Gmail now allow users the ability to use SSL or secure connection while browsing Gmail. This makes data between Gmail and the browser encrypted which can come in handy while checking mails at public places.

You can opt whether to always use HTTPS or not. Go to your Settings (in General tab) and scroll down to the last setting on that page. If you would like to browse Gmail with HTTPS, then select the first option “Always use https” or if you don’t want to use it, then choose “Don’t always use https” and save the settings. I highly recommend to enable that setting to everyone who is using Gmail as a mail client but especially to those users who use additional Google services that already force https usage.
You can reach the configuration menu by clicking on the Settings link in the top right corner of the Gmail account. Scroll down to the very bottom of the menu that is showing up after clicking on the link and check the Always Use HTTPS box.