Seconded on the respect comment. It may not be fair, but I think people using their laptops in meetings are distracted by the myriad notifications constantly bombarding us, checking email, or otherwise not staying engaged. Harder to be present when your device keeps clamoring for your attention.
Yes, works well for me. My work uses GMail and K-9 supports it. I don’t have the Play Store and K-9 supports OAuth.