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Tag: gmail

  • Gmail Stages “Email Intervention” To Save People From Outdated Email

    Google has just launched a campaign to attract more users to its already popular Gmail service. It asks current Gmail users to “save their friends from outdated email” by helping them jump on board the Gmail train. The way to do this is with an “email intervention.”

    Did you hear that AOL, Hotmail, and Yahoo? Google thinks you are so bad that they have compared you to hardcore drugs. Yikes.

    From the official Google blog –

    I have one friend, Andy, who’s the straggler in the group. A couple months ago, I sent out an email about a barbecue I was having. On the “To:” line, there were 15 Gmail addresses and then Andy. He stuck out like a sore thumb. Shortly thereafter, Andy was complaining to us about how much spam he got. That was the last straw.

    We all have a story like this. On the Gmail team, we affectionately refer to them as “email interventions.” We hear about them all the time: the cousin who finally switched from an embarassing address like hottie6elliot1977 to a more professional [email protected], a co-worker who helped his dentist switch after he heard her grumble about having to pay for IMAP access, etc.

    And that’s the story Google gives behind emailintervention.com.

    When you visit the site, you’ll see a big red button asking you to “start the intervention.” Once you click that, you will be asked to enter your personal Gmail address as well as the weird, funky email address of your friend who needs the intervention. There, you can also sign in to your Gmail account in order to have access to your full contact list.

    Next, you get to select your message for your friend. You can either choose one of the pre-written messages that range from “straightforward,” “concerned” and “outraged” in their sentiment, or you can create your own. The email will also include a video, either the standard intervention video like the one above or one you create yourself.

    Lastly, this finished product or something like it will be sent to your friend with the “embarrassing” email address.

    Would you advise your friends to switch to Gmail? Do you think it is the best email service? Let us know in the comments.

  • Google Talks About Possible Upcoming Features for Google+

    Google Talks About Possible Upcoming Features for Google+

    As I mentioned in a recent post, one interesting component of Google+ is Google’s own use of it for feedback and communication with users. Various Googlers have been using it as a tool to seek out user perception and creative ideas for improving the service.

    Google has certainly had plenty of ways of communicating with users in the past (even if they weren’t always utilized to their maximum potential), but Google+ presents some new opportunities – perhaps most notably, the Hangouts feature.

    Mark Striebeck, Engineering Manager for the Gmail frontend, along with Gmail UX Designer Jason Cornwell, Gmail Product Manager Alex Gawlay, and Gmail Community Manager Sarah Price, hosted a Hangout on Google+ to discuss possible integrations of Gmail and Google+ not only with one another, but with interested users who had ideas to contribute.

    We don’t know how these integrations will end up, but some of the concepts discussed included the integration of Gmail and Google+ private messaging, the use of Circles as email groups, the ability to add people to Circles from Gmail if they already have a Google+ account, and the general user interface design.

    One user suggested on Google+ that the service should be merged with Buzz, and remain accessible from the Gmail inbox. “G+ has been blocked By China’s GFW within 2 days since it’s trail announcement, but Buzz is working within Gmail, I don’t think GFW will block Gmail completely because there are lots of users in China, including foreigners and business users,” he commented. “G+ and Buzz are offering very similar service, while G+ is in a better way for social networking…”

    In fact, a lot of people are still wondering about the future of Buzz. Google has so far made no indications (that I’m aware of) that Google Buzz will be going away. When Google launched the +1 button, they justified having both that and Buzz, which appear under separate tabs on a user’s Google Profile. Having both of those in addition to a Google+ posts tab, I have to say, seems a little overkill.

    Another thing I find odd is that there is no button for publishers to put on their content that simply lets a user share the content to Google+. There is a Buzz button, and there is a +1 button. While both will post to the Google Profile (under separate tabs) neither will just be a regular Google+ post.

    Here’s the official response Google is going with; “Google+ won’t have any major impact on Buzz right now. Buzz users will still see a Buzz tab on their Google profile, and Buzz will continue working as it always has. Google+ users can also be Buzz users or can decide to just share their content using one of the products. Over time, we’ll determine what makes the most sense in terms of integrating the products.”

    As far as Google+ as a communication tool between Google and users, Striebeck wrote, “I very much enjoyed hanging out with you guys. Some great ideas about Gmail/Google+ came up. But it was just very exciting to try out this new way to connect with our users – I love it!….Oh, and as I said before, I will do this hangout thing more often. So, hopefully I have the chance to talk to more of you guys!”

    Joseph Smarr, a technical lead on the Google+ team actually took to AnyAsq for an ongoing Q&A with users, where they are encouraged to ask “anything” about Google+. So far, he’s answered nearly 60 questions, making this a pretty nice resource of information on the service.

    @jsmarr
    Joseph Smarr    decided to brave a reddit-style “ask me anything” post on @AnyAsq — hope you find it useful, keep the questions coming! http://t.co/eOcwAvJ 1 day ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @jsmarr
    Joseph Smarr    whoa, my “ask me anything” thread on Google+ is already the top item on @AnyAsq! Take that @Harjeet! 🙂 Keep it coming! http://t.co/eOcwAvJ 1 day ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    Here are a few interesting nuggets (Smarr quotes) from that:

    • “I don’t control our overall roadmap, but personally I’m eager for many of the features other Google+ users have asked for recently: smarter ranking/collapsing/filtering in the stream and notifications (though I consider it a ‘good problem to have’ that there’s already so much activity on G+!), integration with more Google products (e.g. an easy way to share articles from Google Reader to G+), and an API so I can start hacking on cool uses of circles, etc. in my “copious spare time”. :)”
    • On the possibility of the ability to create hierarchies of circles (circles made from multiple circles): “There are definitely good use cases for this, but we worry about the complexity it would introduce. This might be a great “power-user” feature to build using our APIs (once they’re ready, heh).”
    • On the ability to link multiple accounts to one Google Profile: “It’s certainly something I’ve been lobbying for internally, though as you can imagine it’ll be complex and tricky to do right everywhere.”
    • On events/Calendar integration: “As usual, nothing specific to announce, but clearly planning events and sharing stuff around events is an important part of socializing online, and as you might imagine, many of us on the team are itching to do something cool and useful in this area.”
    • On an ETA for the API: “Not yet, sorry! We’re eager to get it out though, trust me! 🙂 You can sign up at https://services.google.com/fb/forms/plusdevelopers/ to learn more as soon as we’re ready.”
    • On not making Profiles available for Apps users: “We’re working on it, sorry for the delay!”
    • On a possible way to group circles together in the stream to reduce “noise”: “No current way to do that, but it’s feedback we’ve heard a lot, and helping users manage the signal-to-noise of their stream (both manually and automatically) is definitely high on our priority list.”
    • On adding RSS/Atom feeds for public posts: “To be honest, I’m surprised we don’t have them (we did for buzz)…lemme look into that! :)”
    • On hashtags or something else to filter updates: “Personally, I want this too (and I know Chris Messina agrees, heh), but we don’t have anything official to say about this (or pretty much any other specific future features or timelines).”
    • On search and tagging: “Nothing specific to announce, but both are actively discussed topics internally with many Googlers asking for them too! :)”

    I find Google’s openness about possible future features of Google+ to be very interesting. In my time covering Google, I can’t remember the company ever being so open about features that may or may not come to fruition. Very often, it’s been the “we don’t have anything specific to announce” response with not much else.

    Perhaps Google really is getting more social.

  • Gmail Plans New Ways To Help Organize Your Inbox

    The last major inbox organizational update that Gmail introduced was the Priority Inbox, and it has gone over pretty well with users. Now, Google has announced that they will be rolling out several new inbox styles so that you can choose the organizational method that you like best for all your important email.

    Depending on what type of email user you are, it looks as though Gmail plans to give you an inbox style to match. Whether you are a person with more email than you can handle or just bombarded by unimportant messages; whether you read all your new email at once or star some messages for later – there’s a sorting method for you.

    According to the Gmail blog the styles that will be available sometime in the coming weeks will be Classic, Priority, Important First, Unread First and Starred First. Here are the descriptions of the styles –

    • Classic – This is the default inbox style most people are used to. In the Classic inbox, messages are ordered chronologically, with your most recent email at the top.
    • Priority Inbox – Important and unread messages appear at the top of your inbox, then starred messages, then everything else. Each section can be customized further, so you can create your own inbox style.
    • Important first – This style puts important mail at the top of the page (both read and unread messages). Everything else is in its own section at the bottom of your inbox. You may have noticed that we turned on importance arrows for everyone a few weeks ago; this inbox style separates messages with these arrows from those without.
    • Unread first – Simple: unread mail at the top; everything else at the bottom.
    • Starred first – Starred messages at the top; everything else at the bottom.

    Here’s what the option will look like when it rolls out –

    Once you’ve decided on a particular style that best suits your purposes, the “inbox style” tabs will go away in about a week. If you want to change it again at any point, simply use the drop-down menu next to “Inbox” on the left or go to the settings page.

  • Gmail Shows Users More Info About Senders

    Gmail Shows Users More Info About Senders

    Google has decided to start showing more information to Gmail users about who email is actually coming from. It’s that you’re getting new information exactly, but more that it’s just more readily visible.

    When you get a message from someone who isn’t in your Gmail contacts, Google will now show the sender’s email address in the header. Even when a site sends you something on behalf of someone, it will show you who actually send it. Like if your friend sends you something via a share link on an article, it will make it more clear that this is coming from your actual friend (as opposed to the site).

    Google software engineer Ela Iwaszkiewicz writes on the Gmail Blog:

    I recently received an email from what looked like my bank saying I should update my account, but it looked a little weird. I clicked on the “show details” link and quickly learned it wasn’t from my bank after all; instead of being sent from First National Bank’s real email address, this message originated from a random South African domain. If I hadn’t viewed these details, I could have been tricked — it wasn’t entirely obvious that this email was a fake.

    Phishing messages are a form of spam that attempt to deceive recipients in order to gain access to their personal information. Starting today, Gmail will automatically display more information about the origin of certain messages you receive so you can be better informed and protect yourself from getting tricked. If someone fakes a message from a sender that you trust, like your bank, you can more easily see that the message is not really from where it says it’s from.

    @gmail
    Gmail    Protect yourself from phishing scams by knowing who really emailed you: http://t.co/emnRUd6 1 hour ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    Additionally, Gmail will now display a warning when it detects suspicious emails. You can always report messages you think are phishing attempts.

    More information about the changes is available in the Gmail Help Center.

  • Father’s Day Reminder Leads To Misguided Google Attacks

    Apparently, Google is now filling the void of punching bag, a place companies like Microsoft, most famously, has resided for some time. Now, it seems that label has fallen to Google. If Google does something that’s even remotely misconstrued, an army of users willing to comment, along with publications trying to catch a ride on the Google backlash wave pop up with a chorus of disapproval. This time, Google can thank their efforts to remind users to celebrate Father’s Day as the catalyst for this latest round of criticism.

    Besides the standard Google Doodle, this year, Google placed a reminder in their GMail service, reminding users to call their dads. Granted, the reminder was probably done to draw more attention to their GChat call service, but, in this case, people who had unhappy childhoods and people who’s parents have already passed took the opportunity to open fire on Google, as if the company intentionally tried to disrespect their user base. Overreaction aside, these complaints didn’t stop at Google’s user forum, either.

    Other publications of note took Google’s reminder to be some kind of unforgivable social media mistake, when, in fact, it comes across as piling on and a “point and laugh” reaction. First, an example of the complaints concerning the Gmail reminder and some of the responses that followed. The following quotes come from Google’s Help Forum:

    User Annelise W. says:

    I understand that Google is celebrating Father’s Day, and I accede to there being, for instance, a holiday Google Doodle up on the main page today. However, when I am using my Gmail inbox and the chat function, I don’t appreciate there being a “Call dad” reminder next to/under the (otherwise lovely) phone function. Is there a way to get rid of this reminder to call a relative who, to me, does not exist beyond the basic biological level? I’ve looked at my Tasks list, and “Call dad” is not there, and perhaps there is no option besides closing chat! Which I’m not planning to do, but it’s still hard to believe: is Gmail really nagging its users about such a personal topic?

    BMRR echoed those sentiments:

    Yes, please get rid of this “feature.” I don’t have a father, and I don’t appreciate being reminded of that fact by Gmail. I’m sure it was a sweet and genuine idea by someone who meant well, but we’re already bombarded by reminders that it’s Father’s Day; seeing that little “Call Dad” note just isn’t pleasant for those of us who CAN’T call Dad.

    And this one from aaronb79, who helps capture the mood some of Google’s members have:

    I’m sure in a Google-designed childhood everyone would be loved, protected, and nurtured to be the best little software engineer he/she can be. However, I don’t appreciate the reminder of my unpleasant childhood and presumption that I want to speak to my father. My email is not the place for this. This was your free one, Google. Next time you get this personal I’m deleting my accounts.

    While these complaints have validity, they do seem flavored with a little bit of the overreaction spice. I get that Google’s reminder bothered you, but the personal level at which many of these members are taking the reminder is surprising. Other members think so, too.

    First, this response from Joshuafcole does a good job of letting Google know not everyone is ready to burn Mountain View down:

    Sorry for all of your losses, but for the vast majority of well-adjusted people, we get by just fine and understand the sentiment of things rather than throwing fits over the exact wordings. If you’d rather all forget your passed on fathers instead of remembering them fondly, that is your decision. It is not, however, your right to force it upon a company that is, to little benefit of its own, supplying people with an excellent and free service. Please take your misguided sentiments of entitlement elsewhere.

    Nicholascloud supports Josh’s sentiment:

    I don’t understand why people are upset about this. I lost my mother several years ago to cancer. She was in her early 40s. If I got a reminder from Google that said “call mom”, I would just smile and remember the good things about my mother that we actually *did* celebrate on Mother’s Day. It’s a nationally recognized holiday and Google is just trying to be helpful and do things that their customers might appreciate.

    As does user SToP GAP, who seems to be as offended by the complaints as other people were about the reminder:

    Seriously, what in God’s name is wrong with you people!?!? People are born, people die. Our parents are older than us so they’ll very likely die before us. If they don’t, well, you’re dead! Bending over to such feeble hyper-sensitive nonsense attitudes makes society ever weaker. Frankly if you don’t like it, don’t look at it. It’s just that simple folks!!! If you feel you must make some form of protest over it, stop using google all of you the aforementioned offended – vote with your feet, en masse, I’m sure you’ll make such an enormous dent in google’s user base all of you!! For the rest of us who have a modicum of common sense, stability and just a dash of well-adjustedness to our personalities, well we’re not all of us perfect and a reminder to wish our fathers thanks for all they do for us is not unwelcome!

    G E T A G R I P ! ! !

    Good grief!

    In other words, it’s a standard Internet forum back and forth. In these situations, there is hardly anything that resembles a consensus, and normally, if people are willing to post, they feel pretty passionate about their stance. Again, this is all part and parcel in regards to Internet communication. What isn’t, however, is when other publications try to latch onto the criticism, as if they are trying to be at the top of the hill in regards to Google criticism, just in case the company falls out of public favor. For instance, over at TechCrunch, this pithy title was used, and it paid absolutely no attention to the other side of the coin of members who thought the Gmail reminder was benign:

    “‘Reminder: Call Dad’ Is Another Notch In Google’s Belt Of Social Fail”

    Three cheers for attempting to pile on, I guess… I mean, if this is your primary argument:

    I am 100% sure Google intended “Reminder: Call Dad” to be a cute, heartfelt message. But its execution was flawed to say the least. Taking into account its stumbles with Orkut, Dodgeball, Buzz, Wave and (some might say) +1 and the fact that 25% of all employee bonuses are now reportedly based on Google “getting” social, Google should really take user feedback to heart on this one.

    It seems like you are just trying to rub salt in the wounds, instead of offering relevant criticism. Furthermore, if “user feedback” was the primary decider for how companies conduct business, why do all the Facebook complaints about platform changes and/or privacy settings always go unheeded? Because not all of the feedback was negative, which is the case with the Gmail reminder? What about the Netflix redesign, which has been covered and commented about here a great deal? Why didn’t Netflix just simply re-implement the old design? Is it because the complainers are more outspoken than those that are satisfied, and perhaps these complaints represent a vocal minority?

    As for the publications, if you are going to give the unsatisfied a platform, how about some equal time for those who didn’t have a problem with it? Or would that conflict with the theme of the response articles?

  • Report Looks at Just How Important Email is To Google, Microsoft and Yahoo

    Report Looks at Just How Important Email is To Google, Microsoft and Yahoo

    Pingdom has put together an interesting report looking at just how important webmail is for the three companies that dominate it – Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo. Citing data from Alexa, the firm finds that Gmail makes up 23% of the traffic to Google.com, Hotmail gets 39% of the traffic to Microsoft’s Live.com, and Yahoo Mail gets 20% of the traffic to Yahoo.com.

    Google’s Gmail traffic is only exceeded by traffic to Google.com itself.

    Webmail percentages for Google, Microsoft, Yahoo

    “The actual percentages aren’t really all that important here. What’s important to note is that the subdomains used for webmail have a ranking near or at the top for all three companies,” Pingdom says on its blog. “Imagine the hit to their web presence if they didn’t have these webmail services.”

    “Email has been declared dead several times over the past few years. The truth, however, is that we still depend on it more than most people realize, and there is no replacement in sight,” Pingdom says. “Google knows this. Microsoft knows this. Yahoo knows this. They know that their email services are still extremely important.”

    They also make a good point in that the email services of these companies provide ways they can get other offerings i front of customers. Pingdom uses Google Buzz as an example, which was launched within Gmail. While Buzz may not be the most successful product of all time, it certainly put the service right in front of users.

    In fact, Google has added a lot of things to Gmail over the years, such as GTalk, video chat, and of course ads, which are based on words that appear in conversations you have in your email.

    This week, Yahoo began rolling out its all new feature-rich version of Yahoo Mail. Email would appear to be more critical to Yahoo’s strategy than even Google or Microsoft’s, as Yahoo Mail makes up the majority of traffic to Yahoo.com.

    Email isn’t just important to these three major web entities either. Even the newer-genartion social media compnaies recognize the signifiance of email. Facebook has gone so far as to launch its own email addresses, and Twitter just started rolling out email notifications for more of its features, in an effort to drive further engagement with the service.

    Earlier this month, MarketTools released a study commissioned by Microsoft, indicating that 45% say their use of email at work will most likely increase in the next year. 51% said it would likely stay the same, and only 4% thought it would decrease. At home, 36% said it will increase, 55% said it will stay the same, and only 6% said it will decrease.

  • Gmail Updates Themes, Recipient Suggestions

    Google announced two updates to Gmail today – background themes and email recipient suggestions.

    First up, your backgrounds.  For a while now, Google has given Gmail users the ability to change their backgrounds using pre-made themes like ninjas and space.  They also already allow users to create a semi-custom background using different colors.

    Now you can upload your own image to use as the background for your inbox.  I made a zombie background.  Awesome.

    Just go to the top right options button and click mail settings.  From there click on the Themes tab and there will be an option to create your own.

    Next up, are the features titled “Don’t forget Bob” and “Got the wrong Bob?”  These features have moved out of the Google lab and are now there to help users send their emails to the right people.  When you add a recipient, Gmail automatically generates suggestions for other recipients based on groups of people you email most often.  If you click on their name, it will add them to the recipient list.

    Gmail will also notify you if it thinks you have added the wrong person to your multiple recipients.  Just click on the right recipient to replace the wrong one on the list.

    These features are bound to save someone from sending sensitive work information to Uncle Ted instead of Ted from accounting.

     

  • Russia to Ban Skype, Gmail?

    Russia to Ban Skype, Gmail?

    Russian Internet News Roundup:

    Skype, Gmail Ban

    Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) is set to propose a ban on the popular sites Skype, Hotmail and Gmail.  The FSB is concerned that since the services use foreign made encryption technology, their large use poses a security risk.

    The FSB is an organization shrouded in secrecy.  Implemented as an successor to the KGB, the organization controls homeland security, counter-intelligence and surveillance.  Some have accused the FSB of human rights violations as well as conspiring to limit dissent within the country.  As the Agence France Presse (AFP) reports, the FSB has a large mount of power, but stays clear of most public scrutiny including their budget.

    According to AFP, the FSB is “increasingly concerned” that “uncontrolled usage of these services may lead to a massive threat to Russia’s security.”  The FSB also was quoted as saying the services are often used by extremist organizations because control of the traffic is through servers outside Russia.

    LiveJournal Russia attack

    Last Wednesday, the Cyrillic wing of the LiveJournal service was hit with an attack that crippled it for days.  LiveJournal.ru, which serves over 4 million users, was flooded by requests from malware infested computers and taken down for hours.  Similar attacks followed, up until it was reported to have recovered on Tuesday.

    Now, the Moscow Times is reporting that many are blaming the Russian government for the attacks.  “The reason for attack is more than clear in this case – someone wants LiveJournal to disappear as a platform,” said Ilya Dronov, development director with the site’s owner, SUP.

    LiveJournal Russia is where most of the uncensored political discussion occurs in the country.  Dronov thinks that individual bloggers were targeted, possibly critics of the Kremlin.  But LiveJournal management says that the entirety of the site was a target.

    Up to now, Russia has been able to avoid the total internet crackdown that is in effect in China.  No telling how long and to what degree internet freedom will survive in the country.

  • April Fools Gmail Motion Prank From Google: Hilarious

    Gmail Motion, one of Google’s numerous April Fools gags, has captured the imagination of the web. Google says Gmail Motion uses your computer’s webcam and the company’s “patented spatial tracking technology” to detect your movements and translate them into meaningful characters and commands.

    “We’ve been testing Gmail Motion with Googlers over the last few months and have been really excited about the feedback we’ve been hearing,” says McDonald. “We’ve also done some internal tests to measure productivity improvements and found an average 14% increase in email composition speed and 12% reduction in average time in inbox. With Gmail Motion, Googlers were able to get more done and get in and out of their inboxes more quickly.”

    Here are Google’s hard numbers on Gmail Motion:

    April Fools Gmail Motion Prank from Google

    Google even goes so far as to say that you need the latest version of Google Chrome or Firefox 3.5+ and a built-in webcam to use Gmail Motion. It doesn’t even work with Internet Explorer apparently.

    Google puts a lot of time and thought into its April Fools jokes. While some may just post a funny article or something, this company goes all out. They make product pages, opt-in mechanisms, statistical graphs, diagrams, videos, and all.

    For Gmail Motion in particular, Google has even gone so far as to draft up a printable motion guide (pdf) for Gmail actions and common phrases.

    April Fools Prank from Google - Gmail Motion guide

    Then theres’ Google Docs Motion.

    Google has always been a bit quirky, and some think the upcoming CEO change back to co-founder Larry Page will help preserve that.

  • Gmail Targeted Ads Coming Soon

    Gmail Targeted Ads Coming Soon

    Some of you might have noticed a message at the top of your Gmail inbox, just below the search bar that says, “Coming Soon: Better Ads in Gmail.” This notification, which will slowly roll out to all Gmail users, signals Google‘s new ad system for its mail service; one that will target ads based on your interests within your email.

    On the information page outlining the changes, Google states that bad ads tend to annoy people. True. Some people don’t even like good ads. Nevertheless, Google’s reasons for targeting ads based on your interests are limiting irrelevant ads and making the ads you do see much more useful.

    Last week we told you about Facebook’s beta testing of real-time targeted ads. These ads would appear just after you updated your status or posted a comments on a friend’s wall. The Gmail ads will work in a similar way, in that the content in your email will provide clues for what ads would be best for you. For instance, if you and your friends frequently communicate about creating a softball team for the fall, you may see sporting goods ads within Gmail. On the flip side, Google points out that if you mark communications as spam and never read them, you most likely don’t want to see an ad related to the spam.

    The news ads are set to work like Gmail’s Priority Inbox, which attempts to sort messages into categories based on importance:

    With features like Priority Inbox, we’ve been working hard to help sort through the ‘bacn’ in your messages — the unimportant messages that get in your way. Soon we’re going to try a similar approach to ads: using some of the same signals that help predict which messages are likely to be important to you, Gmail will better predict which ads may be useful to you.

    As this announcement is sure to ruffle some privacy feathers, Google makes sure to link to their Gmail ads policy. Here we are reminded that nobody is actually going to comb through our emails:

    Ad targeting in Gmail is fully automated, and no humans read your email in order to target advertisements or related information. This type of automated scanning is how many email services, not just Gmail, provide features like spam filtering and spell checking. Ads are selected for relevance and served by Google computers using the same contextual advertising technology that powers Google’s AdSense program.

    If that fails to assuage your trepidations, you will be able to opt out of this new advertising via the Gmail settings page. I’m not holding my breath for the Facebook targeted ads opt-out offer.

  • Google Talk Guru Launched in Google Labs

    Google has a new Google Labs experiment out called Talk Guru. Google describes it as:

    Application intended for chat (IM) users, including users using chat clients on low-end phones, allowing them to answer simple web queries from the context of their chat application. First invite [email protected] to chat, and then send queries via your chat client. Categories supported include weather, translation, unit and currency conversions, and sports scores. Send “help” for more information.

    Common thinking is that this is somehow related to Aardvark, the social Q&A service Google acquired last year. We’ve yet to hear from Google about that.

    When you sign up for Talk Guru, it becomes part of your Gmail experience within Chat. It doesn’t appear to be incredibly sophisticated, and I have a hard time seeing how this will be any more useful than simply searching at any point in time. Here are some examples of the kinds of things it’s supposed to be able to return.

    Google Talk Guru Topic ExamplesI didn’t have much luck finding any info about the upcoming Final Four. “Well, it hasn’t happened yet,” I thought. “Surely ‘elite 8’ will yield better results”. Not so much. “Kentucky score?” Nope.

    That said, it is just an experimental project in its early stages, and it is intended more for low-end phones.

  • Gmail for iPhone Gets Connection Bar

    Honestly, most people will do anything to avoid running apps through Safari.  If there is a way to launch directly from the home screen, it will be found.  I am most definitely one of those people.  There is one exception however, and it involves Gmail.

    I strongly favor accessing my Gmail account via Safari as opposed to running my Gmail account through the mail feature on my iPhone.  The prior gives me one touch starring of important emails, quick archiving, as well as a search bar right on top that allows me to easily wade through the peat-filled swamp that is my inbox.  Plus, it’s simply more aesthetically pleasing.

    One of my complaints, however, with mobile Gmail were the phantom emails – the ones that you send but never quite go anywhere.  Today, Google announced on their Gmail blog a fix to this problem: The connection bar.

    The connection bar adopts a bit from the iPhone mail client as it pops up at the bottom to notify the user what is happening at various stages of the email process.  The new connection bar will tell you when it is checking for new mail, whether you have a connection or not (obviously), and most importantly, when all mail has been successfully sent on its way.

    The update is only available in iOS4.

  • Gmail Gets Click-To-Call Tech

    The next time someone emails you a phone number, calling them may – depending on what sort of software and hardware accessories your computer’s equipped with – become a little simpler.  Google’s integrated its click-to-call tech with Gmail in order to save people from pulling out their cell phones or turning to a landline.

    A heads up: anyone who would like to take advantage of this change will need to have Google’s voice and video plugin installed, and you’ll also of course need some sort of microphone/telephone attachment to transmit your voice.

    Otherwise, though, the arrangement’s pretty user-friendly.  A post on the Gmail Blog explained, “[Y]ou no longer have to get out your phone and retype a number anytime someone sends you one in an email or chat message.  Starting today, you’ll see that phone numbers appear as links . . . .  Just click the number, and Gmail’s dialpad will pop up, already populated with the number you’re trying to call.”

    Later, the post added, “You’ll also see a little green phone icon next to numbers in your contacts which you can use to do the same thing.”

    These developments should please people who are short on cell phone minutes or are close to ditching their landlines.  They’ll also help extend the battery life of phones, even if those other factors aren’t a consideration.

    Anyway, Google took a related step forward yesterday when it enabled click-to-call capabilities for emergency-related mobile search results.

  • Google Adds Smart Labels To Gmail

    Google has introduced a new feature in Gmail Labs called Smart Labels, which are aimed at helping users classify and organize email.

    Users can turn on the new feature on the Labs tab in Settings, Smart Labels then organize incoming Bulk, Notification and Forum messages. Bulk mail includes newsletters and promotional email, which are filtered out of the inbox by default and can be read later.

    Gmail-Smart-Labels

    Notifications are messages sent to users from their account statements and receipts, and email from group mailing lists are labeled as Forums.

    The Gmail Blog provides more details. “If you already use filters and labels to organize your mail, you may find that you can replace your existing filters with Smart Labels. Smart Labels play nice with other labels and filters too. On the Filters tab under Settings, you’ll find that these filters can be edited just like any others.”

    “From there, you can also edit your existing filters to avoid having them Smart Labeled or change whether mail in a Smart Label skips your inbox (which you can also do by just clicking on the label, then selecting or unselecting the checkbox in the top right corner).”

  • Google Loses Gmail Users’ Email, Says It Will Be Back in Hours

    Some Gmail users have had some problems over the last day or so. Email messages have gone missing, along with labels, themes and other personalized settings. Google is working on fixing this. 

    While only a small percentage of Google users was affected, that still accounts for thousands of users –  tens of thousands, according to ComputerWorld, who estimates the number to be about 35,000. 

    TheNextWeb shares this statement from Google:

    "A very small number users are having difficulty accessing their Gmail accounts, and in some cases once they’re in, trouble viewing emails. This is affecting less than .08% of our Gmail user base, and we’ve already fixed the problem for some users. Our engineers are working as quickly as possible and we hope to have everything back to normal as soon as possible. We’re very sorry for the inconvenience."

    Google’s Andrew Kovacs has since tweeted:

    re Gmail issue: affected 0.02% of users not 0.08%, restored access for 1/3, remaining 0.013% being restored on ongoing basis,all w/in 12 hrsless than a minute ago via webAndrew Kovacs
    akovacs

    According to Seth Weintraub at Fortune, some Gmail users have been without their messages for over 24 hours. 

    The latest message on the Apps Status Dashboard from 4:15PM Eastern, says: 

    Google Mail service has already been restored for some users, and we expect a resolution for all users within the next 10 hours. Please note this time frame is an estimate and may change.

    The remaining 0.012% of accounts are being restored on an ongoing basis.

    Google has often boasted having tremendous uptime for Gmail, and while only a small percentage of users appears to have been affected, the widely publicized flub is sure to leave an impression on users. 

    Of course, there’s barely a day that goes by when that I don’t have some kind of issue with Twitter (and I know I’m not alone), yet many of us keep using that. As long as Google gets everything recovered, as they seem pretty confident that they will do, this will probably be largely forgotten in no time – especially considering similar incidents from competitors. 

     

  • Google Apps Users Get New Gmail Contacts Features

    Google announced that it’s rolling out an updated version of Gmail Contacts for Google Apps. In addition to improvements made to Contacts for regular Gmail users last summer, the new version comes equipped with some business-specific features. 

    For example, users can add new contact info that will default to "work" rather than "home" field types. Users can view contact details from the domain directory along with the contact details they added themselves. You can also add contacts from the domain directory to your "My Contacts" list with one click. 

    There is a new group management feature that lets you add email addresses to groups, and pick from a contact’s multiple email addresses to use on a group-by-group basis, and you can revert changes to you contacts for up to 30 days. 

    Google Updates Contacts for Google Apps Users

    Admins can enable new the new interface under "Service Settings" and "Contacts". That’s in the next-generation admin control panel. Google notes that it could take up to an hour for users to see the changes. 

    Google outlines the differences between the current and the next-generation control panel here. 

  • Google Makes Users Accounts More Secure

    Google has introduced its opt-in security feature called 2-step verification to all users in an effort to make their accounts more secure.

    The 2-step verification includes your password and code you get via your phone.  The Google Blog provides more details.

     

    Google-2-step-verification

     

    “Take your time to carefully set up 2-step verification—we expect it may take up to 15 minutes to enroll. A user-friendly set-up wizard will guide you through the process, including setting up a backup phone and creating backup codes in case you lose access to your primary phone.”

    “Once you enable 2-step verification, you’ll see an extra page that prompts you for a code when you sign in to your account. After entering your password, Google will call you with the code, send you an SMS message or give you the choice to generate the code for yourself using a mobile application on your Android, BlackBerry or iPhone device.”

     

  • Google Brings Priority Inbox To Gmail For Mobile

    Google said today it is bringing its Priority Inbox feature to Gmail for mobile users.

    Priority Inbox allows users to automatically flag important messages and reduce clutter. It was previously only available for the desktop and on Android devices.

     

    Priority-Inbox-Mobile

     

    The Google Mobile Blog offers more details. “Now, once you set up Priority Inbox in the desktop version of Gmail, you’ll see Priority Inbox sections when you visit gmail.com from your phone’s browser and click on the ‘Menu’ screen.”

    “You’ll also see importance markers in your inbox, so you can quickly identify which messages are important.”

    The Priority Inbox feature is available for most mobile browsers that support HTML5, including devices running Android 1.5+ and iOS 3+.

     

  • Verizon Now Offering Google Apps For Small Business

    Verizon said today it will begin offering Google Apps with its broadband service for small and medium-sized businesses.

    Google Apps for Verizon features Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs and Google Sites.  Google Apps for Verizon provides three free user accounts and is available to businesses that subscribe to a bundle consisting of Verizon Internet service.

     

     

    The bundles with Google Apps are available in Washington, D.C., and parts of 12 states: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas and Virginia.  Google Apps for Verizon is also available as a stand-alone service to all businesses across the country for $3.99 per month per user.  

    "Small and medium-sized businesses have been clamoring for a simple, cost-effective solution so they can stay focused on their core business and not waste time figuring out which tools they need," said Monte Beck, vice president of small-business marketing for Verizon.

    "With Verizon’s business bundled packages, which now include Google Apps for Verizon, all the essential functions needed to run a business effectively and efficiently are now easily accessible to our business customers and their employees, anytime and anywhere."

     

     

  • Google Enables “Cloud Printing On The Go”

    Google Enables “Cloud Printing On The Go”

    Let’s face it: smartphone adoption isn’t close to universal, and the average non-student probably doesn’t print documents on a regular basis.  But today, Google launched Google Cloud Print for mobile documents and Gmail for mobile, an interesting service that introduces new options concerning when and where people can print.

    Google’s billing this as "a service that allows printing from any app on any device, OS or browser without the need to install drivers."  It’s currently rolling out in beta, with the main catch being that would-be users must use a Windows PC to connect their printers to Cloud Print.  (Linux and Mac support are supposed to be on the way.)

    Also, penny pinchers should note that they’ll have to leave their printers on a lot more, driving up the electric bill.

    Otherwise, a post on the Google Mobile Blog explained, "Imagine printing an important document from your smartphone on the way to work and finding the printout waiting for you when you walk in the door.  Just open a document in Google Docs or an email in Gmail in your mobile browser and choose ‘Print’ from the dropdown menu in the top right corner."

    Then the post continued, "You can also print certain kinds of email attachments (such as .pdf or .doc) by clicking the ‘Print’ link that appears next to them."

    Google Cloud Print for mobile documents and Gmail for mobile is sure to find a few fans out there due to all this flexibility, at least.

  • Gmail Labs Get Search Feature

    Gmail Labs Get Search Feature

    The point of a laboratory is to facilitate testing.  The average chemist might not get too far if he was just presented with a jumble of beakers, however, and similarly, Gmail Labs has been getting pretty messy.  A new feature promises to fix that issue.

    Greg Bullock, a software engineer at Google, explained the problem on the Gmail Blog.  He wrote, "Have you ever found it just a little bit tricky to find what you were looking for on the Gmail Labs Settings page?  Scrolling was ok when there were a handful of Labs, but now that there are over 50 it’s another story."

    Next, Bullock continued, "A lunchtime discussion made us realize that having to rely on the browser’s search function or endless scrolling makes it hard to find the Labs features you want.  So another Gmail engineer named Manu [Cornet] and I decided take an afternoon and address this.  The result is an addition to the Settings page which filters the visible Labs as you type."

    This should make it considerably easier for would-be testers to find the Gmail Lab that’s right for them.

    Google should then benefit as people provide feedback and help the company improve Gmail, which has in large part lost its "lots of storage compared to rivals" draw.

    We’ll just remind everyone not to get too attached to any given Gmail Lab, since the old warning about them breaking or disappearing at any point still applies.