Google's Inbox app now available on iPad

NEW YORK—Google is opening up its invitation-only Inbox email app to tablets. In a blog post Thursday, Google announced Inbox availability on Apple's iPad as well as Android slates.

"It's always hard to know when it's time to share a new product because there are always just a few more things you want to do," wrote Google software engineer Taylor Kourim. "Today, we're happy to check off some of these to-dos for Inbox, making it easier to use on more devices and browsers." Along those lines, Inbox also now supports the Firefox and Safari browsers, in addition to Google's own Chrome.

You can download the app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store but will still need an invitation. For the next 48 hours, you can get one by sending a request to USATodayInbox@google.com, after which you have to seek an invitation from a friend who is already in, or from inbox.google.com.

Google's own Gmail service is not likely to disappear anytime soon but Google has long term ambitions for Inbox as a Gmail replacement.

Inbox takes some getting used to but I like it. Mail you receive is segregated into such categories as Social (all the messages you get from social networks), Updates (alerts, confirmations and mail from online accounts), and Promos (marketing deals and offers).

Email: ebaig@usatoday.com; Follow @edbaig on Twitter