Mar 16

China tightens grip on VPN access amid pro-democracy protests, Gmail users also affected

Posted in: chinese, Gmail, government, Today's Chili

If you’ve been struggling to get your dose of Facebook or Twitter in China recently, then you’re probably one of the many Internet users who’ve had their VPN access — either free or paid for — blocked over the last two weeks or so. That’s right, the notorious Great Firewall of China is still alive and well, and leaving proxy servers aside, VPN is pretty much the only way for keen netizens to access websites that are deemed too sensitive for their eyes; or to “leap over the wall,” as they say. Alas, the recent pro-democracy protests didn’t exactly do these guys any favor — for one, their organizers used Twitter along with an overseas human rights website to gather protesters, and with the National People’s Congress meetings that were about to take place (and wrapped up last night), it was no surprise that the government went tough on this little bypassing trick. To make matters worse, PC World is reporting that Gmail users are also affected by slow or limited access, despite the service previously being free from China’s blacklist.

We reached out to a handful of major VPN service providers, and they all confirmed a significant increase in the amount of blockage — possibly by having their servers’ PPTP IP addresses blocked — over the last two weeks. One company even spotted the Chinese government subscribing to its paid service, only to work its way into the network to locate the company’s PPTP server list, and then put them behind the firewall. Fortunately for some, the better-off companies had backup servers to rapidly resolve the problem, whereas the cheaper and free services were unable to dodge the bullet. This just goes to show that sometimes you get what you pay for. That said, with practically unlimited human hacking power at its disposal, it doesn’t take much for the firewall to shut down everything heading its way. For the sake of our friends and expats there, let’s just hope that the government will take things down a notch as soon as the storm calms.

China tightens grip on VPN access amid pro-democracy protests, Gmail users also affected originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 13

Google Enhances “View as HTML” in Gmail

Posted in: Gmail, Google, Today's Chili, Web Sites

This article was written on July 25, 2007 by CyberNet.

Gmail Preview of a DOC file

One of the things I use the most in Gmail is the "View as HTML" feature for previewing documents, presentations, and spreadsheets that are attached to an email. This lets you scope out what a document is about without having to download it to your computer.

It does, however, have some limitations. One of the things this feature never did in the past was display images or graphs. That’s no longer true when you’re viewing a DOC file in an HTML format as seen in the screenshot above. I took one of our recent posts that we did this morning, copied the content into Microsoft Word, and saved it in a DOC format. Then I emailed it to myself and used the HTML preview to see how well it rendered the image.

Judging by the side-by-side comparison above I would say that the two results are pretty identical, and the View as HTML feature in Gmail just got a lot more useful! The bad news is that this feature only works for DOC files for the time being, and doesn’t seem to apply to spreadsheets or presentations. To get a preview of what those files you would need to use the specialized Google offerings, such as this one for presentations.

Now I would like to see Google do is add some support for the Office 2007 file formats. I’ve been receiving quite a few attachments with the DOCX filetype, and I have to download them in order to view the contents.

Source: Google Operating System

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Mar 10

WOW! Remember the Milk in Gmail

Posted in: Firefox Extensions, Gmail, Google, Today's Chili, Web Sites

This article was written on December 20, 2007 by CyberNet.

Remember the Milk in Gmail

Remember the Milk just became the task manager service on the Internet. If you’re running Gmail 2 in Firefox you can install the new Remember the Milk extension. It makes use of the heavily integrated Greasemonkey functionality that Google introduced in Gmail 2, and to be honest it is nothing short of amazing.

The Remember The Milk extension adds a sidebar located next to your Inbox. It does take up a reasonable amount of room, but it also makes managing your tasks sooooo easy! If it gets in the way you can just hit the little arrow to the left of your task list, and it will seemingly disappear for the time being.

After using this for only a few minutes I’m completely astonished with everything it has to offer. I had full control over adding, removing, and organizing the tasks that are displayed. To add a task you just have to type it into the text box, and here are some examples of the things it recognizes:

  • Pick up the milk
  • Call Lizzie at 9am tomorrow
  • Return library books in 2 weeks
  • Finish report, tag with work

To make things even easier Remember the Milk included a few options that can be found in your Gmail Settings -> Tasks section. There you’ll be able to choose if you want tasks to automatically be created for any email that your star or apply a specific label to.

Remember the Milk Gmail Hover

This is going to be tremendously helpful in getting myself organized. I visit my Gmail Inbox all of the time, and having my task list displayed immediately next to it will ensure that I don’t forget about what needs to get done. Thanks Remember the Milk…I may pick up a Pro account just to show my appreciation!

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Mar 09

CloudSight Search gives you instant, unified access to email and social networking archives

Posted in: cloud, Email, Gmail, search, social networking, SocialNetworking, Today's Chili, twitter, video

Remember those thousands of folks who you suddenly lost contact with last week? Unfortunately for them, they’re still looking for years of Gmail records, but if they were proactive enough to initialize a Backupify account, they’d have their entire inbox (as well as their outbox, sent folder, and everything else) just a restore-click away. Backupify’s free backup services have worked well here at Engadget HQ, providing a level of assurance that our emails, tweets, photos and Facebook statuses aren’t going anywhere — even if an account is hacked. Now, the company’s taking the next logical step by introducing CloudSight Search. It’s hailed as the first searchable archive solution for social media and Google Apps, and it lets you type in a single search term / phrase in order to sift through your email accounts and social networking handles for any communications related to the aforesaid query. One search, multiple communication outlets. Of course, it only sifts through what’s archived, but given just how frequently the service backs things up, it’s pretty darn close to fetching in real-time. The only downside? There’s no mobile app, so it looks as if you’ll have to consult a legitimate browser to get your search on. Those interested in signing up for the private beta launch can do so in the source link, or if you’d rather learn more via video, the play button is just beneath the break.

Continue reading CloudSight Search gives you instant, unified access to email and social networking archives

CloudSight Search gives you instant, unified access to email and social networking archives originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 02:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 04

Gizmo5 shutting down on April 3rd, credits can be transferred to Google Voice

Posted in: Gmail, Google, Today's Chili, VoIP

Google may not have offered too many details when it acquired VoIP outfit Gizmo5 back in November of 2009, but it’s not like any of that matters now. Gizmo5 customers around the globe are receiving an email today notifying them of the service’s impending closure, with April 3rd pegged as the final day that calls can be made. After March 11th, you’ll no longer be able to add credit to your account, but you can request a refund or have your remaining credits transferred to Google Voice (if you’re in the US). Head on past the break for the full message, and feel free to pour one out. Or, you know, just wipe that FOF off of your face by watching this.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Gizmo5 shutting down on April 3rd, credits can be transferred to Google Voice

Gizmo5 shutting down on April 3rd, credits can be transferred to Google Voice originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 18:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 03

WrapUp: 30 Safari Extensions to Try, Unlocker Supports 64-Bit Machines, and More

Posted in: Gmail, Microsoft, performance, Today's Chili, WrapUp

This article was written on July 07, 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–

ethernet.jpgEthernet Cables to Replace HDMI?
Large companies such as Sony, Samsung, and LG are contributing to a new technology called HDBaseT that could eventually replace HDMI.


gmail conversations.jpgGoogle Will Let Users Disable Gmail Conversations
Google is apparently working on letting users turn off the conversations feature in Gmail so that they can view their emails in a more traditional “flat” view.


firefox addons.jpg2 Billion Firefox Add-ons Downloaded
Over 7 thousand developers have helped contribute to Firefox’s 2 billion add-on downloads.


tapulous.jpgiOS Game Developer Tapulous Acquired by Disney
The maker of the popular iPhone game Tap Tap Revenge was acquired by Disney last week.


microsoft kin.jpgMicrosoft Pulls the Plug on Kin
The Microsoft Kin phone has only been on sale for two months, and has already been discontinued so that Microsoft can focus more on the Windows Phone 7 Series that is launching later this year.


google news.jpgGoogle News Gets Redesigned
Google News has received a slight facelift and some additional features, such as selecting which news sources you’d like to see more/less.


woot.jpgAmazon Acquires Deal Site Woot
Last week Amazon bought Woot.com, a site that offers one deal per day, for an estimated $110 million.


hulu plus.jpgHulu Plus Subscription Officially Revealed
Hulu is offering (currently by invite only) a monthly subscription-based viewing plan that makes their content viewable on some mobile devices and video game consoles.


chrome logo.jpgChrome Overtakes Safari in Usage
According to StatCounter the Google Chrome browser has inched by Safari coming in at 8.97% and 8.88% usage, respectively.


–Tips, Tutorials, and Reviews–

chrome tab manager.jpgMore Ways to View/Manage Your Chrome Tabs
 This nice little Chrome extension provides an icon-only view of all your open tabs across all open windows.


unlocker.jpgUnlocker Removes “In Use” Files on 64-Bit Machines, too
One of my favorite apps, Unlocker, now supports 64-bit machines. That means you can remove virtually any file regardless of whether something already has a hold of it.


iphone backup.jpgToggle iPhone Backups On/Off in iTunes
This free Windows app will let you toggle backups on/off for your iPhone in a single click.


changedetection.jpgChangeDetection Watches for Updated Sites
If you want to monitor a site for changes head on over to ChangeDetection.com to set it up. Once configured it will email you anytime it detects an update to that particular page.


browser speed test.jpgLatest Browser Speed Comparison
This is a great set of performance tests that put the latest browsers up against each other.


pixelpipe.jpgUploading HD Videos from Your iPhone Using Pixelpipe
By default the new iPhone 4 doesn’t upload full HD videos to YouTube, but using a free app such as Pixelpipe will help you get around that limitation.


lasso.jpg30 Safari Extensions You Can Try Right Now
Get everything from Gmail counters to Twitter integration right inside the Safari browser.


–Downloads–

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Mar 02

Google Apps to start Charging for Services

Posted in: Email, Gmail, Google, Software, Today's Chili

This article was written on February 06, 2007 by CyberNet.

Google Apps for domains in Beta has provided thousands of small businesses and organizations a way to offload their email systems while keeping their own email addresses, as well as other ways to stay connected and communicate. The benefits of web-based applications continue to increase as these web services become more capable and reliable each year.

Last year, Forbes crowned Google as the leader in web-based applications for small businesses, crowning Google Calendar, Gmail, Google Notebook, and Google Spreadsheets as the best in their class. As they continue to expand, they’ve made the decision to start charging a subscription fee of “a few dollars per month,” for Google Apps, according to a recent Business Week article. As they continue to expand, they’re attempting to take on larger corporations, even Universities who will pay for all of the benefits.

One example of this is the Walt Disney Company.  They’re in the process of finding a good replacement for their homegrown e-mail system that they’ve used for quite some time.  The Senior Vice- President for technology at Disney, Greg Brandeau says that Microsoft with Outlook ,Exchange, etc. isn’t what they’re looking for.  Instead, they’re looking towards Google Apps.

Part of the expansion of Google Apps includes adding in a word-processing and spreadsheet service to the suite.  Brandeau says, “We’re dying to use something like this.” So is Google capable of handling a company as large as Walt Disney, and should Google be considered competition for Microsoft?

Well, according to Google they’re perfectly capable of handling something as large as Walt Disney, and no, they don’t consider themselves competition for Microsoft.  In fact, Google themselves agree that they don’t have all of the bells and whistles that you’d find with some of Microsoft’s products like email backups. What they do have though, is simplicity and ease of use.

Douglass Merrill who is Google’s vice president for engineering says, “For the first time, consumer-grade applications are good enough that they can be used by enterprises.” Google says it’s not an us vs. them type of a deal because their goals are very different from Microsoft’s.

Another example? Arizona State University is switching their students over to Gmail, Google Calendar, and a customized start page this month.  This could easily start a trend among universities as they look for email solutions that are more affordable and easy to use for their students.

Microsoft isn’t totally out of the loop as far as the online applications go.  Microsoft Office Live is a pack of services offered for$39.95 per month for businesses which includes email, calendar, and other services.  Here in Iowa, there’s rumor of Iowa State switching to Microsoft Office Live.  Students would get addresses with no advertisements while in school, and after graduation they get to keep the address, but with the addition of advertisements in the inbox.

Clearly, web-based applications are the next big thing. For a few dollars a month, Google will offer their application services for domains. The good news if you’re wanting it for free? Digital Inspiration points out that “Organizations accepted by Google during the Google Apps for Your Domain beta period are eligible for free service for their approved beta users even beyond the end of the beta period, as described in the Terms of Service.”

Source: Business Week

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Mar 01

Gmail Going Offline Soon?

Posted in: Gmail, Google, Today's Chili

This article was written on September 15, 2007 by CyberNet.

gmaillogo I’m sure I’m not the only one that wouldn’t mind an offline mode added to Gmail. There’s been talk of this for quite some time now, especially when Google launched Google Gears, their project to bring online applications offline. Google Reader was the first Google Application to get an offline mode, and it only makes sense that Google would use their own project to take some of their other applications offline, particularly Gmail.

The latest rumor coming from the Hindustan Times says that according to their "highly placed sources," we should expect offline Gmail to launch sometime later this year. They also said that the offline version has already been built and all that’s left to do is internal testing.  As usual, Google won’t confirm this, all they had to say when Wired questioned them about this was "We’re always looking at ways to improve Gmail, but we have nothing specific to announce at this time."

When Gmail does go offline, users would be able to "browse, reply, save drafts and do everything that Gmail currently does in an offline mode, even when you don’t have an Internet connection.  On current indications, this would mean that you would download a software client for this." If Google does this right, they could sweep away some of Microsoft’s Outlook users and influence other emails services to offer an offline mode as well.

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Feb 28

Google restores Gmail access to one-third of affected users

Posted in: Gmail, Google, issue, Today's Chili

If you’ve been following the seemingly-massive Gmail outage, you’ll know that it’s actually not as massive as it sounds. Google’s revised its estimate again to say that only “0.02% of Google Mail users” — roughly about 38,000 by our calculations — were affected by the issue in total, claims that a full third of them have already had access restored, and expects the issue “to be resolved for everyone within 12 hours.” As to the fate of years worth of email, Google reps wouldn’t say, but promised us that engineers are working “as quickly as possible” to see the data restored as well. Keep hanging on, folks.

Google restores Gmail access to one-third of affected users originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Feb 2011 18:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 27

Nested Labels in Gmail (Sub-Labels or Folders)

Posted in: Email, Gmail, Google, Internet Explorer, Opera, Today's Chili, Web Sites

This article was written on July 20, 2007 by CyberNet.

Nested GmailOne feature that I’ve always wanted in Gmail was the ability to organize my labels in a folder-like structure. By that I mean that I want to nest the labels one inside of another so that my list isn’t quite so long. This kind of structure is probably referred to the most as sub-labels.

The other day Lifehacker posted an awesome Greasemonkey script that does just that. It’s called Folders4Gmail and has instructions on installing it for Firefox, Opera, and Internet Explorer. Just make sure you follow the steps because I was a little confused since I didn’t realize that I needed to create a parent label. Here’s what I had to do to get my "ISU" structure in the screenshot to the right:

  1. Create a parent label:
    Create a label named ISU
  2. Rename your labels:
    Com S to ISU\Com S
    General to ISU\General
    Senior Design to ISU\Senior Design
  3. Now there are four labels:
    ISU
    ISU\Com S
    ISU\General
    ISU\Senior Design

The script automatically treats the slash ("\") as a folder divider, and you must have a parent label created otherwise it doesn’t work. One of the other cool things is that you can actually deeply nest multiple labels, which means you can have "folders" inside of "folders"! Ahh…I’m really lovin’ this script!

Folders4Gmail is also part of the Lifehacker Firefox extension called Better Gmail. That extension offers a great list of Gmail-related scripts that can make your email experience so much better. Be sure to check it out if you haven’t already!

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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