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Mozilla giving Thunderbird the (effective) axe, leaving its fate to the community
Mozilla's Thunderbird mail client just hasn't enjoyed the same level of stardom as its Firefox cousin. Their developer must be feeling this discrepancy more than most, as the company has confirmed plans to take the organization out of active Thunderbird development. The shift is officially being spun as an adaptation that lets the Foundation center its energy on Firefox OS and the usual browser plans, but when Mozilla proper will only be handling bug fixes and security updates for a client that's "not a priority," we'd say it's putting Thunderbird on ice. Accordingly, leaked details from TechCrunch show Mozilla moving some of the team out of the project at some point; any new features will have to come from the community, which suggests the future upgrade schedule will be more than a bit unpredictable. The writing is on the wall soon enough that existing owners could have food for thought well before a final strategy is due in early September.
Google adds spam explanation to Gmail, steers clear of enlightenment
Why is this message in spam? It's a question we find ourselves asking our Gmail boxes almost daily, when messages that really should have made it through to the inbox end up in electronic purgatory instead. So why does Google's algorithm choose to filter certain legitimate messages, while letting the vast majority arrive unscathed? The answer can now be found atop each message filed as spam, presented with the simplest of explanations, that generally fails to provide any actual insight as to the email's assigned delivery. Such worthless gems as "It's similar to messages that were detected by our spam filters," "It contains content that's typically used in spam messages" or "Many people marked similar messages as spam" now await you above each note -- seemingly assigned just as casually as the emails themselves.
Red Digital Cinema sues competitor Arri over e-mail hacking, adds new charges to the list
The behind-the-lens drama between camera makers Red Digital Cinema and Arri has taken yet another step recently, as Red filed suit December 21st against Arri alleging corporate espionage. Former Arri executive Michael Bravin has already plead guilty to criminal charges that he illegally accessed emails at his previous employer, camera distributor Band Pro Film & Digital. At the time Red founder Jim Jannard also revealed his personal account had been compromised, and now The Wrap reports the company is accusing Arri of "unfair competition based on email hacking, invasion of privacy, conversion, misappropriation of trade secrets and unlawful trade practices, among other charges". The extra charges come as a result of information it has indicating other Arri executives were aware of the hacking. Other than listening in on conversations between Red and Band Pro, Arri also stands accused of launching a false advertising campaign ahead of the launch of the Alexa, while Bravin posted with a pseudonym on RedUser.net. Hit the source link for additional details on the sordid affair, we'll find out what can be proven if / when Red gets the jury trial it's seeking.
Google spills the beans on Gmail revamp a bit early (video)
You've already gotten peek at it... heck, if you're anything like us you've already been using the preview version of it. What are we talking about? Why the newly redesigned Gmail, of course. In late June Google started offering a vision of your web app future. It was a bit sparser, a bit more monochromatic and (dare we say) a bit more finger friendly. Well, it seems like the interface is about to become a lot less optional. A video was accidentally posted to YouTube today by Google (since pulled), offering a tour of the revamped email service. Most of it will probably look a bit familiar, but the Mountain View crew still has a few tricks left up its sleeve. For instance conversation views now more closely resemble IMs (with profile pictures) and the advanced search options are more easily accessible and prominently displayed. The themes are also getting updated with higher resolution wallpapers to better match the spartan UI. Not that you need any encouragement, but you should definitely check out the video after the break.
Windows Phone users report Microsoft Outlook e-mail issues with 7.5 Mango
The Windows Phones forums are aflutter with frustration this morning, with many users citing major problems with the way 7.5 Mango handles Microsoft Outlook 2003. According to these missives, replies sent from Mango-laced handsets do not include the original e-mail text, thereby leaving recipients confused and context-less. This could potentially give rise to some very awkward e-mail exchanges, so we're hoping to see a fix soon. If you're experiencing similar issues with your handset, let us know in the comments below. [Thanks, Doug]
Hotmail adds 'My friend's been hacked!' feature to finger phishers
Hotmail's spent the past few years playing catch up with the competition, but for the most part, it hasn't done anything particularly groundbreaking with its services. Earth shattering might not be the appropriate descriptor for its latest addition, but Hotmail's added a helpful new feature to distinguish plain old spam from the kind that comes form a trusted source. Now, when you get an email from a friend that smells of something sea dwelling -- say a plea for some extra scratch from abroad -- you can select "My friend's been hacked!" from the "Mark as" menu, alerting the powers that be that your friend's account has been hacked. When you mark a missive as junk, you can likewise click a box that reads: "I think this person was hacked!" Once that's done, the spammers are kicked to the curb, and your friend is put through an "account recovery flow" the next time they attempt to log in. On the prevention front, Hotmail will soon roll out a new service that blocks users from selecting common passwords. It might not be enough to coax us over, but maybe this time the other guys could learn a few lessons.
Hotmail turns 15, checks spam folder for misfiled birthday wishes
This Monday marked the 15th anniversary of the birth of Hotmail. That July 4th launch date is no coincidence -- the service's founders intended its release to highlight the symbolism of its independence from more traditional e-mail models. The following year, the service would be snatched up by Microsoft and housed under the software giant's MSN umbrella. The subsequent years haven't always been easy for the brand, thanks in part to competition from Yahoo and Google-owned services. In 2007, the service fired back, revamping and rebranding itself as Windows Live Hotmail. It's been a decade and a half of ups and downs, but the webmail service continues to be one of the most widely used in the world. Got any Hotmail-related memories? Please share them in the comments below.
Zune HD finally gets an e-mail application, still waiting on a future
The future of the Zune as a standalone media player is still a little in doubt, but its future of being able to send crucially important e-mails and, in return, get a boatload of spam is now fully assured. A free e-mail app has been added to the Zune Marketplace supporting Gmail, Windows Live Mail, and of course good 'ol POP3 accounts. Unfortunately all we have to gaze upon is that tiny screenshot over on the right, but it certainly looks familiar enough to fit right into the Zune ecosphere without making any waves. Just make sure you don't go looking for your Steely Dan collection inside the unread folder. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
ToneCheck's revised email plug-in scans your messages for aggressive, brash overtones
Last year, Lymbix released this so-so software that checked over your typed email messages for signs of "unintended tone." Scumbag. You know, short and explicit phrases that could easily tick somebody off. Jerk. Now, however, they've got a revised version that plays nice with Microsoft's Outlook, and rather than flooding one's screen with idiotic pop-ups that further enhance one's anger, there's a subtle bar that spans 1 to 5 in order to show a user just how hot and bothered the message that they're about to send really is. Cheapskate. Speaking of, it's actually a free download for now, so if you've been sending the wrong message time and time again, you might want to stop making a fool of yourself and hit the source link. Don't even bother thanking us, punk. Ugh.
Ask TUAW Video Edition: bulk emailing
Jerry writes to us this week asking how to send mass emails and have them personalized. Software shown this week: MaxBulk Mailer - retails for US$50-60 dollars Remember, you can leave us questions in the comments! The video is on the next page.
IRS employee uses Outlook rules to intercept boss's e-mails, convicted of wiretapping
Here's an interesting question for you: if you set up a rule in Microsoft Outlook to forward messages from one account to another, and you do it without the knowledge of the owner of the account you're forwarding from, are you intercepting or merely copying mail? It may seem like a moot point, but for David Szymuszkiewicz, a former IRS worker, it's an important distinction. David was afraid of being fired after his license was suspended for drunk driving (he needed to drive to the homes of delinquent taxpayers), so he secretly set up this rule on his boss's machine to see what the world was saying about him. The rule was discovered and, wouldn't you know it, he was in trouble. The only question now: whether to charge him under the Wiretap Act for intercepting messages or the Stored Communications Act for merely copying of them. So, what was your answer to the question above? You might be tempted to say he was simply making a copy, and indeed that was Szymuszkiewicz's argument, but any Exchange admin will tell you that Outlook rules are executed on the server, not at the client, meaning those e-mails were indeed being intercepted. Szymuszkiewicz was convicted of wiretapping but seems to have avoided a harsh sentence, with 18 months probation being handed down. A light punishment for wiretapping, but a heavy one for diddling menus in Outlook.
Mailplane 2.2 adds several key features
Mailplane, the native Mac app for Gmail and Google Apps email, has been updated to version 2.2, adding several new features and improving on others. Leading the charge is support for the recently-released "Priority Inbox." You can now tell Mailplane to open either your regular inbox, Priority Inbox, or a custom label. My favorite new feature is the ability to drag a Mailplane URL directly from the title bar. I use this with BusyCal's URL field if I need to connect an email with a meeting. It works for conversations or searches. TrueNew support has also been added. I hadn't heard of TrueNew before, but it's pretty nifty if you're in the habit of leaving unread messages in your inbox. TrueNew shows you your total unread count plus what is truly new since the last time you took any action on your inbox so that you can see what is truly new (hence the name). There's more, including another plug-in, which you should know about even if you don't use Gmail or Mailplane.
Gmail for Android updated, becomes Market app
We've always said the native Gmail app is one of the best parts of Android, and it just got even better: it now supports Priority Inbox, has a "show quoted text" button, and features a floating message actions toolbar like the browser-based mobile Gmail webapp. The bigger news, though, is that Google's releasing Gmail directly to Android Market, where it'll be a separate download that can be revved with new features independently of Android itself. That's a pretty great move, as anyone still waiting for a carrier-approved Froyo build can attest, but there's irony afoot: the new Gmail won't run on anything less than 2.2. Wah-wah.
Email confirmation added to authenticator setup to foil hackers
For a while now, account thieves have been putting authenticators on their stolen accounts to buy more time for their scumbaggery. Blizzard has recently made that more difficult by requiring email confirmation when an authenticator is added to a Battle.net account. Rather than just logging in and putting in the appropriate information, you now have to follow the steps in a confirmation email sent to the address registered in your Battle.net account. Note: Changing the email address on the account requires not only your password (which the account thieves already have at this point) but also the answer to your security question. So make sure the answer to your security question is not guessable or obtainable by any phishing information. As I have suggested before, if you use a password for your security answer rather than an actual answer, you are adding a very thick level of security. Make it a separate password you use just for security questions, like p45sw0rd (don't use that one). We don't know how long ago Blizzard added email confirmation The email confirmation has been active since July 27 and we believe it will reduce the workload of Blizzard's customer service. More importantly, this will make getting your account back less painful. Of course, the best way to prevent someone from stealing your account and then adding an authenticator to it is to put an authenticator on it yourself. There are keyfob and mobile versions available. [Thanks for the tip, Joel!]
The Tattered Notebook: Mail time
Ah ha! Finally! Freedom from the human reporter, Seraphina! She is going to PAX East, leaving me to my own devices! Now, finally, I can enact the plan I've been waiting so long to do! ...answer one of your e-mails. Muhahahahahahaha! Ok, ok darlings. I know that perhaps this is not quite the same as world domination or the destruction of Qeynos, but it's special for me, yes? Usually I have to be somewhat pleasant in these weekly scribblings. But, with my oversight gone, I can let you experience the wrath of a true Tier'dal! ...with helpful advice along the way, of course.
Cyber Wednesday brings half price Peek service, discounted Wii
Ever heard of Cyber Wednesday? Yeah, same here. But seriously -- when's the last time you heard us kvetch over a deal? Effective today only, Peek's email-only handhelds are being offered up with lifetime service for half of the normal price. Buy any Peek handheld and you'll get service for just $9.99 per month for as long as you keep the device, which is certainly a bargain compared to the $19.99 that's typically charged. In other news, Wally World has announced that from December 5th through the 12th (while supplies last, obviously), a $50 gift card will be handed over when you purchase a Wii console in-store. Just think -- Walmart is actually incenting you to buy a Wii. Man, how the times have changed.
Prevent Spotlight from resurrecting your deleted emails on iPhone
Note: The problem discussed below behaves differently depending on the type of email account being used. Users of POP mail accounts are indeed noticing a problem with deleted email messages appearing in Spotlight search results. Please see this post for updated information. Our friends over at Engadget have highlighted a Cult of Mac post that, at first glance, appears to have found a bug in Spotlight's caching of email search results on the iPhone. The idea is that after you delete an email from your inbox in the iPhone's Mail.app client, you can still locate and open the e-mail using Spotlight search, if you know the subject of the message. What's really happening, though, is what Apple might otherwise call "user confusion." When you delete an e-mail message in most mail clients, the message isn't magically deleted, but instead moved to a "trash" or "deleted messages" folder. Being a folder, it is indexed by Mail to provide an unread count, as well as by Spotlight so that you can easily find messages in the folder. When you search for the email, it shows up in Spotlight and opens in Mail because the message still exists in your trash folder. All right, so what can you do to avoid this? Well, you need to empty the trash folder from your email. With many providers, you can just go to the trash folder, and delete the message from there to permanently remove it. The problem there is that, if you use a service like Gmail, the message doesn't really get deleted when you do this because of the way Gmail translates its labels into folders. Gmail's Trash folder is also set to purge itself after 30 days by default. Your options? You either have to use the Gmail web interface in Safari, or if you don't mind tweaking your Gmail settings, you can enable the Advanced IMAP Controls Lab and then change your Gmail settings to immediately delete messages instead of using the trash folder. (Note that if you have your "All Mail" label configured to show up in IMAP, you will need to either disable it, or delete the message from that folder on the iPhone as well. See this thread for more information.) Once you've deleted the message, go in to the Trash folder and hit the refresh button to ensure that the message is no longer listed, which will remove it from the local mail cache. This should also clear up Spotlight's index so that the message no longer appears. By now, you're probably wondering if this is really something to worry about. In my opinion, it really depends on how you manage your email. If you rarely delete messages, or you just delete things that are not of interest to you, they will most likely disappear from your trash folder after a specified time period that is set by your email provider (usually somewhere between 7 and 30 days.) However, if you intentionally delete messages with the idea that the message is unretreivable, then you should probably consider testing this out for yourself to see if it affects you. Again, with many providers, just periodically deleting the contents of the trash folder will do the trick. If you use Gmail, or your company's email services are hosted by Google, then you may need to log in to the web interface periodically to empty the trash, or you can look into the available configuration options, if you feel comfortable doing so. So in reality, this isn't really a bug as much as it is what I would call "intended, but unexpected behavior." Many people simply forget that the trash folder exists, particularly on the iPhone where you don't always see it sitting off to the left hand side of your inbox. Checking your trash folder for any unintentionally deleted items, and cleaning out the old messages periodically, isn't really a bad habit to get into. With that said, however, I do think that Apple could improve this behavior by implementing some simple changes like adding an "Empty Trash" button to the trash folder, showing the count of all messages in the trash instead of just unread messages (so that it's easier to notice there are messages in there), and having Spotlight either ignore deleted messages like Leopard's Spotlight does, or at least indicate that they were found in the trash. What are your thoughts on this? Do you consider this to be a bug, or do you think it's just a place that Apple could improve the experience on? Let us know in the comments! Update: Leander Kahney has posted an update to the original Cult of Mac post that clarifies this issue a bit more. It seems that accounts using POP are configured by default to remove messages after one day or one week, thus causing them to continue to appear in Spotlight search results. Unfortunately, there isn't an option to remove them immediately, however, only after a day, one week, one month, or never. Because of this, Spotlight still sees them in the index, and Mail still contains a cached copy of the message until the time limit configured in the settings is reached. If you'd like to check out this setting for yourself, go to the Settings app, tap on Mail, Contacts & Calendars, and choose the POP mail account you want to modify. Scroll down and choose Advanced, and the retention settings will be at the top of that page under Deleted Messages. It appears the default for a new account is to retain messages up to one week. So this is still the OS doing what it's configured to do, but there really should be an option to remove messages immediately here. If Apple were to add an option there, and/or remove Spotlight's ability to index deleted messages, the problem would be solved. Update 2: After further investigation, it appears that some messages deleted on POP accounts do disappear from Spotlight, while others show up long after the message is deleted. I have conducted several tests on this situation, including on different versions of the iPhone OS, and have posted an update with details.
Anti-Aliased: From Captain America to the whirling dervish, dual-specs discussed
It's not too often that I actually get mail dropped in my box. My column is usually so loudmouthed that people just usually complain in the comment box instead of taking the time to send me a well worded e-mail. However, one of our intrepid readers, Patrick, actually sent along a question to my inbox, which I'll happily relate to you now."Do you have any thoughts on dual specs in WoW? I thought this was ugly towards the *World* of Warcraft - anyone could be anything at any time with no real choice / consequences for those choices. Blizzard is moving further and further away from an immersive game to being a game about 'gaming the system' behind the game. Additionally, it seems like Blizz spends more time on shifting mechanics (and keeping players occupied with adapting) than in making really interesting and rewarding (not loot, but the more ephemeral 'rewards') content for their players."Actually Patrick, I've been milling over this for some time now. While the initial concepts of dual-specs were put in place to alleviate the gold crunch and hassle of re-specs, the system has evolved much further beyond its initial structure. Some of those things I wholeheartedly welcome, but others I'm wary of. So let's talk about dual-specs, and why the system is beginning to really, really break.
SEVEN shows off Android e-mail client at MWC, may or may not be coming to Sprint's Android device
We know Sprint's been eyeing the G1 and that it's getting Samsung's Android phone by June, but if mobile software vendor SEVEN has anything to do with it, we now know a bit more about the device's e-mail client as well. Sprint's already a fan of the company's other offerings, and we anticipate they had something to do with this new Android version. The app uses SEVEN's push tech to get your e-mail almost instantaneously -- something that offline-enabled mobile Gmail probably can't do. Planned support for calendars, social networking, and instant messaging make this all the more enticing. A rep from the outfit promises that we'll see partnerships on "more than just Sprint in 2009" and we definitely hope this thing trickles down to the Android Marketplace in due time. There're a bunch more shots over at the read link, so if you're interested be sure to check them out.
The suit of Square-Enix spam
When reporting this story, the sentence, "Never give your e-mail to anyone you don't trust," seems to come to mind. A Japanese man was bombarded with account re-registration e-mails from Final Fantasy XI's PlayOnline launcher, eventually bringing him to the point where he called Square-Enix and asked them to stop sending him the e-mails. The odd part about all of this is that he never played, or even touched Final Fantasy XI.It seems that one of the gil/item sellers in Japan got hold of his e-mail address, and was using it to create all of their accounts that they use to spam FFXI. Of course the accounts were banned shortly after their creation, but the gilseller continued using the e-mail, creating a tidal wave of spam for this man's e-mail client.After calling Square-Enix and being told that they could not stop the messages from being sent to his inbox, the man took Square-Enix to court in early 2007. His case was originally denied, but he appealed and won. Now Japan's High Court has blocked Square-Enix's appeal, and the man has been awarded a whopping 56,000 yen. Yes, that's right, two years of legal wranglings for only 556 US dollars and a clean e-mail inbox.
