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Jan 03

Gmail Finally Open for Everyone

This article was written on February 14, 2007 by CyberNet.

Everybody knew this was coming sooner, rather than later, and finally it’s here. No more teasing! Google has been slowly releasing Gmail all over the World, and now the process appears to be done. When you click “Sign up for Gmail”, you’ll be taken to a page that looks like this:

It wasn’t that difficult to get an account previously, but it still required a little extra effort than it does now. Despite the fact that it’s open to everyone now, Google still hasn’t taken it out of Beta. We’re still left to wonder when or if that will happen.

Source: CyberNet News Forum

–Other Google Stuff–

We’ve gotten a couple of emails today telling us to take a look at the Google logo. It’s their Valentine’s Day version (Happy Valentines day!), and at first glance, it almost looks like they’re missing the “l”.” People have sent messages saying things like “Can Google Spell?” Well, at second glance, they can. You just have to use your imagination a bit more. We’ve outlined the image below so you can tell where the “G” and “L” are.

Last year, there was no Valentines’s Day logo because the Winter Olympic Games were under way, but in case you’re interested, here are links to previous Valentines’ Day logos:

Thanks for pointing out the logo Adam!

Dec 24

Facebook Chat Slowly Rolling Out…

Posted in: Today's Chili

This article was written on April 07, 2008 by CyberNet.

When I logged into my Facebook account yesterday, I was surprised to see a box in the lower right corner welcoming me to Facebook Chat. It was surprising for a couple of reasons, but mainly because I knew I hadn’t signed up for chat and there it was telling me that I could start conversations. As it turns out, Facebook just started to roll-out this new Chat service to users and there’s not an option to opt-in, users just automatically have it (although not everybody will have the chat feature at this point).

After trying it out, it actually reminds me of how Google implemented Gmail Chat right inside Gmail except I believe Facebook has actually done a better job at integrating their chat. At this point it’s a basic chat without mounds of features. Conversations end up being tabbed across the bottom of the screen, and there’s even an option to “pop-out” the chat into a new window. Below is a screenshot of what a conversation would look like:

If for some reason you do not want your friends to see that you’re online, there’s an option to “Go Offline.” Settings include the option to show mini-feed stories right within chat and to “Keep online Friends Open.” Your chat window(s) will stay open as you navigate throughout Facebook and won’t close until you navigate away from the site. The chat feature adds a whole new element of communication to Facebook and could end up being a decent threat to other IM clients.

As though people don’t spend enough time already on Facebook, this addition could mean people spend even more time on the social network site keeping in touch with friends.The folks at Facebook have said that the process of rolling out Facebook Chat to all users will be a gradual process, so if you don’t have it quite yet, sit back and relax, you’ll have it soon.

Dec 24

Tips to help you Search Google and Use Gmail Effectively

Posted in: Today's Chili

This article was written on March 05, 2007 by CyberNet.

Googlesearch So many people use Google as their primary search, both geeks and non-geeks alike. It’s simple, and it gets the job done. However, many people don’t take advantage of the advanced search options that Google has included.

SmallBusinessHub put a list together a list of 12 tips to help you search Google like an expert. Google has an extensive list with all of the options listed, and below are the ones that I tend to use most often, which might help you as well.

1. Word definitions – you can easily look up a definition to a word using Google as your dictionary by typing “define: example.” Google will display a list of different definitions from around the web.

2. Movies – if you’re wanting to find what movies are playing near you, and the show-times, all you have to do is type in “movies.” If your location has been saved it will pull up the movies for your zip code, otherwise you can include your zip code. (I.E. Movies 20052).

3. Excluding Words – This is one that I haven’t really used, but I should. It narrows down your search and gives you more relevant results. For example, if you were searching for cars but you didn’t want any results that had to do with Cars the Movie, you’d type in “cars -movie” and it would exclude any results with the word movie.

4. Phone Searches – Google includes two different ways that you can get help with phone searches. If someone were to call you and you missed the call, but didn’t know who it was, you could take the phone number and look it up. All you’d have to do is type “phonebook: 541–555–1111” You can also do an area code look up and Google will tell you where the area code belongs. I typed in “847” and Google displayed a result that told me it was the area code for “Northern Chicago Suburbs, Illinois, and gave me the option to show the map of the area.

5. Currency Converter – There are times when I find something priced on the Internet in a currency that I’m not familiar with. The currency converter that Google offers solves my problem quickly. All you have to do is enter in the currency that you know, and what you’d like it to be converted to. For example: Enter in “3.5 USD in GBP” and you’d get the conversion.

—Using Gmail Effectively—

Many of you probably use Gmail as your primary email account. Matt Cutts who works for Google has put together a few tips to increase your Gmail productivity. You can read more about these tips in detail over at his blog, but here’s a quick run-down of what you’ll find there.

Tip 1: How to keep most mailing lists out of your inbox.

Tip 2: How to use Firefox and Greasemonkey to prioritize your emails and give you easy access to the most important ones.

Tip 3: Create labels for “external” mail.

I’m sure there are plenty of other helpful tips for both searching Google, and using Gmail effectively. If you have other suggestions, let us know in the comments below.

Image from: www.sevensheaven.com

Dec 18

WrapUp: IE9 Beta Download Stats, Compare Prices from Gadget Recycling Sites, and More

Posted in: Today's Chili

This article was written on October 04, 2010 by CyberNet.

Welcome to the WrapUp by CyberNet. This is a collection of news stories, downloads, and tips that we have collected over the last few days, but never got around to writing about. Don’t forget to send in your own tips, or just leave a comment on this page if you think you’ve got something we should include.

–News–

Google Acquires Touchscreen Keyboard Startup BlindType
BlindType was acquired by Google last week, and based on the video demonstration I’ve seen of their product this will definitely be a very strong addition to the Android mobile software.

IE9 Beta Download Numbers Released
Microsoft has posted saying that IE9 Beta was downloaded over 6 million times in the first two weeks of availability.

Xmarks Possibly Closing, or Moving to a Paid Service
Xmarks announced last week that it would be shutting down their online service, and after word started to spread a lot of users stepped up saying they would be willing to pay for the service to remain afloat. As it stands they are looking to see how many people would be willing to pay for their bookmarking service.

New Apple TV Runs on iPod, and is Jailbreakable
Engadget has posted a video of the Apple TV software running on an iPod. It’s also been determined that thanks to a micro-USB port on the Apple TV the device is jailbreakable.

Microsoft Security Essentials 1-Year Stats
Microsoft’s antivirus software has over 30 million users and has detected over 400 million threats in the first year of availability.

Office 2011 for Mac Release Coming This Month
An official announcement by Microsoft has slated the release of Office 2011 for Mac on October 26th, and pre-orders have already started on Amazon.

AOL Acquires TechCrunch
TechCrunch has been picked up by AOL, who also owns technology blogs like Engadget and Download Squad.

Hulu Plus Coming to Roku
Roku will be one of the first set-top boxes to offer Hulu streaming, but unfortunately you’ll need to pay the $9.99 premium to have access to the shows via the Roku.

–Tips, Tutorials, and Reviews–

Windows Live Essentials 2011
Microsoft has released the next big milestone of Live Essentials, which includes revamped versions of Live Writer, Live Messenger, Live Mail, and many others.

Xbox Live 2010 Dashboard Update Preview
Engadget provides a nice overview of the features you can expect from the upcoming Xbox Dashboard update that is coming out in the next month or two.

Evernote’s Chrome Extension Gets Simultaneous Search
A recent update to the Chrome extension for Evernote lets users see how many notes match a search query performed on any Google search.

Google Lets You Compare Android Phones
Google recently created a central location that lets you view and compare Android phones from all manufacturers and carriers.

Compare Prices from Gadget Recycling Sites
EcoSquid lets you see how much money you’ll receive for your device from several different gadget-buying sources like Gazelle and TradeUps.

Turn Off Gmail’s Conversation View
I love how Gmail groups emails as conversations, but I know not everyone feels the same way. Now Google actually offers an option in the settings to turn it off.

Remove the Ping Dropdown in iTunes 10.0.1
These instructions explain how both Windows and Mac users can hide that pesky “Ping” dropdown should you decide that you’ll never use it.

BlackBerry PlayBook vs. the Competition
Engadget has organized a table of specs/features for the BlackBerry PlayBook, Apple iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, and Dell Streak.

–Downloads–

CCleaner 2.36.1233 [Homepage] [Mirror]
CDBurnerXP 4.3.7.2420 [Homepage] [Mirror]
FeedDemon 3.5.0.11 ^Beta [Homepage] [Mirror]
Flash Player 10.2.161.23 ^{Beta 2} [Homepage] [Mirror]
Foxit Reader 4.2.0.928 [Homepage] [Mirror]
Google Chrome 7.0.536.2 ^Beta [Homepage] [Mirror]
iTunes 10.0.1 [Homepage] [Mirror]
Miranda 0.9.4 [Homepage] [Mirror]
Miro 3.5 ^{RC 1} [Homepage] [Mirror]
Notepad++ 5.8.1 [Homepage] [Mirror]
Opera 10.70.9053 ^Beta [Homepage] [Mirror]
Picasa 3.8.115.66 [Homepage] [Mirror]
Silverlight 4.0.50917 [Homepage] [Mirror]
uTorrent 2.0.4.22150 [Homepage] [Mirror]
Windows Live Messenger 2011 [Homepage] [Mirror]
Windows Live Writer 2011 [Homepage] [Mirror]

Dec 16

Apple OS X Mavericks 10.9.1 update fixes Mail, Safari, other software

Posted in: Today's Chili

Apple’s OS X Mavericks 10.9.1 has been released in the wild as of today. The updated software package includes fixes for “stability, compatibility, and security” for the Apple OS. Notably, it addresses a few issues with Mail, Safari, VoiceOver, iLife, iWork, the “Local Items” keychain, and Japanese keyboards. Full update deets after the jump. The […]

Dec 16