The one thing about using "cloud" services that can be a bummer is the lack of customization offered by some. Case in point, the user interface of Gmail allows users to make minor tweaks to how Gmail functions, but you can't really shake things up and change the colors, or fonts, or templates. Well, now you can.Google just announced that it is finally offering themes to Gmail users.

It writes in a blog post:

Gmail fans have been building unofficial extensions to spice up their inboxes for a while, but up til now themes haven't been an integral part of Gmail. We wanted to go beyond simple color customization, so out of the 30-odd themes we're launching today, there's a shiny theme with chrome styling, another one that turns your inbox into a retro notepad, nature themes that change scenery over time, weather driven themes that can rain on your mailbox, and fun characters to keep you in good company. There's even an old school ascii theme (Terminal) which was the result of a bet between two engineers -- it's not exactly practical, but it's great for testing out your geek cred. We've also done a minor facelift to Gmail's default look to make it crisper and cleaner -- you might notice a few colors and pixels shifted around here and there.

Heck, yes! Check out the themes in the Official Gmail Blog. There's a whole bunch of them.

Google says that it is rolling out the new feature to all Gmail users over the course of the next several days. After a quick check in the Gmail settings tools, I discovered that the themes aren't available just yet.

Keep checking back, though, because the themes will be live soon.