I have been deciding what to use. The Google Gmail notifier is fine, but when I boot up PC, I get a dialog box that says connect to google. I'd rather not have that. But it does give an audible alert.

Google Talk just loads in the systray, but no audible alert- strange- to show you have mail.

I don't use Google Talk- not much of an IM-r.

Does anyone else get the popup dialog box? I can provide SS.

I get that pop up dialog box also – although it has my email address and password already in there. It's annoying – but I guess I don't shut my computer off enough for it to annoy me.

You are dead on accurate – the notifier makes a sound – while the Gtalk app doesn't. I wish the sound was adjustable though. I like to have music on low and a lot of times don't hear the sound.

However the GTalk app has a much bigger notification – and it's much easier to miss the notifier notice.

Personally I use both – the notifier for my Gmail account and the Gtalk for my Google Apps account (which also happens to be the one I chat the most in as I got my office addicted to Google Chat after I switched them over to Google Apps). I also get a buzz on my blackberry when I get an email so it's not really a problem for me to know when I got an email! lol