This blog from the Gmail team just pointed me in the right direction :
Gmail for mobile, now sharper and smoother - Official Gmail Blog
Instead of logging into your Gmail using the Mail applicaton, go to
Gmail for mobile
Some of the highlights include :
Pull down to refresh - You can now pull down to refresh your message list and conversation on all iOS and Playbook devices. To refresh, simply touch the message list, drag downwards and release.
High resolution icons - For those of you using Gmail for mobile on an iPhone 4 Retina display, the icons and graphics are now at a higher resolution, making Gmail for mobile sharper.
Transitions - When you tap on a conversation, tap back to the inbox, go to the menu or go back, the view will slide left or right. This new transition animation is a quick, small indication that makes the view change feel smoother.
I'll have to switch between both of them for a couple days to figure out which one I like better.