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Whoops: Firm's e-mail slipup fires 1,300 employees

"Hey, I've just been fired."

"What a coincidence! So have I. Let's go and have a beer."

Such conversations must have abounded yesterday when British insurance company Aviva sent this charming e-mail to 1,300 employees in its investment unit: "We're not investing in you anymore. You're fired."

No, wait. That wasn't the e-mail. This was the e-mail, according to the Telegraph: "I am required to remind you of your contractual obligations to the company you are leaving. You have an obligation to retain any confidential information pertaining … Read more

YouMail ditching BlackBerry app due to 'steady exodus'

Visual voicemail company YouMail has added new features to its BlackBerry app but the company also said it will be the last update for the foreseeable future bound for RIM's operating system as its users migrate to competing mobile OSes.

The YouMail team originally started work on developing for the BlackBerry platform in 2007 and attributes some of its success to a strong early adoption from users of BlackBerry devices.

However, the company said in a blog post on Friday that the number of people now using the app on BlackBerry devices has dwindled as users have migrated … Read more

Facebook makes user addresses, e-mail identical

Facebook has made it easier for users to connect with, and e-mail, others.

The company announced yesterday that over the next few weeks, it will be "updating addresses on Facebook to make them consistent across our site." In order words, a person's username address on the site will match their e-mail address username.

Although the update is minor, it might go a long way in improving use of Facebook's e-mail services. With a person's username address and e-mail address matching up, it should make it simpler for users to determine what a person's e-mail … Read more

Court orders push e-mail ban on iCloud, MobileMe to continue

An earlier German court ruling banning iCloud and MobileMe push e-mail service in that country has been upheld.

The Mannheim Regional Court today ordered the ban to continue, claiming that the push e-mail service found in Apple's iCloud and MobileMe violates patents Motorola Mobility holds. In addition, Dow Jones, which first reported on the story, says the court ordered Apple to pay Motorola damages, but did not specify how much.

A German court back in February sided with Motorola Mobility in the case, arguing that Apple's push e-mail services in iCloud and MobileMe should be banned from use … Read more

Voice to text on iOS

Voice Assistant is a handy little app that accurately converts your words to text for use in e-mails, SMS messages, and social network status updates. It is not a Siri replacement for older iPhone users (you can't ask questions), but it does a surprisingly good job translating your words into text.

You start by choosing your language from 22 available, then the app brings up the sparse interface of a microphone button to record and a gear icon in the upper right for settings. From there, you simply hit the button to start recording and begin dictating. When you'… Read more

How to retrieve a deleted e-mail on your iPhone

I frequently archive e-mails on my iPhone by mistake. If you accidentally tap the delete or archive button using the Mail app, there is an easy way to bring that e-mail back.

First, you should know that you can set up your mail account(s) to either delete or archive e-mails in the Settings. Deleted messages go to the Trash; archived messages go to the All Mail folder. Either way you set it up, you can retrieve messages that accidentally exit your in-box.

For deleted messages, you will need to find the Trash folder. If you are viewing your Inbox, … Read more

Get MailWasher Pro 2012 anti-spam software for free

Sick of spam? For many users it's the bane of the e-mail experience, a time-sucking hassle that's also a major security risk: spam leaves the door wide open for viruses, phishing, and other threats.

My preferred solution is to route my domain's mail through Gmail, which offers excellent spam filtering. But that won't work for everyone. If you feel like you're losing the war on spam, consider another solution.

Today only, BitsDuJour is offering Firetrust MailWasher Pro 2012 (Windows) anti-spam software for free. That's for a three-PC license, which regularly costs $29.95.

When … Read more

Yandex cloud service offers 10GB of storage for free

A new Web site is offering 10GB of online storage for free. The catch? It's only in Russian...at least for now.

Launching today as a beta version, Yandex.Disk (English translation) is the latest in a growing lineup of cloud storage sites, letting people store files online and access them from computers, tablets, and smartphones.

Files stored locally and online can be synchronized among multiple devices to ensure that the versions stay consistent. So the same document you save on your desktop PC can be accessed and edited on your mobile device. You can view and launch your … Read more

Right Inbox now lets you track when an e-mail is opened

We originally told you about Right Inbox and how it allowed you to schedule when your e-mails in Gmail were to be sent. The latest version of the extension adds the ability to track when your e-mails are opened. If you currently have the Right Inbox extension installed, you should already see the new feature when composing an e-mail.

If you don't have the extension currently, head on over to RightInbox.com/install to get it. You'll need to be using either Firefox or Chrome.

After the extension is installed, compose a new message in Gmail. You will … Read more

Save Gmail messages in Google Docs

Cut and paste is great, but for some purposes, it's a tool of last resort. Gmail makes it much simpler to save your messages as documents and PDFs, keeping formatting intact. Here's how to do it:

Log in to Gmail. Click the gear-shaped icon near the top right, then select Settings. Click the Labs tab near the top center. Scroll down and click Enable next to Create a Document. Scroll to the top or bottom and click the button labeled Save Changes. The next time you want to save a message as a doc, … Read more