Gmail for iOS hands-on

For two hours this afternoon, if you were quick on the draw you could download the official Gmail app for iOS. Of course, if you didn’t get to install the app you really didn’t miss much. Google pulled the app because of “a bug with notifications,” but there’s plenty about the app that isn’t working properly. The app is basically just the Gmail web app with a wrapper around it and offline functionality, though it does have some nice tweaks like a left-side drawer that slides out to show labels and an easy way to attach photos from your camera roll. Of course, the bugs handily outnumber the features — you can’t save an attachment from the app itself, it’s often unresponsive, and the app doesn’t yet index your device’s address book. The app is native for iPad and iPhone / iPod touch, and we’re hoping the two hours of terrible feedback the app got will help Google get the re-release right. (That, or we’ll just wait for Sparrow’s iOS app.)