The GMail team at Google today launched their Official GMail Blog where they'll "post feature updates, productivity tips, and some insights into the people and the technology behind Gmail."
It's so exciting to see that this blog is in the reading list of the GMail team. Thank you.
Considering to purchase an iPod ? Why not get the iPod++ (aka iPhone) that has all the features of an iPod, plus a camera, internet access, touch screen keyboard and an excellent interface.
Lech Johansen (aka DVD Jon), who became world-famous after writing a DVD copying software, has published a hack to activate the iPhone without iTunes or the two year voice and data contract from AT&T.
Add "127.0.0.1 albert.apple.com" to c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
Download iPhone Activation Server to activate your iPhone for iPod+WiFi use.
Once you circumvent the iPhone activation process, the iPhone will work perfect as a touch screen iPod, email device, YouTube video player and will have Wi-Fi enabled internet access though you'll not be able to make or receive phone calls. [Related: Unlocked iPhone Coming Soon]
iPhone Independence Day - [Am sure he's expecting legal notices from Apple lawers very very soon.]
[Watch Zoho forms live in action on our blog - Contact Us and Add URL]
First, Zoho Creator has a very simple drag-n-drop interface to help you design online forms in minutes - they have a set of readymade templates for commonly used forms like "Contact Us", "Feedback", "Online Surveys" and so on.
Zoho imposes absolutely no limits on number of form transactions, the service is free of advertising and best of all, advanced users get more control as they can modify the underlying form logic with simple easy-to-understand scripts (like you have VB in Microsoft Access).
If you are using Zoho Creator to build bug submission forms or for online contests or for accepting job resumes, there's a special field for you called - "File Upload" where users/candidates can upload their resumes, pictures, documents, etc.
You can track form activity using RSS feeds, download the form records as a PDF file or read them online as an HTML web page. Highly recommended.
creator.zoho.com [Make sure create forms in Public mode for embedding them in web pages]
While Google Apps offers free email, calendar, spreadsheet and a word-processor, you probably have to buy third-party hosting from companies like MediaTemple or Dreamhost to setup professional websites and blogs on domains purchased through Google Apps - Google Page Creator is just too limited.
You then have to modify the DNS settings so that your web domain points to the domain nameservers of your domain host that provide the website hosting service - this is one area where you're likely to face issues.
That's because if you have purchased a domain through eNom, the "Advanced DNS Setting" will be missing from your Google Apps control panel. You'll have to visit the site at access.enom.com using your domain name as the login, and your domain password as the password.
Alternatively, you can directly send an email to eNom support for Google Apps at GoogleClients@enom.com - they respond pretty fast.
For GoDaddy, the DNS settings for Google Apps can be configured at securepaynet.net - This isn't documented anywhere in the Google Apps support website though it's one of the most frequently asked question in the Google Apps group.
The same URLs should also work if you want to transfer domains from one registrar to another or move your site to another hosting company. Google need not be involved in the transfer process though you'll also have to reconfigure the MX record with your new host.
Applies to Google Apps standard as well as Premier edition.
Related: Server Errors with Google Apps
Scott Fahlman of Carnegie Mellon University is the man who created the famous :-) text smiley face that expresses a happy mood and has always been a part of our emails and chat messages.
Yahoo! recently conducted a survey related to the use of Emoticons in IM conversations. Some interesting picks [For full reports available as PDF file, email me for a copy]
· It’s a Girl Thing: 82% of respondents think that women are more likely to use emoticons than men.
· Happiness is most often using emoticon followed by Flirting.
· Most people think that feelings of love are easier to convey using emoticons than in person – 57% of respondents would rather tell a "crush" their true feelings using an emoticon. 10% of respondents would go as far as proposing marriage to their loved one via IM.
· The majority of survey respondents say they best express themselves in IM using emoticons. Nearly two-thirds (61%) rely on emoticons to best express their feelings, while 17% rely on Internet slang (i.e. LOL, GR8) and 13% rely on photo sharing.
In related news, Yahoo is inviting everyone to submit pictures of their favorite face expressions - it could be converted into a smiley and become a part of the Yahoo! Messenger. The contest is running in the U.S., India and Vietnam until July 31, 2007. Enter here.
Using the ODF Plug-in from Sun, Microsoft Office users can create, read or save documents, spreadsheets and presentations in Open Document Format (ODF) using the stand Microsoft Office programs.
The plug-in therefore offers two-way conversion of Microsoft Office documents to and from Open Document. Unfortunately, it doesn't support Office 2007 yet though the previous versions of Office are well-supported.
Download Sun ODF Plugin | Sun StartOffice [Thanks Malte]
Earlier, a similar plug-in was tested by the ODF Foundation. Microsoft is pushing it's own Open XML document format but a Garner report find it unlikely that ISO will ever adopt Microsoft's Open XML document format.
Here's how to use the ODF format in various Office programs:
In Word, choose File - Save As and select the file format "ODF Text Document (*.odt)"
In Excel, choose File - Export ODF Spreadsheet.
In PowerPoint, choose File - Export ODF Presentation
Related: Microsoft XPS vs Adobe PDF
CC PDF Converter is a free desktop based PDF printer software that helps you create PDF files from any windows application including Microsoft Office, web pages and so on.
Why another PDF writer when there exist tons of good alternatives like doPDF, Scribd, etc? There are two advantage with CC PDF Converter - first, it is open source and second, it has an inbuilt Creative Commons License generator so you can suggest how the PDF file should be used/shared by others.
You can embed any Creative Commons license into a PDF document easily or even put that as a stamp at the bottom of every page (watch this screencast demo).
This PDF converter is much similar to the Creative Commons Add-in for Microsoft Office that enables you to embed Creative Commons licenses directly into Word, PowerPoint, and Excel documents - the only difference is that you are not limited to MS Office and the CC license is added to the PDF file while the source document remains untouched.
CC PDF Converter [From Cogniview, the same developer that makes the PDF to Excel conversion software.]
For converting pictures or documents to PDF without installing any software on your desktop, try KoolWire - an email based PDF conversion engine.
