e-mail

How to get the most out of Google Tasks in Gmail

Google Tasks graduated from Gmail Labs almost four years ago, but have you really taken a look at what it can do? It's true that part of its appeal is in its simplicity, however, if you haven't taken a deeper look into its features, you might be missing out on some great tools for organizing your tasks. Here are some tips on how to get the most out of Google Tasks for Gmail:

1. Quickly get to Tasks. The keyboard shortcut, G followed by K, quickly opens Tasks in Gmail. If Tasks is already open, the shortcut will … Read more

Outbox delivers your snail mail to your iPhone or iPad

Mail service as we know it just doesn't work anymore. Too much junk. Too much hassle sorting, scanning, and/or filing the stuff we need to keep. And, let's be honest, so much of what arrives in our mailboxes could -- some would say should -- arrive electronically.

Austin-based startup Outbox wants to make that happen by digitizing all of your physical mail and delivering it to you electronically on your iPhone or iPad, or your PC.

Interesting proposition, wouldn't you say? Think about it: no more daily trek to the mailbox followed by the daily armload … Read more

Pointers on Microsoft's Hotmail phase-out

Microsoft announced earlier this week that it is closing Hotmail and moving the "hundreds of millions" still using it to Outlook.com by this summer.

The move isn't unexpected, but perhaps more sudden than some anticipated. Hotmail users, once they move (or are moved) will get Outlook.com's clean, Metro-Style interface for their mail -- and ultimately, calendars. (For a walk-through of the user-interface changes Hotmail users will see, check out this Microsoft FAQ.)

Given that many of the new features in Outlook.com -- Microsoft's new Web-mail service that is no longer in "preview," … Read more

How to use Outlook.com e-mail with keyboard shortcuts

Outlook.com is out of preview now and available for everyone to use. Learning how to get around the new interface can be a lot easier with the help of keyboard shortcuts. So whether you're new to Microsoft's browser-based e-mail service or an old Hotmail user trying to adjust to the new design, give the shortcuts a try and get to know Outlook.com.

Before we get started, go to Settings > Keyboard shortcuts and make sure that keyboard shortcuts are enabled and set to Outlook.com mode. If you're already familiar with the keyboard shortcuts for … Read more

Microsoft moves Outlook.com out of preview

Microsoft announced Tuesday that its Outlook.com browser-based e-mail service has moved out of its preview stage and is now available globally.

First introduced last July, Outlook.com is Microsoft's boldest e-mail move since Google launched Gmail in 2004 and a clear answer to it. As I said in my First Take, the simple interface, Skydrive integration, and promise of mega storage will remind you of Google's product while the People Hub and vaguely Windows 8 look and feel give Outlook.com a distinct identity.

Microsoft designed Outlook.com to replace its Hotmail product, which it acquired in … Read more

Get started with Mailbox for iOS

Mailbox, a new e-mail client for the iPhone, has launched and it takes a new approach to managing your Inbox. Mailbox wants you to ditch the traditional labels method implemented by Gmail users everywhere. Instead, according to Mailbox, you should be able to snooze and postpone e-mails in your Inbox to take action on them at a later time. The new approach takes some reprogramming of your brain, but it's one some users will find better suited for them.

Get in line!

To accommodate the huge demand and make sure the system will stay running smoothly for all … Read more

The latest trend: The 'you're not invited' wedding e-mail

I have always found the marriage thing fascinating.

Though I've never managed it myself, I have been best man five times. This has brought me up close to the deep-seated neuroses surrounding the happy day.

What should the happy couple wear? What color should the flowers be? Should there be a vegetarian option? And, of course, most vital, who should be invited?

I had always imagined that those not invited would accept the slight with good grace or permanent spite.

I had also imagined that those who didn't quite make the cut would at least be offered a … Read more

Microsoft goes after Google with attack on Gmail privacy

Microsoft is ratcheting up its attacks on Google with a campaign urging users of the Web giant's e-mail service to dump Gmail for its own Outlook.com over privacy concerns.

In its national campaign titled "Don't get scroogled by Gmail," Microsoft dredges up an old issue with Google's free e-mail service: Google scans users' e-mails to determine relevant advertisements to place alongside the messages.

Microsoft says a study it commissioned found that 70 percent of consumers polled were unaware that major e-mail providers "routinely" scan e-mail to sell ads and that nearly 90 … Read more

Grab your own Goatse e-mail address for shock value

If you don't know what Goatse is, I'm not going to tell you. You'll just have to google it on your own, preferably when you're not at work and preferably with the incognito setting on your browser turned on. Everyone else can gather around as we marvel at one of the weirdest Indiegogo projects to ever top its funding goal.

You have less than two weeks left to pledge $50 to get your very own Goatse.cx e-mail address. Your personal @goatse.cx address will work with your existing Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, or Outlook.com account using the "send as" feature built into those mail programs. Reply e-mails will return to your regular account. The Goatse.cx administrator will maintain a forwarding service as well.… Read more

Clean up that mess of an inbox with Unroll.me

If you are like me, you ignore most of the messages you receive from your various e-mail subscriptions -- the spam you asked for -- but you are loath to unsubscribe from any because every now and then one of these e-mails will include something important, interesting, or financially advantageous. With Unroll.me, you get a cleaner inbox and better way to manage your e-mail subscriptions. You'll still receive all of your e-mail subscriptions but in a much more digestible form.

Here's how it works:

Head to the Unroll.me site and choose Gmail/Google Apps or Yahoo … Read more