The default email client, if set up to do so, notifies you if there are any new messages. If you're looking for a friendlier interface, bookmark and use: It's still the official GMail, just with the iPhone's user string attached, so it will think that you are using the iPhone/iTouch, and will provide you with the appropriate interface. As for python, you could contact one of the people more familiar with it, such as metalx1000, or pycage.