Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OfficialGmailBlog/~3/6LILiofOMfM/gmail-on-your-desktop.html
Posted by James Yum, Developer Programs Engineer, Google Desktop On the Google Desktop gadgets team, we've seen countless requests for a Gmail gadget over the years. That gadget is finally here, so if you've got Google Desktop for Windows, give it a try. You'll see that it covers the basics such as reading, searching, and sending messages. You can star messages, use the same keyboard shortcuts, and we didn't forget about contact auto-complete. It doesn't take up much space in your sidebar or desktop, and you can also resize it to show as few or as many messages as you'd like.
When I'm at work, I keep two instances of the gadget open: one logged into my personal Gmail account and the other set to my Google Apps account for work related stuff. Instead of getting lost in a sea of tabs or browser windows, I can bring up the gadgets in an instant (hint: pressing the shift key twice brings up all your hidden Desktop gadgets).
The Gmail gadget currently works with the latest release of Google Desktop for Windows. Try i! t out and please let us know what you think.
Update: Changed title to clarify this is for Google Desktop.