geeksugar -- Geek is chic.

Gmail Tip: Never Forget Anyone in a Group Email

geeksugar — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:01:11 -0800

It can be embarrassing to forget someone in a big group email — when you remember, do you forward the whole string, or resend it to everyone? To avoid alienating anyone, Gmail can help.

From home, open up Contacts. Start checking off people you'd like to add to a group (which you can edit to add more or delete later), and then click on the Groups drop-down to the right. Click Add to New Group, and a field will open asking what you'd like to name the group. Maybe you'd like a group for your book club, or everyone you usually invite to events. After entering the name, you've just created a Gmail group.

When you go to compose your next invite, just start typing the name of the group, and everyone in the group will get your email.

Santa's Gmail Inbox

geeksugar — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:58:38 -0800

Santa's Gmail Inbox Like many of us, Santa Claus has a Gmail account, and, no surprise he gets spammed like the rest of us. Sort through his legitimate mail from Viagra offers, Nigerian scammers, and other usual spam suspects.

Daily Tech: Show Off Your iPhone With a DIY Polariod Frame

geeksugar — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 12:00:13 -0800

Another beautiful and slightly vintage geek way to display your iPhone — the DIY recycled iPhone Stand. — Unplggd
Google rolled out a feature that allows you to send SMS messages via Gchat, which means you can text without picking up your phone or using an extra, complicated website. — Gizmodo
So you don't like the idea of scratching your iPhone, but you may love the scratchin' app. — Crave
A restaurateur in Beijing has opened a World of Warcraft-themed eatery. Talk about a geek Mecca. — Switched
Have you ever thought about the real value of a virtual gift? — Wired
There's nothing better than getting a brand new functional and chic computer for the holidays, which is why we have teamed up with our friends at HP to give one lucky geeksugar reader a HP Mini! — geeksugar

Daily Tech: Who Doesn't Want a Slice of Apple Apple Pie?

geeksugar — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 12:00:02 -0800

I just found a way to feed all the geek jokes my family is going to make at Christmas! Apple Apple Pie — Unplggd
Do you spend all day on Gmail? You can make use of that time by utilizing the task manager, which is a fancy way to say to-do list. Just click in an empty part of your list and start typing. No buttons to click and it's saved automatically. — Gmail Blog
The first editor of Computer Shopper shares tale of the early Apple years — the first support call may have been answered by Steve Jobs himself! — Gizmodo
Sony's TVs were named most reliable by PC World readers — PC World
There's nothing better than getting a brand new functional and chic computer for the holidays, which is why we have teamed up with our friends at HP to give one lucky geeksugar reader a HP Mini! — geeksugar
The mouse turns 40 years old today. Time to give it some cheese. — Lifehacker

How to Get Your Own (Mostly Free) Gmail Stickers!

geeksugar — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:30:35 -0800

Gmail is dead serious about making their own stickers, and like any good geek, I started freaking out about how much I wanted these immediately.

But, as we already know, Google is a fair and lovely company, and has made it easy for you to get your own. No, there's no online order form, you just have to send a self-addressed stamped envelope (remember those?!) to:

Send me some Gmail stickers already
P.O. Box 391420
Mountain View, CA 94039-1420

Better send it in soon, because you know those will not last. Oh, and my fave is definitely the Gmail m-velope.

Gmail Gets Trendy New Themes!

geeksugar — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:11:29 -0800

You know the pleasure you get when you add a colorful new theme to your iGoogle page? OK, multiply that by 1,000, and I give you the sleek new themes for Gmail. Just launched today, there are already 30 different themes to choose from — ranging from nature themes to shiny and chrome-style themes. Google has given Gmail a little makeover with crisper and cleaner lines (it reminds me of Google reader). To spice up your email, go to the themes section in settings and you should see the new themes. And if you don't see them, keep checking back and they should appear sometime within the next few days!

Gmail Gets Video and Voice Chat!

geeksugar — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 02:00:12 -0800

Talk about Google rolling out an exciting new FREE feature! If you have friends and family all over the world, and hate the thought of spending a small fortune on long distance calls, you can now use Gmail to chat via voice or video! Available on Macs and PCs within the next couple of days, Gmail users will be able to select "start video chat" or "start voice chat" right from their chat windows and start talking for free. Even if you don't have a webcam, you can still have voice conversations with this useful plugin. To install, visit this link or click on options in the Gmail chat window and choose "add voice/video chat." Thank you Google!

Access Your Gmail Wherever, Whenever with Toolbar Plugin

geeksugar — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:00:52 -0800

Shakira's mantra doesn't always hold true with technology (who hasn't battled WiFi, a cell signal or less than logical download?), but most toolbar plugins offer sweet simplicity and easy access to the tools you need no matter where your surfing habits lead you.

The Google Toolbar 5 for Internet Explorer or Firefox puts a custom button to Gmail at your fingertips. You won't have to keep a window open and refresh it obsessively because you can get new message alerts, see previews of your mail and use Toolbar's search box to find any message no matter what page you're on.

Google Adds Colorful (and Animated) Emoticons to Gmail!

geeksugar — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 10:04:33 -0700

What's with Google rolling-out all the Gmail upgrades lately? First with the Gmail Mobile Enhancements and now Gmail finally has emoticons? Whatever their reasons, I'm just glad they did!

To start using these colorful cartoons, just click on the smiley face located in the formatting toolbar when you are composing an email (if you don't see it, make sure you have rich formatting turned on and sign out and sign back in), and start clicking away to add wonderful emoticons to your emails!

Google Enhances Gmail For Cell Phones

geeksugar — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 02:00:31 -0700

As you already know, I bat for both cell phone teams: the iPhone and the BlackBerry Curve. So I'm thrilled that Google is introducing Gmail for mobile 2.0 — the faster, stronger, better, mail client for cell phones, naturally. What can you do now that you couldn't do before? You get offline access so you can whip up emails while sitting on the bus to send later, you will also get better service in low signal areas and you'll now be able to access multiple Gmail or Google Apps email accounts. Check out the changes in action below!

Geek Tip: Send Empty Gmail Messages

geeksugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:30:21 -0700

Have you ever tried to send a Gmail message without a story body (you know the kind that says "I'll be right there!") and received a pop-up that prompts you to add text to the body of the email?

The Official Gmail Blog taught me you can add "EOM" or "(EOM)" at the end of the subject line (that's short for End of Message), and Gmail will silently send the message without the unnecessary prompt. Of course, you could just send a text message, but it's a helpful tip nonetheless.

As long as Gmail keeps the Mail Goggles prompts coming I'll be a happy Googler.

Geek Out: Are You a Victim of Drunk Emailing?

geeksugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:00:00 -0700

I really could have used Gmail's new Mail Goggles feature back in college. Not only was I partaking a little more of the alcoholic beverages, but I was also more apt to know the math questions it's supposed to ask you when you try to send an email late at night. The issues we face, as drinking geeks, are so much harder than our parents' generation. Not only do we have to exercise caution before emailing someone under the influence, there's the danger of drunken texts, Twitters, and the evergreen drunk dial. My boozy life only really gets as crazy as checking out things like the Beer USB Drive anymore, so entertain me. Have you ever been the sender or recipient of a drunken email? What were the consequences?

Geek Out: Are You a Victim of Drunk Emailing?

Yes, I have emailed under the influence.

Yes, I suspect I have been emailed by someone under the influence.

No, I have never emailed under the influence.

Something else. See my comment below.

Google Squashes Spam Problem in Gmail

geeksugar — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:16:34 -0700

Notice an irregularly large amount of spam arriving in your Gmail inbox lately? Well Google says it has remedied the problem by fixing the bug that was letting these annoying emails make it past their spam filters.

Google still asks that you report any spam messages that are making their way to your inbox instead of your spam folders.

Can't Access Your Gmail? Don't Spaz Out (Like I Did)

geeksugar — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 14:45:40 -0700

This has only happened to me once (knock on wood it never happens again), but about eight months ago, I went to sign into Gmail as I normally would and it wouldn't let me in . . . just like that. As I entered my password over and over, double-checking CAPS LOCK for the umpteenth time as my heart started to race faster, I immediately started freaking out — yes I was at work, and yes I put my deodorant to work that day! Because all my pictures are on Picasa, docs on Google docs, and email (email!) couldn't be accessed, I feel like my entire life flashed before me.

To see what happened next, and to learn some useful tips if this ever happens to you, just

Play With Gmail Labs to Enhance Your Gmail Account

geeksugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:40:14 -0700

As a Gmail convert, you have probably already messed around in your settings to optimize your email experience, and no doubt you've come here for helpful Gmail tips, like how the period in Gmail accounts can go basically anywhere in your email address, but are you aware of Gmail Labs?

To hear what I like about Gmail Labs, just

Use Google Talk in Safari on Your iPhone

geeksugar — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:45:55 -0700

I'll admit this isn't a life-changing tip, but a reminder that Google Talk has been redesigned specifically for the iPhone. It runs right in your Safari browser, so you don't have to download any special application. All you have to do is navigate to talk.google.com and sign in to your account.

The version was made to work in your browser so you'll be automatically signed out of Talk when you navigate to a different browser window or app. That means you won't always be online, but you can check in at any time to see if your friends are online or if they have updated their clever status updates.

Geek Tip: Put Your Gmail Account to Work For You

geeksugar — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:00:22 -0700

I love learning new tips and tricks for managing my Gmail account so I was thrilled to see the official Gmail blog celebrated its one-year anniversary with a rundown of its 10 most-viewed tips.

While I've already put together my own Top 10 Gmail Tips it was really interesting to see theirs. Here are highlights of the Gmail list:

Tips for importing old mail into Gmail — Considering the amount of storage on Gmail it really is worth it to import your most precious message from your old accounts into one account. Their guide is shockingly easy to follow.
Two ways to get more out of your account — Gmail notes that when you choose a Gmail address, you actually get more than just "yourusername@gmail.com." You can insert one or several dots (".") anywhere in your email address. Gmail doesn't recognize periods as characters in addresses, they actually just ignore them. (This is one of my classic faves.)
Five little-known Gmail features — Did you know you can share Gmail searches with friends? I didn't! You can prove that you did indeed send that message. Search for the message and when you find it listed in the results, just copy and paste the URL and email it to your friend. When she goes to that link while in Gmail, your friend's Gmail will run the same search you ran and will be able to locate that "lost" email instantly. It's time to make some bets!

Want more? Check out the complete list on the Gmail blog.

How Many Emails Do You Send a Day?

geeksugar — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:45:23 -0700

I've always wondered if Gmail and other free email services put a cap on how many emails you can send per day, and now I have my answer: 500. Addicted as I am to digital communication, I can't really imagine needing to send that many emails, especially since I have instant messengers (where I probably do hit about 500 sent messages a day!), but it did get me thinking about how many emails I do send per day. With work email and personal email combined, I hit send an awful lot of times each day (though like I said, nowhere near 500). About how many emails do you send per day, and are you sending more for work or play?

How Many Emails Do You Send a Day?

0-10

10-20

20-30

Over 30

Helio Pushes Gmail Right to Your Phone

geeksugar — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 03:00:00 -0700

I know that at least one of our readers will dig this little bit of news coming from Helio, because she's a die hard Ocean fan! If you use Gmail on your Ocean, Fin, or Mysto messaging center, then rejoice! The days of "sending/receiving" your mail are over.

Yesterday, Gmail enabled a push feature on your handset that allows your mail to download right to your phone, without even so much as a request. All that is needed to start the feature is to hit "Send/Receive" as you would normally in your Helio's Gmail inbox, and clicking "yes" on a pop up that asks if you want to enable the brand spankin' new feature. . . and you would click yes, since getting your mail to auto download is so much better than pushing buttons! I tested it out on a friend's Ocean, and after a quick restart, it works great!

Top 10 Gmail Tips and Tricks

geeksugar — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:00:19 -0700

I love Gmail. It looks clean and simple and it's actually easy to customize — and no one beats that storage space. Here are some of my favorite tips and tricks that have turned this onetime naysayer into a lover of all things "G."

Geeky Clean: ICQ Toothpaste or Gmail Soap?

geeksugar — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 03:30:37 -0700

What better way to "freshen up" then with your favorite geeky toiletries?! How about some minty fresh ICQ toothpaste for your pearly whites or lather-up with an exotic bar of Russian Gmail soap? Although I haven't had the chance to test out either product, I'm sure you'll come out of the bathroom feeling and smelling like a geek-goddess! To brush with ICQ toothpaste or scrub with Gmail soap, that is the eyebrow-raising question.

Geeky Clean: ICQ Toothpaste or Gmail Soap?

ICQ Toothpaste

Gmail Soap

I want to scrub-a-dub with both!

No thanks on either

Geek Tip: Playing With Your Gmail Account

geeksugar — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:05:42 -0800

Did you know the periods in your gmail address don't mean a thing? That's right, if you signed up as geek.sugar@gmail.com, you'd still get emails sent to geeksugar@gmail.com. You'll even get emails sent to g.e.e.k.s.u.g.a.r@gmail.com, for the wiseacres in your family. Ooh, and anything sent to "googlemail" instead of "gmail." Honestly, it's the little things that blow my mind (and btw, none of the above email addresses belong to us!).

More usefully, you can add a plus sign to the end of your address, and then you can set up folders in your email that coordinate with that. For instance, say you open an online account with WellsFargo. When you sign up, give your email address as "geeksugar+banking@gmail.com", then in Settings, set up a filter. In the From box, add in WellsFargo or your chosen bank, in the To box, put in your newly-created geeksugar+banking@gmail.com address, and the set the filter to put in a folder titled "banking." You can also use this technique when you sign up for something and send their emails to you directly to the trash!

Geek Tip: Make Your Gmail Greater

geeksugar — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:10:37 -0800

A mighty geek named Matt Cutts has compiled 11 power tips for Gmail that are sure to satisfy the curious of heart.

My favorite tips include:

Want to open Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF documents without going to another page and using another software? Don't forget you can open Word attachments in Google Docs from Gmail.
Want the ability to open emails in new windows? While writing your email, look at the top right corner of the page and click on “new window” to open that email in its own window. Easy as pie, right?
Want to be able to resize the email composition box on the default page? Cutts suggests you use the resizeable text area extension for Firefox because it lets you click on the border of any form text area and expand it.

Geek Tip: Gmail Finally Gets Colored Labels

geeksugar — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 14:00:08 -0800

Well it's about time! Okay, I won't rip into Google for adding this new Gmail feature a little late, but I guess it's better late than never! Gmail now has colored labels so you can better organize your email. Just click on the color swatch beside each label to assign a color. Colored labels only works with the latest version of Gmail and is currently available for Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox 2. A step in the right direction, although I'm still holding out for for colored stars — how sweet would that be?

Yahoo and Google Mail to Get Social?

geeksugar — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:00:14 -0800

How would you feel if your beloved email service turned into a social-networking site? The the New York Times reports that companies like Google and Yahoo are hoping to turn their email systems into personalized homepage services (like iGoogle and MyYahoo). Yahoo is currently testing a monitoring system that will detect the strength of your relationship to someone by how often you email or IM them. Yahoo has also mentioned extending your display info in a "profile page" format, which receives minifeeds similar to Facebook and can tell you when your friends' birthdays are. This sounds really beneficial and simple — almost like the mail provider does the guesswork for you — but will undoubtedly be met with some skepticism. What do you think of the idea?

Gmail Doubles Attachment Size From 10MB To 20MB

geeksugar — Thu, 24 May 2007 14:03:47 -0700

Yes, now you can go ahead and email the army of 48x48 images to your mom thanks to Google's little Gmail upgrade. Gmail has made it possible to send 20MB in a single email message. That's a 10MB upgrade from the previous 10MB attachment size.

Before you go on an attachment sending frenzy, keep in mind that not all mail clients are as cool and clever as Gmail, and your super-sized attachments may not open in other email clients like hotmail or yahoo mail (that is, unless you have a premium account).

How To Compose Gmail Messages In A New Window

geeksugar — Tue, 15 May 2007 11:30:41 -0700

I love gmail as much as the next person, but I've always been a little perturbed that I didn't know how to compose an e-mail in a separate window. It's a little thing, I'll admit, but composing e-mails on the one window makes it harder to reference other e-mails, or in my case, focus.

How do you make life easier? Just hold down the Shift key when clicking "compose" or "reply" to pop a separate window, and search and browse your existing mail in the parent window while you write. You may need to enable popup windows from the site if you get an alert/nothing happens.

Source

Which Do You Prefer: Gmail or Windows Live Hotmail?

geeksugar — Wed, 09 May 2007 13:30:13 -0700

In the mid-nineties when email was creating quite the buzz, everyone and their sister signed-up for a Hotmail account. Soon after the release of email clients such as Yahoo Mail and the much later Gmail, Hotmail soon became an outdated email service. Well Microsoft is back in action with their latest launch, Windows Live Hotmail- the most significant upgrade to Hotmail since its introduction in 1996. I still have yet to tap into my old Hotmail account and check out this new and improved 'Live Hotmail'. Are you still a Hotmail user? Or have you made the leap to Gmail?

Which Do You Prefer: Gmail or Windows Live Hotmail?

Google's Gmail

Windows Live Hotmail

Something else. See my comment below!

How To Delete Messages In Gmail - Fast

geeksugar — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 10:01:16 -0700

This one comes straight from the geniuses over at Lifehacker and one of those tips everyone needs to know.

When you are reading a message in gmail, press the # key (Shift+3) and that message will instantly move to Trash. Alternatively, select one or more email messages in the gmail list view, press the same # hash key and all the selected gmail conversations will be deleted in one batch.

Didn't that just change your life? If you want more gmail shortcuts and tips check out the keyboard shortcuts list online.

Geek Tip : Accessing Gmail When It Is Blocked At Work Or School

geeksugar — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 13:03:54 -0800

Totally frustrated because your workplace or school has put a permanent ban on Gmail? In my opinion this is completely ridiculous. How will people access the Google tools they really need like their calendars and to-do spreadsheet lists? Nonetheless, there might be a solution. Here are some helpful hints that are worth a try.

Use different web address combos like http://mail.google.com, https://mail.google.com, http://www.gmail.com, https://www.gmail.com, http://gmail.com, https://gmail.com, or http://googlemail.com as your office might block specific URLs.

For more tips, just

Geek Tip: Access All Your Email With Gmail Fetcher

geeksugar — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 13:00:42 -0800

If you're like me and have five different email accounts, you'll be thrilled to know that Google just launched a useful new feature called Mail Fetcher. With Mail Fetcher you can access up to five email accounts within the Gmail interface using POP settings. Now you can have all your email in one place - the easy to use Gmail zone! I love the fact that my morning email checking ritual will now exclude visits to hotmail, yahoo and my old university account.

Check out Mail Fetcher for instructions on how to set up Fetcher on your computer.

Gmail Available to More Worldwide - US to Follow

geeksugar — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 05:14:50 -0800

Google's much-talked about free e-mail service, Gmail, will apparently be accepting more users soon. Launched in 2004, the Gmail service gained instant popularity among geeks because it offers an unprecedented amount of free storage and displays ads based on the content of the correspondence.

Last week Google removed the invitation-only restrictions on Gmail in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Brazil. Google opened up the service last year in several other parts of the world, including Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and Egypt. Invitations are still required in North America, Asia and most parts of the South America, but Google spokeswoman Courtney Hohne told the media the restrictions will be lifted "very soon." Also, if you have a friend with Gmail they can send you in invitation to join (each user gets 100 invites) and anyone willing to provide Google with their cellphone number can also request an invitation.