Gmail 2.0

Gmail was released in 2004, making history by giving away 1GB of email storage.  It was also one of the first web application that used AJAX.  That sparked off the email war between Google, Yahoo and Hotmail to provide AJAX type web email applications.  Since the successful release of Gmail, we have been anticipating a release of a greater and better Gmail.  Gmail 2.0 is now being rolled out to selected users and eventually to all Gmail users.  The Gmail 2.0 architecture has an improved performance and usability.  I read that the Javascript has been re-written to make GMail perform faster.  It's reported that some of the goodies you will get in Gmail 2.0 are mail prefetching and updated contact manager.  I've yet to see how it works.  I am waiting patiently for GMail 2.0.  You can have a preview at http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2007/10/gmails-new-version-is-now-available.html

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GMail IMAP

Rumour has it that Google is integrating IMAP into GMail but it is not available to all GMail users yet. Only select few users have IMAP in GMail. I believe if this is true, Google is doing their bit of testing before releasing IMAP to all.

IMAP over POP3

POP3 sucks all emails from server to client. IMAP maintains a copy of the email on the server. This has benefits over POP3 in the sense that if you are not at a desktop to retrieve your email, a copy is always on the server and you can use a web client to look at your email. Most ISPs use POP3 over IMAP because it is easier to maintain and there is less issue of hard disk storage for growing mailboxes.

I will be listening to the net and will update this once I hear anything more certain about GMail IMAP.

Gmail users

How's this for a friday afternoon treat.  According to research results in America, gmail users are younger, richer and good in bed compared to Yahoo and Hotmail users :)

http://mashable.com/2007/05/10/gmail-users-are-younger-richer-good-in-bed/

Using GoogleTalk on a Mac

You can chat to your gmail buddies by using iChat in Mac. Create a jabber account. Jabber ID : email@gmail.com (your email address) password : your gmail password Server : talk.google.com Port : 5222 Uncheck "Connect using SSL" If you are unable to connect using the above settings, change Port : 5223 Check "Connect using SSL"

Google fixes Gmail bug

Slashdot.org reported that a Gmail bug was discovered recently. The Gmail messages were vulnerable to interception. All the attacker had to do is to transmit malformed test messages to himself and the information left over in memory, from previous messages destined for other people, will appear with the test messages, in the attacker's inbox. Sometimes, this information may include usernames and passwords... Google acted quickly when they found out and patched the security hole almost immediately. The bug was discovered about 3 days ago when a couple of coders were working on a mailing list script to send out a batch of newsletter for a free hacker-friendly shell service they operated. Here is the full story...The Discovery Keywords: Google, software bug, Gmail

I have Gmail invites again!

Anyone who is interested in a gmail account or did not get one the last time you posted a comment, I have more gmail invites to give out. If you post a comment wity your first and last name and your email address, I will send you a gmail invite.

Google Plugs Hole in Gmail

Such security flaws are not uncommon, but Gmail deviates from the norm by not causing cookies to expire when users change passwords. "Google should be using cookies as a second factor of authentication rather than the only factor," said Laura Koetzle of Forrester Research. A week ago the Israeli online magazine Nata NetLife reported an exploitation of Google's Gmail e-mail service, currently in beta testing. Attackers, likely through a phishing approach that included a harmless-looking link to the Google site, were able to steal Gmail user cookies and access the e-mail accounts, even after passwords had been changed. Full Story

I have Gmail invites

I have 3 gmail invites to give away. If you want an invite, leave your first and last name and your email address. The first three people who leave their details will receive an invitation to create a gmail account.

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Gmail feature suggestion form

If you have a gmail email account and have ideas/suggestions on how to improve the existing features, you can use the link below to submit your suggestion(s). http://services.google.com/inquiry/gmail_suggest/

Gmail notifier

I have been using Gmail for about two months now and I use it everyday for most of my personal correspondence. I have sourced around for 3rd party utilities that can enhance the usability of gmail, something most email users look for. One facility that I really appreciate is a notifier. An alert to inform me that I have a new email in my inbox. Before switching to gmail, I used hotmail for my personal emails and the integration with MSN Messenger provided the alert facility that I got accustomed to. After trying a few utilities, I decided to try the Gmail Notifier. The Gmail Notifier allows you to check your Gmail messages without opening your browser. Here is a description of Gmail Notifier that I extracted from the Google web page: The Gmail Notifier is a downloadable Windows application that alerts you when you have new Gmail messages. It displays an icon in your system tray to let you know if you have unread Gmail messages, and shows you their subjects, senders and snippets, all without your having to open a web browser. The Notifier is in beta. Before you download it, we encourage you to review the system requirements and privacy information. Here is the link to download the software : Gmail Notifier I think the main setback in the software is it you need Windows 2000, Windows XP, or a more recent version of Windows to run it. I use XP at home and one of my home PC runs XP too but I have another PC that I use quite often that runs Win ME. That means Gmail Notifier will not run on my older PC, or any Linux pcs. As long as your PC environment is Win 2000 and above, you have no problem installing the software. How stable is this little software, it is still too early to tell. I installed it about 20 minutes ago.

News for Gmail sellers

Google has updated the program policy for GMail this week by adding clauses that ban the sale, trading, reselling or exploiting of GMail accounts for commercial purposes. GMail and Blogger users that have been given free GMail accounts have been cashing in on the scarcity of GMail accounts by selling them to anyone who is willing to pay. You can find many GMail accounts for sale on E-Bay. Since the new clause has been added, we are still uncertain what action Google will take to police GMail accounts and whether it will confiscate or close accounts that flout the policy change. For full story, click here.

Gmail and Orkut invite

If you are someone who is looking for a Gmail or Orkut invite, look no further. Post a comment with your details (firstname, lastname and email address) and briefly tell me why you would like an invite. As Gmail invites are limited to only a few, be quick. ** LEAVE YOUR DETAILS IF YOU WANT AN ORKUT INVITE. I DO NOT HAVE ANYMORE GMAIL INVITES TO GIVE OUT FOR THE TIME BEING. **

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US politicians out to restrict Google mail service

Google mail or also known as Gmail's strategy is to insert advertisements beside the email message as a way of targeting marketing. The Gmail server would scan the email message for keywords and target the advertisements appropriately. Today the US politicians have taken the first steps toward imposing restrictions on Google's Gmail service, according to the BBC website. The Californian senators have approved a bill that limits Google's plan to scan messages and include ads, worrying that this will invade the privacy of Gmail account holders. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the California Governor will have the final decision as to whether this becomes a law.

Gmail

I got myself a gmail account today. Thanks to blogger for letting me sign up for one. If you have an invitation to join gmail and you would like to swap it for something else, check out the nifty, neat and noteworthy swaps.