Web-based email

A European body has again told Google that it cannot have trademark protection to use the Gmail mark throughout the European Union. Google's mark.(Credit: Google)Giersch's mark.(Credit: P1 Private GmbH) The European Union's trademark regulation agency denied Google's appeal in late February. The ruling concluded that the mark is too similar to the G-mail trademark owned by German businessman Daniel Giersch. Giersch runs an electronic postal delivery business that goes by the name G-mail, which is short for "Giersch mail." "There is a likelihood of confusion," the agency wrote. Google representatives in the U.S. ***

Windows Live SkyDrive is releasing a new version today, emerging from Beta. The biggest news is that the free space allotment has been increased to 5GB. That’s more room for all your media and other necessary files, and represents a significant increase from the previous amount of a mere 1GB. Do people need 5GB of online space just yet? Microsoft says that this was a feature that users frequently requested, so a big jump from 1GB to 5GB is certainly one way to deflect attention away from the fact that SkyDrive is looking to compete with Gmail? Even though SkyDrive isn’t an email offering, people often compare the two, for the simple fact that the race for free storage offerings is an ongoing one. ***

Like Zoho? We do as well. Very much. If you are indeed a fan of the Web-based software suite - and you also happen to enjoy chatting via Skype with your friends/family/colleagues on occasion - you’ll certainly like this next bit of news we’ve got for you. It involves a match made specifically with Zoho Meeting and the world-renowned VoIP service. What the new bridge essentially allows for is the creation of a meeting with the option to operate a parallel Skype conference. Which, if we may say so ourselves, is pretty darn cool. ***

The Gdrive, the mythical, hypothetical Google-provided and free Web-based storage drive, took a giant step toward reality earlier this week. As most of America waddled out of its tryptophan-induced haze on Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the myth could become real within a few months. However, you don"t have to wait that long to get free storage from Google. Thanks to Gspace and ***

The Burton Group research and consulting firm has released a 55-page report indicating that Google Apps should be used in limited circumstances and should not be leveraged for building extensive services. This may go against what some Enterprise architects would hope for, considering the costs of Google Apps, the usability and the brand, especially as Google Apps are being heavily pushed by the company itself. There’s a recognizable shift in market share that the larger software companies like Microsoft must pay attention to. Yet Microsoft Office still has much more functionality and tools for document creation. ***

Zimbra, the web-based email client, has been working hard on a Zimbra Desktop tool, which is an offline, AJAX option for the Zimbra service. The latest version is now available for download, for Linux, Mac and Windows, though Windows users must re-sync. The offline access for calendars is a new development that has been included in the most recent version of Zimbra Desktop. The batch message syncing tool has been improved, as well as any mailbox changes on the server side, as they’re now reflected faster in the user interface. Overall, Zimbra Desktop mimics the web-based tools more, and switching from offline to online is more seamless. The search tools have also been improved, and the mail inbox will self-organize in a useful manner. ***

The latest company to optimize service for the iPhone is Zimbra, the web-based email client. The new release will be included as a standard with the Beta 3 ZCS 5.0 version this autumn. Like most web applications, you can already access and use Zimbra on your iPhone. But Zimbra’s newly developed mobile web client for the iPhone is 100% standards compliant, built on a JSP tag library, enabling users to switch the Zimbra user interface for their own purposes. Now you can check your email, get your address books, and calendars on your mobile device without needing the iSync or Outlook connectors. You’ll need to point your iPhone to the Zimbra Server via Safari, and you’re good to go. Other applications that have recently been optimized for iPhone use include ***

Numbler is a new web-based spreadsheet (websheet?) along the lines of Numsum. Not only is it more attractive than NumSum, but it has an easy-to-use WYSIWG interface. From the site: Welcome to Numbler, the web based spreadsheet that enables instantaneous collaboration with anyone on your project team. With Numbler multiple users can work with a spreadsheet, view changes in real time, and discuss changes. Traditional desktop spreadsheet applications are ill-suited to the modern enterprise. Your business is better served by an application that does not result in a dead file on your desktop, to be emailed around to your colleagues. Your sheets are accessible from any web browser, anywhere in the world, and are easily shared with your colleagues and partners. ***

(continued from previous page) businesses, that don't want ads, Warnock said. The number of registered users is in the "five figures," but the company hopes to grow to 2 million users, with many expected to be outside the U.S. Still, displacing Microsoft Office is not the company's goal. "I think (gOffice) can hold a natural place alongside an Office suite in perpetuity. They don't have to beat out the other," Warnock said. He noted that people still use Web-based email, such as Hotmail or GMail, even though Microsoft's Outlook is pre-installed on many PCs. Using Ajax and a Web-delivery model is allowing his start-up, with about 15 employees, to "bootstrap" the company, he said. "It's just a pragmatic way of getting out in front of a large number of people without raising money," Warnock said. ***

What ever happened to the MSN Messenger Service? Microsoft's answer to the instant messaging software made popular by America Online is still waiting in the wings nine months after it was announced. As a result, it faces a steep climb to catch up with AOL, which runs the two most popular instant messaging clients: AOL Instant Messenger and ICQ. According to Microsoft, the lag is the result of expansion problems with the integration of Messenger into MSN Hotmail, its Web-based free email service. But analysts and others in the industry point to confusion within Microsoft's management as the real hindrance in the software's release. ***

It's not just about dense racks of modems anymore. Telecommunications giant Lucent Technologies (LU) and fresh face MediaGate are among the firms adding a variety of capabilities to basic remote access equipment, which is used by Internet service providers and large corporations to support the increasing number of remote workers who need to gain network access. On the heels of a new 52-week high for its stock last week, Lucent rolled out the first new additions to its remote access lineup since it acquired Livingston Enterprises last fall for $650 million. ***