• MSNBC, Friday, July 1, 2011 12:07 PM

Also this week, Google began rolling out a redesigned Gmail platform. It "has Google's signature coloring all over it, and looks sneakily similar to the insides of Google+," according to Msnbc.com, referring, of course, to Google's just-debuted social network. "The test theme comes ... in two flavors," Msnbc.com explains. "'Preview' (dense) looks like a cleaner version of the 'Classic' Gmail theme; 'Preview' gives you the full treatment, with broader tabs and message panes and all." MSNBC warned, however, that these are still test versions of the new look, so some features may end up looking "a little odd."

Google Calendar, meanwhile, is next in line for a Google+ facelift, and some users are already seeing the update. The update, meanwhile, doesn't appear to have affected the presence of AdSense ads on Gmail. That said, while it might be just a glitch, a new "People" - which appears to list contacts relevant to a particular email thread -- does seem to block AdSense ads as one scrolls down the page.

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