ZDNet- Google's steady push to become an intermediary for all of our communications comes at a cost – but do we care anymore about paying it? Judging by the results of the latest ZDNet Great Debate, the answer is... ribbit.
But you can still go back to the old layout if you prefer.
Overall, this looks like a decent UI update for people that use multiple Google services.
Spam runs rampant on Gmail, but you have options.