instead of folders

Labels do the work of folders with an extra bonus: you can add more than one to an email.

4. Conversation view

Gmail groups emails and their replies in your inbox, so you always see your messages in the context of your conversation. Related messages are stacked neatly on top of each other, like a deck of cards.