AOL has updated its Silverlight-powered Web mail beta with a handful of small, but important features that bring it closer in functionality to its standard Web counterpart.
Users can now print e-mails they've received, add a standard signature that gets attached to every outgoing message, flag and filter messages, and watch WMV-formatted video that's been sent as an attachment in full screen using the embedded video player. This is actually one of the coolest features of the bunch, since it provides a quick thumbnail preview, then opens it in a player that comes up as an on-screen overlay. You are, however somewhat limited in what you can watch, since the attached videos need to fit into AOL's 16MB limit.
The beta still lags behind AOL's normal Web mail service. For instance, it does not let you save messages-in-progress as drafts, accessing the calendar and making changes requires going off-site, and it's only got three different themes to choose from as opposed to the normal service's 40 plus. You've also got to have the latest version of Silverlight installed, which has not been getting good press lately in the streaming-video department. For tools like this though, its fading menus and refresh-free page updates give the Web e-mail experience more wow-factor.
AOL is expected to launch this new version as an optional replacement for its standard service later this year.
The updated AOL Mail RIA beta shows you a quick preview of videos before you play them, and lets you watch in full-screen right in your browser.
(Credit: CNET Networks)Correction at 7:55 a.m. PST: Googlesystem is not an official Google blog.
Google has inked a deal with online account migration tool provider TrueSwitch in an attempt to streamline the process of moving to Gmail from competing e-mail services, according to Googlesystem, a third-party blog that tracks the search giant's efforts.
Gmail has previously offered tools that let people import contacts and messages from other e-mail services, but the company apparently believed it was making it too hard on new users to import data and wanted to find a way to make account migration more straightforward.
According to the Googlesystem blog, people can use the TrueSwitch migration tool to bring in all their data from AOL Mail, Yahoo Mail, MSN's Hotmail, and other services.
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The TrueSwitch migration feature is being added to Gmail's Settings menu. After inputting the e-mail address of the account they would like to import, users will be asked to enter that account's password and decide what they want imported. They will also be able to label the imported messages to distinguish e-mails sent to the old account and those sent to their new Gmail account. It will take 24 hours to 48 hours before the messages appear in Gmail.
Using TrueSwitch could significantly lower the barriers to switching to Gmail. Some Yahoo Mail and Hotmail users are loath to switch to Gmail and lose their data, so they instead decide to stay put.
The TrueSwitch import tool apparently is being rolled out over the next few days, though it's not clear when it will be available to all users.
Googling on the iPod--the stuff of legends.
(Credit: Ina Fried/CNET News.com)This morning, Apple unveiled the iPod Touch, this year's latest must-have gadget that's the first bona fide iPod to have built-in Wi-fi, the Safari Web browser, and the YouTube app iPhone owners have come to love. That's not the most groundbreaking aspect, though--this thing's got a full version of the iTunes Music Store that you'll be able to use for shopping right on the device. You can preview and buy songs that will sync up to your iTunes library when you plug it in back at home. The idea is similar to the Music Gremlin, and the Sandisk Sansa Connect, except you're getting the added benefit of Apple's entire online catalog.
Also groundbreaking is the inclusion of Apple's Safari Web browser, which features the same functionality you get on the iPhone. For enterprising Web app creators, this is huge. The iPhone's somewhat prohibitive price point (even after this morning's $200 price drop) and two-year service agreement with AT&T limited many from purchasing the device. Despite this, the explosion of Web apps that have been built specifically for the device is staggering. Companies have become so enamored with the idea of a special iPhone version of their site, it's becoming nearly as prevalent as building a Facebook app.
Despite the inclusion of YouTube, there are two mysteriously missing apps from the iPod touch. The Google Maps app, and the Mail app, which gives users first party support for popular mail services like Gmail, Yahoo, and AOL mail. Between the two, the mail app is the more important in conjunction with Safari, as users will have to use two separate windows and their favorite Web mail client to actually e-mail someone in Safari. The experience on the iPhone is a little more seamless, with the device simply opening up a new message in mail.
The iPod Touch is shipping later this month in 8 GB and 16 GB capacities at $299 and $399, respectively. More news about it can be found on Crave's live blog post.
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