Gmail gets Merge in Contacts

Gmail Contacts is quickly becoming a highly portable,
enterprise level, contact management system!

"Managing a big address book can be a challenge, so it's no surprise that the top request for Google contacts is a fast, easy way to merge duplicate contacts. You've been able to merge contacts one-by-one for a while, but now we've added a single button that merges all your duplicate contacts at once. To clean up your contact list in one fell swoop, just click the "Find duplicates" button in the contact manager, review the merge suggestions (and uncheck any suggestions you don't want merged), and hit the "Merge" button.

If you've been considering getting all your contacts into Gmail or syncing your Gmail contacts to your phone, now's the time to do it. As we've written about previously, you can sync your contacts to a wide variety of devices (including Android, iPhone, Blackberry, SyncML, etc). So if you were dreading spending hours getting your contacts in order, now you can do it with a couple clicks."

READ: One button to merge all duplicate contacts
by Dominik Marcinski, Software Engineer
posted on Tuesday, December 15, 2009 2:54 PM
on The Official Gmail Blog

Apple iDisk app for iPhone

"Apple has released its long-awaited MobileMe iDisk application for the iPhone and iPod touch. It’s available for free download from the App Store.

MobileMe iDisk enables iPhone and iPod touch OS 3.x users with MobileMe accounts to access the contents of their iDisk — the online storage component of Apple’s MobileMe subscription-based online service."

READ: Apple releases iDisk app for iPhone
by Peter Cohen, Macworld.com

Online Storage Sites are Closing!

What happens to the data when an online storage site closes?

"Online storage sites, the toast of the Internet circa 2006, are shutting down in droves, putting the data and images of their users in jeopardy.

Online storage services that have announced closings in the past ten months include big names in tech: AOL (Xdrive and AOL Pictures), Hewlett-Packard (Upline), Sony (Image Station), and Yahoo (Briefcase). Plenty of lesser-known online storage firms also have kicked the bucket, including Digital Railroad and Streamload MediaMax, which turned into The Linkup.

Cloud Computing Loses Some Steam

The failures of popular online storage services are giving cloud computing a black eye. For years Internet companies invited people to store photos and data online, promoting the services as smart alternatives to storing data on a local PC or backup drive. AOL once stated in its Xdrive service's marketing literature: "You'll never have to worry that a computer crash or virus will destroy all your files because they will always be safe 'n' sound up on Xdrive." Xdrive officially closed in mid-January."

READ: What happens to the data when an online storage site closes?
by Tom Spring, PC World

Protect Your Data

Here are some suggestions to help you plan a smart backup strategy that includes online and offline options:

-- Find the Right Online Backup Service
-- Macworld's Storage News and Reviews

Sync Address Book & Google Contacts

Apple's Address Book in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard can be synced with Google Contacts directly from the Address Book's General Preferences by selecting "Synchronize with Google".

For users of previous iterations of Mac OS X you can export your Google Contacts as a vCard and then import them to your Apple Address Book to keep it up to date. Or you could download the freeware software ABGmerge to perform a pseudo-sync using AppleScript technologies.

Having your Apple Address Book synchronized with Google means never being without all your contacts regardless of where in the world you are, or what operating system you are using, as long as you have access to the internet.

Could your Digital Lifestyle be any easier than this?

Google vs AOL/AIM vs Yahoo

I've Been Waiting For This For Over 10 Years.

iGoogle allows you to interface with the web using multiple tabs, on the cleanest, ad free pages, saving you more time than you might ever have imagined.

You might even wonder how you got along without it.

Simple to set up and change whenever you want.
Use your current Gmail account, or get one, then log into iGoogle using your Gmail email address and password to begin setting up your new Homepage.

Gmail also provides you with Documents (text documents, presentations, spreadsheets, forms), Photos, Reader, and much more. Google Documents allows for people to collaborate on the same files.

The feature set of Google Calendar has the ability to invite guests via email and keeps track of who has accepted, declined, and any comments they have made. And you can choose whether guests can see other guests, and invite others. There are also handy reminders in the form of pop-ups and/or email.

Google Photos automatically collects all of the pictures you upload to Blogger on Picasa Web Albums. Google gives you up to 1 (one) GB of space for photos, and you can purchase additional storage space that will be shared between mail and photos. All the photo albums, up to 500 pictures each, can be kept private, "Unlisted", allowing you to select the individual people you want to share them with, or made public to show the world. The Picasa Web Albums Uploader for Mac OS X 10.4 makes uploading photos from iPhoto, and email so easy. And you can now use your mobile phone to see any picture you've posted to Picasa Web Albums. You can even post comments on your friends' latest photos.

With Google's RSS Reader if you find yourself repeatedly visiting a Blog or website to check for updates, or if you just come across a page you want to keep track of, you can easily subscribe to it using the subscribe bookmark.

And no, Gmail is NOT unlimited, but it is 7.2GB and rising, and you can send attachments up to 20 MB in size!

"In The Beginning" I used Netscape.net,

and it was good.

Then my @netscape.net account was transferred to AOL, becoming an @aim.com email account, and that was OK, I guess, but I was not happy because all my email was "lost" in the transfer, as well as my contacts. Thank you AOL.

AOL's free email service has had unlimited storage since 2006, but it only allows for attachments up to 16MB in size. And of course, advertising SUCKS! However if you send email to another AOL or AIM email address you can unsend it, and it does allow you to use POP3 and IMAP to read and send mail.
Also, AOL's Xdrive service gives you up to 5GB of free online storage, enabling you to transfer files up to 2GB using Apple© Safari, and others. Xdrive Desktop application is currently only available for Windows. Simply sign up for a NEW AOL or AIM email or ID.
Read the Terms Of Service and Privacy Policy.
WARNING: we have not tested this service, so read this Xdrive Wiki, as it contains serious reasons for you NOT to use your existing AOL/AIM account.

AOL Xdrive UPDATE- November 6, 2008:
"On January 12, 2009, AOL will permanently close the Xdrive Online Storage Service."

Yahoo's free email service has had unlimited email since 2007, but it does not allow you to use POP3 and IMAP to read and send mail, and just can't compete with Gmail's fine interface implementation or the personalization of iGoogle homepages.
It's feature set does include a calendar, notepad and contacts list, but doesn't come close to Gmail's broad and highly advanced feature set. It says right at the bottom of Yahoo's email page:
"NOTICE: we collect personal information on this site"
All those "Yahoo Personals" SPAM are a waste of time and space.
And of course, again, advertising SUCKS!

Most Advanced With No Ads
vs
Unlimited SPAM and Advertising


YOU DECIDE...

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