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Google snatches up Sparrow team to work on Gmail

Google has acquired e-mail software startup Sparrow in a move that brings its team to work on Google's Gmail product.

Sparrow's chief executive Dom Leca announced the news on the company's site and Twitter account this morning, as well as in an e-mail to existing Sparrow users.

Leca says that the company will continue to make Sparrow available, and keep it up and running with support, however the two versions of the product will not gain any new features.

Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. Citing sources, The Verge suggests the deal came in at &… Read more

Jay-Z, are you reading me?

Sadness and hope often hold hands, but the latter can never decide whether she can make the former happy.

This story is either sad or strangely hopeful. Either way, it's also missing a couple of facts.

For this is the story of David Johnson, who believes that Jay-Z reads his emails.

In a moving telling to BuzzFeed, Johnson says he has sent at least 262 e-mails to Jay-Z and that he believes Jay-Z is reading them.

At least, he thinks he's sending them to Jay-Z.

Johnson, who once campaigned mightily to get a chance in the NBA -- … Read more

Password-protect e-mail on your iPhone and iPad

After last week's post describing two apps that keep your iPhone and iPad data private, a reader posed this question:

Is there any app that allows you to use it like the 'mail' app on an iPhone etc., but has a password lock facility? Else children will be reading all my mail.

I'm sure Apple had a reason for not allowing iPhone and iPad users to require a passcode to access the device's mail app, but I don't know what that reason was.

I came up with a free workaround that requires creation of a send-only … Read more

iCloud users to get @icloud.com e-mail addresses

Apple's online services have undergone several transitions since their debut in 2000, from the original iTools, to the .mac service, and finally to the most recent me.com domain for MobileMe. Apple's latest transition to iCloud brings with it the use of the new iCloud.com domain; however, so far people have had to sign in with their old me.com accounts. Today Apple revealed it is starting to transition and allow users to use the icloud.com domain for their accounts.

In the changelogs for today's release of iOS 6 beta 3 to developers, MacRumors noted … Read more

So the FDA spied on scientists' e-mails? Surprised?

Being a boss can lead to a paranoid life.

You think you know who's on your side. But do you? After all, in order to become a boss, you did have to betray a couple of people along the way. How can you tell who's doing it to you?

Thankfully, technology has offered you more than one easy option.

Today's revelations in the New York Times that the FDA spied on its scientists' e-mails offers a picture of large-scale prying into not merely work correspondence but personal matters too.

The Times' discovery shows a systematic level of … Read more

Restore contacts on Android after the Facebook e-mail sync

Still sorting out the Facebook e-mail sync kerfuffle that happened upon your defenseless contacts list? Luckily, Gmail will allow you to restore your contacts within 30 days of changes made to them. Google is known for having handy tools like this, but sometimes they're not in the most obvious place.

Here's how to get your contact e-mail addresses back from the cyber abyss:

Step 1: Make sure Facebook contact sync is now off!In the app, it will be under Menu > Settings > Sync Contacts. If you don't see the option, go back to your Home … Read more

Mozilla's Thunderbird not dead but sort of on life support

Reports of the death of Mozilla's Thunderbird may have been greatly exaggerated. But the e-mail program is no longer on the company's priority list.

Responding to news items that his company was dumping Thunderbird, JB Piacentino, managing director of Thunderbird, tried to clarify the future of the software in a Mozilla blog.

Thunderbird users can look forward to upgrades down the road, with versions 14, 15, 16, and 17 on the horizon.

Mozilla also plans to support the application at least until the second half of 2013, according to Piacentino, and is trying to determine how to support … Read more

Mozilla calling it quits on Thunderbird, report says

Surprised to find out that Mozilla's Thunderbird isn't dead yet? Well, have we've got news for you.

Mozilla is just now (sort of) pulling the plug on its open-source e-mail software, TechCrunch reported today. The company is looking for feedback and plans to share a final action plan in September.

In a "confidential" message sent to "Mozillians" prior to an official announcement this coming Monday, Thunderbird Managing Director JB Piacentino said Mozilla is moving its resources away from further developing the software with hopes that Thunderbird's vocal fans will take over that … Read more

Android botnet claim in dispute

Researchers at Microsoft and Sophos say they believe malware-infected Android phones are sending spam via Yahoo Mail accounts as part of a botnet, but Google and mobile firm Lookout say there could be other explanations.

Terry Zink, a program manager for Microsoft Forefront Online Security, said in a blog post two days ago that he had found some spam samples that had this Message-ID:

"<1341147286.19774.androidMobile@web140302.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>."

That was followed by speculation from Chester Wisniewski at Sophos, who wrote in a blog post today: "It is likely that Android users … Read more