Posted by Greg Bullock, Software Engineer
As a Brit, my friends and family often tell me they're miffed that they get an @googlemail.com address instead of @gmail.com. Today I have good news for them: Google Mail is soon becoming Gmail again in the UK.
If you already have a Google email account in the UK, you'll soon have the option to switch your existing @googlemail.com address to the matching @gmail.com one, but you're also free to stick with @googlemail.com. And starting later this week, anybody who signs up for a new account in the UK will get an @gmail.com address. Since "gmail" is 50% fewer characters than "googlemail," we estimate this name change will save approximately 60 million keystrokes a day. At about 217 microjoules per keystroke, that's about the energy of 20 bonbons saved every day!
We'll be making this transition over the next week, and will update this post as the changes roll out. So to Aunty Pamela, Uncle Maurice, and everyone else in the UK, welcome to Gmail!
Update (6:30 pm PST, May 5th): We've updated the homepage in the UK to show "Gmail" instead of "Google Mail," and from now on, all new accounts will get @gmail.com addresses. If you're in the UK and would like to change your @googlemail.com address to @gmail.com, just click "switch to @gmail.com" in the Accounts tab under Settings (this link will only show up if you're eligible to change your address).
Switching will only affect your address; your account settings, contacts, and existing mail won't be modified. And you won't miss any mail if you make the switch -- any mail sent to your old @googlemail.com address will be automatically delivered to your new @gmail.com address. If you want, you can send messages from your @googlemail.com address by setting up a custom "from" address, or if you change your mind you can even switch back to your @googlemail.com address. If you have any questions about how this change affects you, check out the FAQ in our Help Center.
