Looks a bit different doesn’t it ? Google UI team is on a tear this week, after launching Google+, updating Calendar now comes a refresh of Gmail. Next to search, Gmail is Google’s biggest properties, so making changes to it is sure to piss a lot of people off. Change is hard.
Starting today Google are releasing it as an optional theme, with the vision of releasing it as the default at some time in the future. To try out the new interface, head to your Gmail settings, select the Themes tab, then select either Preview or Preview (Dense).
Personally I think the Dense version is a better option, with slightly less padding, it gives you more content on the screen at once, while remaining clean and usable. This is a serious change and will take some time to get used to. Contacts has also been hit with the new UI, making for a consistent experience across most of the Google services. Look out Google Reader, you could be next.
More info @ Google Blog
