Latest
Gmail’s big redesign helps you spend less time in your inbox
We probably don't need to tell you that Gmail has become the email service of choice for innumerable people since it first went live in 2004. New features have been added at a steady clip ever since, but we haven't really seen a big redesign since 2011, though you could consider the addition of inbox tabs in 2013 a significant change, too. Whispers started cropping up earlier this month of another considerable overhaul, which Google is formally revealing today. What's immediately obvious is the new flatter, cleaner look intended to bring Gmail more in line with Google's Material Design principles -- the web version of Calendar got similar treatment last year. The bulk of what's new here, though, is a swath of features designed to make Gmail a more productive place for business users. But the updates apply to Gmail as a whole, so there's plenty for the personal user to play around with, too.
Most White House email domains could be vulnerable to phishing
We can likely all agree that governmental cyber security is an important issue. While the Attorney General has created a task force to deal with election hacking, there have been plenty of digital security fails in the past year. And the FCC doesn't seem to care too much about data privacy, either. Now, according to a report from security firm Global Cyber Alliance (GCA), more than 95 percent of the email domains managed by the Executive Office of the President (EOP) — including WhiteHouse.gov — could be used in a phishing attack due to lax security protocol.
Facebook will crack down on unwanted ad targeting by email
Facebook is still determined to limit data access in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. TechCrunch has learned that the social network is launching a certification tool requiring advertisers to pledge that they've obtained your permission before using your email address for ad targeting. The company has "always had terms in place" that required consent, Facebook spokesperson Elisabeth Diana said in confirming the report, but it's aiming to make those terms "much more prominent." It will also "educate advertisers" on how they can use that data.
ProtonMail brings encrypted contacts to its mobile email app
ProtonMail's encrypted contacts are now readily available beyond the web -- the company has updated its Android and iOS email apps to add the privacy-minded contacts manager. It uses zero-access encryption to prevent everyone but you (yes, including ProtonMail) from seeing anything besides a name and email address, and includes digital signatures to check for signs of tampering. It's pitched as ideal for journalists who may need to protect their contacts, but it could be just as important to you if you're worried that a thief might use your contacts as a burglary hit list.
Proposed law would insist on work-life balance for New Yorkers
With all of us connected to our phones day and night, it's pretty easy to respond to work requests after official office hours are over. European countries like France have passed laws allowing employees to ignore employers after hours, giving citizens the right to disconnect. Now New Yorkers may have a similar freedom if a new bill proposed by the city council passes.
Microsoft tests forcing Windows Mail users to open links in Edge
Edge might be Windows 10's built-in browser, but it definitely isn't the most popular browser -- NetMarketShare reported just under 4 percent usage share as of February 2018, slipping well below Chrome's 59 percent. And now, it looks like the company may be trying to boost its share through software policies. The company is testing a Windows 10 preview release in the Skip Ahead ring which opens all Windows Mail web links in Edge, regardless of your app defaults. It provides the "best, most secure and consistent experience," Microsoft argued.
You can now ask Cortana to check your Outlook email
Do you thrive on Outlook email, but wish you didn't have to stare at your PC or phone to catch new messages? You don't have to... if you have the right devices. Microsoft's Cortana assistant now lets you check for new Outlook emails using your voice if you're using Windows 10 or a Harman Kardon Invoke speaker and have set your language to US English. If you've used similar features with voice assistants like Siri, it behaves in a similar way: you can ask if there are new messages, get a summary of what's new and (most importantly) offer a short reply if it makes sense.
Microsoft is reportedly testing Cortana in Outlook mobile
Microsoft is reportedly testing an integration of Cortana and Outlook mobile. Sources told The Verge that the company is working on a version of Outlook for iOS and Android that has Cortana built right in and would allow users to ask Microsoft's virtual assistant to read and reply to emails for them. With such an integration, you could, for example, ask Cortana to read you your emails or ask her to just read messages from specific people -- all of which would be very useful for people on the go.
Why am I so terrible at email?
Ever heard the phrase "run into an asshole and they're the asshole, run into assholes all day and you're the asshole?" It's been rattling around my brain of late, after several miserable weeks caused by my apparent failure to be a good emailer. (Or maybe I'm just an asshole, but since I'm not going to tackle that existential crisis head-on, let's focus on the emails.)
State Department releases emails from Clinton aide Huma Abedin
Like it or not, the Hillary Clinton email saga isn't over yet. The US State Department has released about 2,800 emails and other documents from former Clinton aide Huma Abedin that were found on the laptop of her soon-to-be-former husband Anthony Weiner. The disclosure is a response to a 2015 Freedom of Information Act request from Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group that has been hoping to use the presence of classified emails from personal accounts as evidence of lawbreaking by Abedin and Clinton. Most of the messages (covering January 2009 to February 2013) are unclassified, though a handful have been redacted at least in part.
Mueller investigation obtains thousands of Trump transition emails
Government-related emails are once again prompting a very public dispute -- albeit under very different circumstances than a year earlier. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office has confirmed an Axios report that it obtained thousands of Trump transition emails from the General Services Administration as part of its investigation into the President's team. The move was prompted by transition attorneys who accused Mueller's office of taking the messages without permission.
ProtonMail Bridge offers encryption for your go-to email client
ProtonMail's encrypted email app went live for everyone a year or so ago. The company offered a free VPN service just this past June and an encrypted contacts system just before Thanksgiving of this year. Now ProtonMail is enabling mainstream email app users safely send and receive email, too.
FBI failed to warn officials about Russian email hackers
It's no longer a secret that Russian hackers have targeted the personal email accounts of American officials, but the FBI was apparently less than vigilant in giving these targets a heads-up. The AP has discovered through interviews that, out of nearly 80 people Russia's Fancy Bear team tried to compromise (mainly in 2015), only two had been told by the FBI -- even though the bureau reportedly had evidence for a year or more. In a few cases, the AP chat was the first time the victims learned they were in the crosshairs.
Russian hackers had hundreds of US targets in addition to the DNC
Various US agencies continue to look into the role Russia played in last year's presidential election, and targets of those investigations include interactions between Trump advisors and Russian officials, ads purchased by Russian agents through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter and whether the Kremlin was involved in the DNC email hacks of last year. In regards to the latter, Russia has been suspected of being behind the hacks for quite some time and just this week, reports have surfaced that the US Department of Justice has pinpointed six Russian officials it believes to have been involved in the hacks. However, a report released today by the Associated Press suggests that the group behind the DNC email breaches actually had a much wider range of targets.
Microsoft axes Outlook.com premium features
We hope you didn't get too attached to Outlook.com Premium -- from all indications, it's already going away. Microsoft is adding most of Premium's features (tougher email security, ad-free web access, more storage and top-tier support) to Office 365, but in the process has revealed that it's removing the paid option for Outlook.com users. You can keep receiving the benefits if you renew an existing subscription, but new subscriptions are "closed." If you took advantage of the custom email domain, which isn't coming to Office 365, Microsoft is working on a way to transfer that domain somewhere else.
Alto Mail is shutting down now that AOL is part of Oath
AOL (Engadget's former parent company) launched Alto Mail years ago in a bid to make sense of increasingly cluttered email with a slicker look and organizing features like the Dashboard. However, it's clear that this approach isn't alluring enough now that AOL has been absorbed into Verizon's Oath brand. The Alto team is telling customers that it's shutting down Alto Mail as it transitions to working on "something new and exciting" under Oath's umbrella. The mobile apps will no longer be available as of November 9th, and Alto is ending support for all apps on December 10th.
Gmail's third-party add-ons are ready to make short work of your inbox
In March, Google announced that it would soon internalize all the third-party Gmail add-ons. Previously, users had to install the plugins in each environment, like Chrome or non-Gsuite apps. Today, they are available within Gmail and, once installed, take effect on every device where the account is accessed.
Gmail on iOS trials third-party email accounts
One of the worst things about Gmail for iOS is that unlike its Android counterpart, it doesn't support third-party accounts. If you also use Outlook or other providers for any reason, you'll still have to depend on one of its rival apps. Now, it looks like Google is at least thinking of letting you use the app for all your email needs -- it's now accepting applications for beta testers willing to brave crashes and bugs for the chance to add their non-Gmail accounts to their Gmail app.
DHS will demand that feds implement basic email security
After suffering several security breaches over the past few years, the US government will finally require federal agencies to implement basic email security measures. According to Reuters, Homeland Security's deputy undersecretary for cybersecurity Jeanette Manfra has revealed at an event in New York that the agency will soon require other federal agencies to adopt DMARC and STARTTLS. DMARC helps detect and block spoofed emails to prevent impersonation of government officials. STARTTLS prevents emails from being intercepted en route to the recipient. Both are at least a decade old and have already been widely adopted by email providers like Google and Microsoft.
Outlook for desktops will behave a lot like the mobile app
Outlook on computers can be overwhelming, to put it gently. The interface is loaded with buttons you probably aren't using, and it generally isn't as intuitive or fluid as the mobile and web versions. Thankfully, Microsoft knows this -- and it's planning a revamp that could give the email and calendar app a breath of fresh air. Microsoft recently previewed Outlook redesigns for Mac and Windows that are nearly as clean and intuitive as their mobile counterparts. You can still have a customizable "ribbon" at the top, but it's stripped down and less intimidating to newcomers. The navigation panel (on the left) also takes its cues from Outlook's mobile apps, making it much easier to switch folders or entire accounts.
