Hasta La Gadget!

Mailbox for iOS won’t launch for another few weeks, but interest in the email client is already so high that its developers have opened up a reservation system. While that sky-high interest will probably great for the app’s userbase, it’ll probably prove to be quite a headache when Mailbox launches due to the fact that the client relies on servers in the cloud. In an effort to make sure that the client is functioning properly on launch day, developer Orchestra has decided to allow those who have made a reservation in first.

That may seem like pre-release fluff intended to make Mailbox sound more popular than it is, but consumer interest is definitely there. When Orchestra released a video demo of Mailbox in action last month, its popularity took off almost immediately, with 250,000 people viewing the demo in the first 24 hours. Since letting that many people in on launch day could bring the servers down entirely, Orchestra thought it would be better to have users register to be the first to use the client.

Obviously, reservations will be fulfilled on a first-come, first-served basis, so if you want in but haven’t put in a reservation yet, it may be a good idea to do that soon. Once you’ve placed your reservation, you’ll be told how many people are in line in front of you and how many are waiting behind you, giving you an idea of when you’ll get to download Mailbox. We’re not sure when Orchestra will be launching Mailbox, but it does say that the client should be available in the coming weeks.

It’s easy to see why Mailbox is so popular too – though it only supports Gmail at this early stage (Orchestra says Mailbox will support additional email services soon), the client allows you to be alerted to emails again at a later date. This in turs lets you handle the urgent emails now, while not having to worry about the emails that need your attention later being forgotten about. That’s just one of the reasons users are so excited about this, so if you’re on iOS and have been looking for a new email client, you might want to put in a reservation for Mailbox.

[via Apple Insider]

Mailbox email client for iOS opens reservation system due to high demand is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We’re all busy and getting busier, which doesn’t fit well with a list of unread email that refuses to stop growing. Now, though, a team of researchers has developed a crowd-sourced email valet system—but would you share your inbox to streamline your life? More »

Google announced today that they’re doing some “winter cleaning” by getting rid of some of their services and features that they think weren’t getting a lot of use. One of the biggest services they’re getting rid of is Google Sync, which was designed to allow access to GMail, Calendar, and Contacts via the Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync protocol, but the company is recommending that users move to alternatives.

As a replacement, Google is recommending CalDAV for calendar, CardDAV for contacts, and IMAP for email, but iPhone owners will also likely use the new Gmail app for email anyway. The company says that Google Sync will no longer be available on new accounts beginning January 30, 2013, but it will still work for users who already have it set up.

Google Sync will also be fully supported for people who have paid for a Google Apps account for business, government, or education purposes. Of course, this shouldn’t affect a lot users, since most mobile operating systems, including iOS, support CardDAV and CalDAV, but it’ll definitely take some getting used to as far setting up Google Sync differently than before.

Also as a part of the company’s winter cleaning, Google discontinued some of their “less popular” Calendar features, such as appointment slots and Smart Rescheduler. They’re also shutting down their Issue Tracker API in Google Code, and will also be discontinuing their Punchd Android and iOS app, which was an app that could store loyalty cards from various stores.

Google ousting Sync support on January 30 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you’ve got a Gmail account and you work with the iPhone or an iPad, you may have been jealous of all the extra fabulous features that your Android friends and family have had that you didn’t in a Gmail app – that era has ended. With Gmail 2.0 for iOS, you’ve got a perfectly simple interface that’s so stripped down, you might think something is missing. In reality you’ve got the best-tuned Gmail app experience yet offered on iOS – though that should be true every time there’s a release, it’s gotten particularly well improved over the past this time around.

This new version of Gmail has, first and foremost, easy access to multiple accounts. Perhaps you’ve got an account for work, another for personal business, and another you use to keep in contact with your granny. You don’t want those all mixed up, do you? Gmail 2.0 makes it perfectly simple to switch between them on the fly with a simple tug of the display – right up where your profile name is – check the new arrow and make your faces appear.

The 6 months since the team at Google announced they’d be creating a whole new Gmail experience for iOS have been spent not just adding usability features, but adding aesthetic cues and tweaks as well. You’ll find that this version of Gmail is flatter and smoother than ever before, even going so far as to update the color scheme of the icon for the app – white now takes over the previously dominant red – or does it emphasize it?

This version of Gmail allows you to see much more in-detail invitations to events via Google+ as well as the ability to give a +1 to Google+ posts without leaving the app. In short, this version of Gmail entices you to join Google+ more than ever, and we expect this trend to continue through the future as well. Access posts, RSVP, or jump on down to the mobile web if you absolutely must – but stay if you can!

You can download this version of Gmail from the iTunes app store right this minute for absolutely no cash at all – it’s free! You’ll need a Gmail account to work with Gmail, of course, but you can create a profile from the front screen of the app as well.

Gmail 2.0 for iOS Review is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

NYU recently sent out a seemingly innocuous e-mail to all of its students asking them to opt for paperless forms. People in college get those kinds of e-mails all the time! But when one student decided to ask his mom if he should enable the paperless forms, he accidentally triggered a method that allowed him (and every other student) to reply all to all 39,979 students on the e-mail list. Which meant, any student could send an e-mail to every single student at NYU. And as things in college goes, things quickly got out of hand. More »