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Monday, April 13, 2009
New in Labs: Gmail search made easier (and lazier)
Posted by Ibrahim Bokharouss, Software Engineer
On the Gmail team, we believe finding the right email among thousands of messages can be as important as finding the right web page across the billions of web pages out there. So with the aim of making search in Gmail easier, we built a new experimental feature in Gmail Labs: Search Autocomplete.
Turn on Search Autocomplete from the Labs tab under Gmail Settings, and you'll get suggestions as you type in the search box. One of the most popular searches in Gmail is for names or email addresses, so the first kind of suggestions you'll see are contacts. Some names are not easy to remember (my last name is an excellent example!) — with this new Labs feature you can just type a couple letters and select the desired contact from the drop down list. Easy and quick as that.
Gmail also offers a bunch of advanced search operators, which provide a powerful way to find that one message you have in mind. You can search in specific places (e.g. in chats or sent items), or search for messages with attachments of a certain type (e.g. docs or photos). Suppose I want to search for photos that were sent to me by my friend Chris. Normally, I would have to enter Chris' email address followed by filename:(jpg OR png), which I gladly admit is even a bit too geeky for me. With Search Autocomplete, I can just type "photos" or "pictures," select "has photos" from the drop down list (as in the screenshot! below), and the search query (filename:(jpg OR png)) gets inserted for me. Similarly, you can type in the word "attachment" and Search Autocomplete will list the most common attachment types for you.
One of the reasons we still show you the geeky search query is to allow you to adapt it to your needs. For example, if you'd like to include tiff files in your search result, you can adapt the query manually to filename:(jpg OR png OR tiff).
That's it for now. Play around and make sure to use the time that you save on searching to let us know what you think.
On the Gmail team, we believe finding the right email among thousands of messages can be as important as finding the right web page across the billions of web pages out there. So with the aim of making search in Gmail easier, we built a new experimental feature in Gmail Labs: Search Autocomplete.
Turn on Search Autocomplete from the Labs tab under Gmail Settings, and you'll get suggestions as you type in the search box. One of the most popular searches in Gmail is for names or email addresses, so the first kind of suggestions you'll see are contacts. Some names are not easy to remember (my last name is an excellent example!) — with this new Labs feature you can just type a couple letters and select the desired contact from the drop down list. Easy and quick as that.
Gmail also offers a bunch of advanced search operators, which provide a powerful way to find that one message you have in mind. You can search in specific places (e.g. in chats or sent items), or search for messages with attachments of a certain type (e.g. docs or photos). Suppose I want to search for photos that were sent to me by my friend Chris. Normally, I would have to enter Chris' email address followed by filename:(jpg OR png), which I gladly admit is even a bit too geeky for me. With Search Autocomplete, I can just type "photos" or "pictures," select "has photos" from the drop down list (as in the screenshot! below), and the search query (filename:(jpg OR png)) gets inserted for me. Similarly, you can type in the word "attachment" and Search Autocomplete will list the most common attachment types for you.
One of the reasons we still show you the geeky search query is to allow you to adapt it to your needs. For example, if you'd like to include tiff files in your search result, you can adapt the query manually to filename:(jpg OR png OR tiff).
That's it for now. Play around and make sure to use the time that you save on searching to let us know what you think.
A new mobile Gmail experience for iPhone and Android
Posted by Rob Kroeger, Engineer, Google Mobile
Today we're introducing a major revision to Gmail for mobile that takes advantage of the latest browser technology available on iPhone and Android devices. We've updated the user interface, made it faster to open messages, allowed for batch actions (like archiving multiple messages at once), and added some basic offline support
Despite the advent of 3G networks and wifi, smartphones still lack a high-speed, always-on broadband connection and can have connections far less reliable than their desktop brethren. So, just like when we redesigned the Gmail for mobile client app last October, we've gone back to the drawing board and redesigned Gmail for the mobile browser to overcome some of these limitations. We made performance more consistent, regardless of connection type, and laid the foundation for future improvements.
Now, when you go to gmail.com from your iPhone or Android browser, archiving email is quicker because it doesn't require a response from a remote server. Instead, we cache mail on the device itself (using database storage on the iPhone and a device-local mobile Gears database on Android-powered phones). Actions like archiving or starring messages are first applied to this cache and then sent to Gmail servers in the background whenever a network connection is available. You only have to wait for a response from the server when you're requesting an uncached message or list of messages. As a result, you can start-up Gmail even if you're on a slow connection. You can even compose mail and open recently read messages while offline.
We made extensive use of other browser functions too: for example, the floaty bar that lets you archive, delete or apply more actions is animated via CSS transformations and controlled in part with touch event! s (when you scroll the screen, it follows you).
The HTML5 canvas tag is used to render the progress spinner without the overhead of downloading animated GIFs to the device. Now that we've developed a framework for the new Gmail for mobile, we're planning a whole lot more: faster performance, improved offline operation, new functionality, and interface enhancements that take advantage of the unique properties of smartphones.
To try this new version of Gmail for mobile, just go to gmail.com from your mobile browser. It's currently available on any Android-powered devices or iPhone OS 2.2.1 or higher. For now, the new version is available in English only. We'll be rolling this version out to everyone over the course of the day, so if you don't see the updated user interface yet (you'll know you have it when you see that floaty bar), check back soon. For easy access, we recommend creating a homescreen link.
Today we're introducing a major revision to Gmail for mobile that takes advantage of the latest browser technology available on iPhone and Android devices. We've updated the user interface, made it faster to open messages, allowed for batch actions (like archiving multiple messages at once), and added some basic offline support
Despite the advent of 3G networks and wifi, smartphones still lack a high-speed, always-on broadband connection and can have connections far less reliable than their desktop brethren. So, just like when we redesigned the Gmail for mobile client app last October, we've gone back to the drawing board and redesigned Gmail for the mobile browser to overcome some of these limitations. We made performance more consistent, regardless of connection type, and laid the foundation for future improvements.
Now, when you go to gmail.com from your iPhone or Android browser, archiving email is quicker because it doesn't require a response from a remote server. Instead, we cache mail on the device itself (using database storage on the iPhone and a device-local mobile Gears database on Android-powered phones). Actions like archiving or starring messages are first applied to this cache and then sent to Gmail servers in the background whenever a network connection is available. You only have to wait for a response from the server when you're requesting an uncached message or list of messages. As a result, you can start-up Gmail even if you're on a slow connection. You can even compose mail and open recently read messages while offline.
We made extensive use of other browser functions too: for example, the floaty bar that lets you archive, delete or apply more actions is animated via CSS transformations and controlled in part with touch event! s (when you scroll the screen, it follows you).
The HTML5 canvas tag is used to render the progress spinner without the overhead of downloading animated GIFs to the device. Now that we've developed a framework for the new Gmail for mobile, we're planning a whole lot more: faster performance, improved offline operation, new functionality, and interface enhancements that take advantage of the unique properties of smartphones.
To try this new version of Gmail for mobile, just go to gmail.com from your mobile browser. It's currently available on any Android-powered devices or iPhone OS 2.2.1 or higher. For now, the new version is available in English only. We'll be rolling this version out to everyone over the course of the day, so if you don't see the updated user interface yet (you'll know you have it when you see that floaty bar), check back soon. For easy access, we recommend creating a homescreen link.
New in Labs: Sender time zone
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OfficialGmailBlog/~3/CyvhP7Gn88U/new-in-labs-sender-time-zone.html
Posted by Marcin Brodziak, Software EngineerLet's say your girlfriend sends you an angry email. It's mostly about how you behaved at the party last night and then left for a business trip without saying goodbye. You read it from the other side of the globe, jet-lagged after a 12 hour flight. You want to call and sort things out, but forget that it's now almost 3:00 am her time. After waking her up, things only get worse.
There's a new feature in Gmail Labs called Sender Time Zone that can help. Turn it on from the Labs tab under Settings, and you'll see green phone icons next to people who are probably awake and readily reachable (if it's between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm in the sender's local time zone) and red ones next to those who could be sleeping or out of the office:
Click "show details" and you can see when a message was sent in the sender's time zone as well as what time it is for them now:
Message headers always include the time sent and often include time zone info too. We use that information to show you these icons. If the time zone isn't included for a given message, this Lab! s featur e won't display anything. Try it out and tell us what you think.
New in Labs: Inserting images
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OfficialGmailBlog/~3/WMbC5KLDf9c/new-in-labs-inserting-images.html
Posted by Kent Tamura, Software EngineerWell, it's about time. You no longer have to use workarounds to put images into your messages or attach images when you really want to inline them. Just turn on "Inserting images" from the Labs tab under Settings, and you'll see a new toolbar icon like this:
Make sure you're in rich formatting mode, or it won't show up. Click the little image icon, and you can insert images in two ways: by uploading image files from your computer or providing image URLs.
Keep in mind that Gmail doesn't show URL-based images in messages by default to protect you from spammers, so if you're sending mail to other Gmail users, they'll still have to click "Display images below" or "Always display images from ..." to see images you embed.
Got feedback on inserting images? Send it our way.
Widerbug Tweaks Firebug to Fit Your Wide Screen [Downloads]
Firebug is a handy tool for examining the HTML and CSS code of a website along with the page itself. The original extension orients the site and the code horizontally, as seen here. You can detach the panels and move them around, but then they don't update when you switch tabs.
Widebug is a tweaked version of Firebug, the site and the code panels are displayed side by side to take advantage of wide screen monitors. The panels maintain their connection to each tab, doing away with the phantom code effect found in Firebug when you try to coax it into wide screen mode. Widerbug is a free extension and works wherever Firefox does.
Free Music Archive Puts Thousands of Royalty-Free Songs Up for Grabs [Free]
Inspired by the ideas and ethos behind Creative Commons licensing, the tracks on the FMA are offered for whatever use you want. Use them to soundtrack your latest YouTube epic, remix them and release them, or download and share them with friends. The site also boasts a kind of quality control to the database of songs both live and recoded, selected by WFMU's audio archivists and curators. The search functionality works pretty well, and can be re-sorted by genre, album, or other criteria.
If you really dig the tunes you're finding, there are links to the artists' albums and a tip jar for each. Otherwise, stream, grab, and go at your leisure. Free to use, sign-up required for the social aspects of the site, like mix publishing and sharing.
TuneConnect Controls iTunes Playback from Any Computer in Your Home [Downloads]
In fact, as weblog MacApper points out, it's easy to think of this as a desktop version of the Remote iPhone application. The app requires you to install a preference pane that acts as the server (you'd only need to install this on the computer(s) you wanted to control), meaning the download comes with both the preference pane and the main application. The main TuneConnect application is the one you'll use on any computer from which you want to control the music.
TuneConnect loads libraries from server computers quickly, and playback control is snappy. Best of all, the application is free and open source. Unfortunately it's Mac only.
TuneConnect [via MacApper]
Chrome Bookmark Sorter Rearranges Bookmarks Recursively [Downloads]
Google Chrome's bookmark manager allows simple sorting by title and for a single folder, but James wanted more, so he created this utility to sort recursively by name or date added through all of your bookmarks. Using the utility is easy enough—just close all the open Chrome windows, launch the application and choose from the sorting options, and your bookmarks and folders will be sorted recursively.
Chrome Bookmark Sorter is a free download for Windows only. James asked us to provide the download here, so we've provided a direct link to the file. Thanks, James!
For more useful Chrome utilities, be sure and check out the previously mentioned Google Chrome Backup tool and our power user's guide to Google Chrome.
The Beginner's Guide to Creating Virtual Machines with VirtualBox [How-to]
What's virtualization? Why get that nerdy?
Virtualization is a whole computer concept unto itself, at least on the server/enterprise/big-fancy-corporate level. For home users, talk about "virtual machines" generally refers to x86 virtualization. Basically, it's software that allows an entire operating system (the "guest") to run on another OS (the "Host"), whether in a container window, or full-screen, or in what's sometimes called a "seamless" mode, where just one application is run from the "guest"
Why would you want to run a virtual machine on your computer? Plenty of reasons:
- You like using one OS, but need just an app or two from another running in their natural environments—Office or Photoshop in Windows (nine times out of 10), a light-on-resources game, or maybe even some uber-cool Linux app.
- You want to try out some new software, but would rather not chance it mucking up the pretty decent system you've got right now.
- Web sites that don't play nice with the operating system you're running (we're looking at you, almost every streaming site except Hulu and YouTube).
- You're intrigued at the idea of trying out a Linux desktop, but the word "partitioning" doesn't sound like how you want to spend a Saturday afternoon.
For those and many other good reasons, we're going to walk through installing VirtualBox, a free, open-source virtualization tool offered for Windows, Mac, and Linux desktops, and ! then get virtual copies of Windows XP and Ubuntu running inside them. Installing Windows Vista (Ultimate or Business only, unfortunately) or the Windows 7 beta is about the same process, and almost any Linux distribution is friendly as a virtual machine, but this will give you an understanding of the basic process. Before you even ask, by the way, you can't run OS X as a guest system on Windows or Linux, but the VirtualBox can run most anything else—including those pre-rolled virtual images you find laying around the internet.
I have to note here that VirtualBox is far from the only competitor in this field—in fact, many in the tech community report that VMWare's Workstation offers more features and handles multiple virtual machines better. But VirtualBox is relatively easy to set up, free to install, and works on all three major operating systems.
Setting up
Once VirtualBox is installed, launch it and you'll arrive at a tauntingly empty screen:
Setting up
Let's get something running in there. One big advantage of virtual machines over partitioning, dual-booting, and all that other hard-drive-tweaking stuff is the ability to install a system right from an ISO file. So if you're testing out a Linux system, just download the ISO from Ubuntu, Fedora, or wherever. And if you've got an older XP installation disc, you can slipstream the latest service pack into it to create a minimal-hassle installation ISO image, and never bother burning it. While you're at it, check out Adam's guide to trimming down Windows to the bare essentials for a real speedy virtual installation ISO. If you've got your installation CD or DVD, however, that'll play, too.
If you happen to have multiple SATA hard drives in your system, or a fast external SATA, the How-To Geek recommends placing your virtual machine image (the "guest") on a separate physical dri ve from the machine running it (the "host") for better multi-tasking and performance speed, plus a little less wear on a single hard drive. If not, don't worry about it too much, and don't go creating separate partitions for your machines, because you aren't fooling anybody, least of all your system's I/O bus.
Booting up
Assuming everything went well, you'll see your new virtual system in the left-hand pane of the VirtualBox window. Huzzah! But before you hit "start," let's hit "Settings" and get it ready to roll the right way. The first category from the left-hand menu, General, lets you change how much base memory (or RAM) and video memory is given over to the virtual machine. Unless you're planning to enable 3D effects, the default chosen for video memory should be fine, and the 3D acceleration box can remain un-checked. Let's move down to "CD/DVD-ROM."
Back at the main Settings window, head down to the Audio and/or USB menus and enable them if you're going to be needing sound or access to thumb/external drives while you're in your OS-in-a-box. Before we get to the "Shared Folders," which is pretty darned convenient, let's boot our system. Hit OK and close out your Settings window, then hit Start back at the main box to get rolling.
Whatever ISO or disc you've supplied VirtualBo! x with w ill load just like it's on a machine for the first time, and you'll go through the same installation process as if you were loading Windows/Linux/whatever on a hard drive for the first time. You'll get occasional pop-ups from VirtualBox, "notifying" you that a mouse pointer is now in such-and-such a mode, the video display has changed, yada, yada—just hit OK and check the boxes so it doesn't bother you further. Click through all the usual name/username/password/registration jazz you're used to ... All done? Great. After however many reboots, you'll arrive at your fresh, clean desktop, which you could start using right away. You might notice, however, that the resolution is limited, the mouse might be jerky, and your sound or USB might not work out of the box. That's where the Guest Additions come in.
Fine-tuning
VBoxLinuxAdditions-x86.run (or the -amd64 version for 64-bit systems). Click through everything, restart your system, and things should be a lot more convenient: Your virtual desktop resizes itself to however big you make ! its wind ow, the mouse doesn't get "captured" and require un-locking when you click around, and everything should be a bit smoother.
You've got a well-oiled virtual machine at this point, but let's make it real easy to pass files between your host and guest systems (terminology should be making sense at this point, no?). The VirtualBox makers have described the process for Windows and Linux users in a FAQ post, and I've described the virtual-Windows-inside-Linux process in more detail in our guide to running Windows apps seamlessly inside Linux. Giannis Tsakiris has also explained setting up sharing from an XP guest, and the process is much the same for any virtual Windows (although some of the network tools have changed names). Need a bit more? Here's a quick video guide for a Windows guest system:
Now you're up and running with a machine you don't have to feel bad about messing with, or which lets your run the few apps you need in one OS while enjoying the benefits of the one you really want to work in. Wanna explore what kinds of systems you can install, and save yourself some install time while you're at it? Head over to VirtualBox Images, where you can download and run pre-compiled VDI files (i.e. VirtualBox hard drive images, like the dynamic/fixed kind you created above) for some swap-and-run fun. (Thanks to CherylIshabunny for the link!).
Are you an experienced virtual machine user with suggestions on making the process smoother for begin! ners? Ju st starting out and need something clarified? Drop your questions and suggestions in the comments, and we'll update the post as the good stuff trickles in.
Top 10 Must-Have Firefox Extensions, 2009 Edition [Lifehacker Top 10]
All four of the editors you see posting here daily were asked to name the extensions they think have the most day-to-day value while also adding something new and unique to the open-source browser. It was reassuring to see that more than half of the extensions we featured last time 'round are still on the list, as they obviously kept their value. But four newcomers cropped up in the two years since then, and were innovative enough, or showed enough potential, to make it on our new compendium.
Each Top 10 entrant is linked to the page where Firefox users can install them from. See if you can't find something new for your browsing routine below.
10. AutoCopy
9. Google Gears
8. Personal Menu
7. Better Gmail 2
6. DownThemAll!
5. Tab Mix Plus
4. Automatic Save Folder
3. Adblock Plus
2. Greasemonkey
1. Foxmarks/Xmarks
Our top 10 is by no means definitive for everyone on the web, so tell us which extensions that weren't included cry out for a recount, or at least a re-think, and which included extension aren't your cup of tea. Drop your favorites and argue your case in the comments.
iCloud Takes Your Computing to the Web [Web As Desktop]
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/q8QxcEAlnqY/icloud-takes-your-computing-to-the-web
We've talked about cloud operating systems before like EyeOS and Glide. iCloud shares "webtop" roots with them, bringing the experience of desktop computing to your web browser. Once you sign up for a free iCloud account, you're ready to start exploring the dozens of applications and widgets. You can edit documents in a Word-compatible editor, maintain a calendar, write emails, and tackle other computing basics. There's a photo organizer and media player, and the Vista-like sidebar can be customized with a variety of widgets to suit your workspace—your first order of business will probably be replacing the "Last Users Online" widget with something more useful.
iCloud is currently in beta. While it lacks some of the meatier features found in previously reviewed webtops, it does provide a completely mobile and relatively distraction-free work space. According to the iCloud team, it's best suited for use in Internet Explorer. You can—and I did—use it in Firefox, but support for Firefox is considered experimental. iCloud is a free service and (technically) requires Internet Explorer with Java Script installed.
iCloud [via jkOnTheRun]
GPS-Enabled Inhalers Help Doctors Pinpoint Asthma Triggers and Causes [Medicine]
With this technology, every time asthmatics use their rescue inhalers, the inhalers—with built-in GPS—will be able to pinpoint exactly where they are. This lets doctors and researchers know where to study, allowing them to detect what is triggering the attacks and possibly even uncovering why people suffer from the lung disease in the first place. So basically, frequent asthma attacks at a local park could mean an excess of allergens and pet dander. But what will asthma attacks in your home tell the doctor? Having too much sex? Watching scary movies? Getting a Wii? For some of you, I'm sure it's all of the above at the same time. Am I right, am I right? [CNet]
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