If you've been using Android devices as long as I have, then Google services have likely become a large part of your life - for better or worse. I use Gmail for all of my e-mail purposes, Google Docs/Sheets/Slides for document creation, Google Photos for my saving all of my best memories, and Google Drive for storing my files long-term. While each of these services have great applications available for Android and iOS, using G Suite services on the desktop is a different story. The only way to really use these services on a desktop OS such as Microsoft Windows 10 is to dedicate a browser tab to it - which is fine because it works the same on any machine. However, sometimes it's better to work from a dedicated desktop client for improved multi-tasking purposes, and to that end a company called Zive created a desktop G Suite client called Kiwi for Gmail 2.0. Initially only available for Apple's macOS, Zive is now extending support to users on Microsoft Windows.


Meet Kiwi for Gmail 2.0 - a Desktop G Suite Client for Windows

Kiwi for Gmail 2.0 is a desktop client that brings full support for the services offered by Google as a part of its G Suite offerings. This includes Gmail (as shown above), Google Calendar, Google Drive, and Google Docs/Sheets/Slides. No longer will you have to rely on multiple Chrome tabs to access your favorite G Suite offerings on your Windows machine; with Kiwi all of these offerings are accessible in a single application.

The intention behind Kiwi is to offer companies that have switched over to G Suite an alternative way to access G Suite services in a manner reminiscent of Microsoft Office while still retaining the uniqueness of G Suite services found on the browser. By moving G Suite out of the browser, users can increase their productivity thanks to being able to open multiple windows within each service, integrations with the desktop, quick access to all of the G Suite services, and finally multi-account access. Kiwi allows supports third-party Gmail plugins such as Boomerang, too. You can read up on Kiwi for Gmail's current feature-list on Zive's webpage.

For the client's release on Windows, though, Kiwi for Gmail 2.0 will offer two additional features that are not found on the macOS client: a "do not disturb" feature and an "important only" notifications setting to prioritize your alerts. The desktop client offers an orange and green (kiwi) theme, along with the ability to set the G Suite quick access bar to a dark color. Switching between accounts can easily be done through clicking on one of the tabs on the top bar.

Kiwi for Gmail 2.0 is free for a single Gmail account, but costs $9.99 for full G Suite integration and multi-account access (for switching between up to 6 accounts). While I personally haven't tried out Kiwi for Windows myself (because I don't own a Mac), I'm excited for the possibility of a decent Windows desktop client for Google's services.

Let us know your thoughts about this service below!