Weekend Open Forum: What type of email client do you prefer?

Although desktop clients used to be the sensible choice for heavy email users, robust services such as Google's have made Web solutions completely viable. Nonetheless, after relying on Gmail for about eight years, I recently switched to a local application (Postbox). The decision came partly because I just wanted a change, but I had legitimate issues with Google's mail offering, including its sluggish POP3 fetch times, lackluster offline support, random latency fits and the occasional -- albeit forgivable -- downtime.

I always avoided local clients because Outlook made a lousy impression. It wouldn't play nice with Gmail over IMAP and it had too many useless features (useless to me, anyway). Part of the benefit of a desktop client is having more options, but that just made Outlook feel cluttered. Postbox's interface is less busy, yet there are tons more features than your typical one-size-fits-all cloud service. Having my mail locally feels faster, I don't have to worry about my password cookies expiring and offline access is as good as it gets.

Postbox isn't perfect though. While it offers superior filtering options, Gmail is smarter about handling spam without your help. Even with various filters, I still get tons of spam through my TechSpot address. It was also easier to configure mail across multiple devices when I had everything feeding into one Gmail account. I only needed one set of credentials versus four. Fortunately, this isn't an issue as I tend to use the same couple machines every day, but it might be enough to drive me back to Gmail if I switched regularly.

It's ultimately a compromise between customizability and convenience. I think I've settled on the former for now, but I wouldn't hesitate to make Gmail my primary mail hub again if my situation changed. How about you? Do you use a desktop client or Web service (or both) to access your email and why?

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Microsoft to Google: Cut links from search

CALIFORNIA - Microsoft has asked Google to remove more than 500,000 links from its search index last month, new figures published by the search giant show.

The majority of the links direct people to websites selling pirated Microsoft software, according to Google's data.

Google has decided to reveal the requests and data as part of its transparency push around what dictates its search results.

However, interestingly some of the links which Microsoft has requested that Google removes are still live via its own search engine Bing.

Google made the announcement via a blog post: "Today we're expanding the Transparency Report with a new section on copyright. Specifically, we're disclosing the number of requests we get from copyright owners (and the organisations that represent them) to remove Google Search results because they allegedly link to infringing content.

"We're starting with search because we remove more results in response to copyright removal notices than any other reason. So we're providing information about who sends us copyright removal notices, how often, on behalf of which copyright owners and for which websites. As policymakers and Internet users around the world consider the pros and cons of different proposals to address the problem of online copyright infringement, we hope this data will contribute to the discussion."

Google has been criticised in the past for not removing links to copyright material in the past with enough speed.

However, it now claims that a removal takes on average 11 hours to complete.

Microsoft's removal requests significantly outnumbered those registered by the British Phonographic Institute which represents record labels. Music body BPI and media company NBC Universal respectively made the second and third largest number of requests in the last four weeks.

Google's transparency report shows that the number of requests to remove links has risen steeply over the last 12 months. In July 2011, Google was asked to remove 129,063 links every week and as of May 2012, the number of requests had risen to 284,850.

"This data shows that placing all of the burden on copyright owners to deal with infringement is unworkable," said the head of BPI, Mr Geoff Taylor. "It's wrong for Google to be wilfully blind to the clear data it has that particular sites are massive copyright infringers."

Google said it grants 97 per cent of link take-down requests and the majority of requests pertain to copyright issues. THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

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Replace Xp Taskbar with Windows 7 Superbar

If you are a Windows Xp user and have ever worked on Windows 7, you might have feel the comfortableness of windows 7 taskbar which is actually know as Superbar which change the interface and functionality of the Windows Taskbar quite a bit. It was welcomed by the windows users beacuse it is simply superb. Live Taskbar Thumnail Previews, Aero Peek feature, Jumplist feature, big icons without the text, all added to its quick popularity.The advantage of this interface change is that it is possible to squeeze additional icons on the taskbar.

Well, now you can get this superbar in your Windows Xp also. There is an application that makes it possible, SBar Taskbar Replacement. is a sleek utility that will emulate the windows 7 like takbar feature in Windows XP. Once you have installed it on your Xp system, it will look like this:-

SBar Taskbar Replacement features

• Added compatibility with quick launch (experimental)
• Added new skin Aero16 that support normal size taskbar buttons
• Redesigned Options Dialog
• more better compatibility with XP skins
• Fixed mouse hover bug

Download SBar Taskbar Replacement

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How to map a drive letter to Google Drive in Windows

Google Drive's shortcut in Windows 7/Vista shows up in your Favorites folder, while in Windows XP, it shows up in your My Documents folder. The shortcuts are easy enough to use, but if you find using a specific drive letter to be more convenient, there's an easy way to map one to your Google Drive account.

If you're comfortable using the command prompt, you can use the DOS command: subst. A better and easier way to create the drive association is using a small program called Visual Subst. It's basically a GUI front-end to the subst command.

Here's how to use Visual Subst to associate a drive letter to your Google Drive account:

Step 1: Download and install Visual Subst.

Step 2: Select the drive letter you want to associate, then type in the path of your Google Drive account, or browse to the path. In Windows 7/Vista, it should be C:\Users\Username\Google Drive, where Username is your Windows username.

Step 3: Make sure to check the box next to "Apply virtual drives on Windows startup," then hit the green plus button to add the association.

Step 4: After the association has been added, the virtual drive will appear in the Visual Subst list.

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Remove your social media from Google search

Welcome To The Tutorial Of Remove YOur Social Media From Google Search

Many social media sites offer options to help protect your privacy on the Web. You can make your profile private, which won't allow anyone you haven't approved to see your information, or you can remove your name from the account and use a different nickname that only friends would look for.

However, these changes will only affect your content moving forward, not the stuff you've posted in the past. So if you're just seeking a quick fix to get your personal thoughts and pictures of past and present out of the results, this is how you can do that.

First you'll need to copy the URL for your profile. Using my Twitter profile as an example, the link would look like this:  https://twitter.com/ctipstricks . Once you have the link you'll need open Google's Content Removal page -- you may need to log in to Google services again when you get there. Click the Create new removal request button and paste the link. On the next page that loads, you'll be able to remove cached content associated with the page you're having removed. In order for Google to allow this, you'll need to provide a piece of information that appears on the cached version but not the live version.

After submitting the cached information (if necessary), you will see the status page load again detailing your request along with the date. You can also cancel the request if you've changed your mind.

There's no set time on how quickly the information will be removed, so if you need your information hidden from results because you're interviewing for a new job soon, submit your request as soon as possible. Also, Google notes that not all links will be removed from search (detailed here), so you may just want to be mindful of the thoughts and pictures you share on the Web if they will impact you negatively elsewhere

For My Last Post Click Here

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5 More ways to use Facebook effectively

Facebook is one great tool that helps us to keep up with our friends and relatives. In the post, I have listed 5 more ways to Use Facebook effectively that also answer some of the most commonly asked questions about using Facebook.

5 More ways to use Facebook effectively

Hide the bothering Content from the News Feed

News Feed is the center column of your home page that gets updated continuously with the list of stories from people and Pages that you follow on Facebook. You may at times find some stories or a piece of content in news feed as inappropriate and would like to remove it before it is read or viewed by others. How do you do it? Check out the steps mentioned below.

• Search for the pencil icon on your homepage. The icon should be visible when you hover the cursor over ‘News feed’ option.
• Next, click on the icon and select ‘Edit settings’.

Now, from the window that will show up on your screen, manage (hide) posts coming into your stream from certain people, apps or pages.

Hide what you read?

Facebook introduced a new social news reading application some time ago. The app allows users to read and share news articles from partner media outlets associated with Facebook. The application is really good but has one shortfall; it broadcasts to your friends what you read. So, if you would not like others to know what you are reading, follow these steps:

• Click on the drop-down menu, just adjacent to the ‘Home’ button and choose ‘Account Settings’
• Next, click on the ‘Apps’ tab you will find on the lower left-hand side.
• Then, click on ‘Edit’ located at the extreme right of the relevant app. In the box that opens you’ll notice ‘Post on your behalf option.
• Next to the description of the option you will notice a drop-down menu. Select ‘Only me’ from the drop-down menu.

You can also follow this same process as you sign up to new apps.

Create a List of your Interest

Facebook Interest Lists feature allows you to find and isolate the content you’re actually interested in. Setting up your Interest Lists is fairly easy. Just follow these simple steps:

• Click on ‘More’ adjacent to the ‘Interests’ section on your homepage menu.
• Next, click on ‘Add Interests’ and then ‘Create List’. That’s it! Once done, you can choose to make the list either private or public.

Create a Secret Group

More privacy settings are available for groups in Facebook. Via its secret and closed groups, Facebook makes available this feature. It allows users to share content with members-only i.e. posts are visible to group members only. How to create a secret group?

• Click on ‘More’ next to the ‘Groups’ area on your homepage.
• Then, select ‘Create Group’ on the next page that loads.
• Next, name your group, add friends to the group and check the ‘secret’ option.

Once done, you will notice your secret group under the ‘Groups’ area in your homepage.

Populate Your Map with Pics

• Facebook offers a very unique feature. It allows users to add locations to their recently/already uploaded images. How?
• Click on the ‘Photos’ option present under your cover photos and select ‘Add Photos to Map’.
• Then, start adding the relevant data to your selected images.

This is how you can use Facebook effectively to manage both, your communication and content. Any more ways?? Add them in the Comments section.

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Google warns users of virus that could shut down Internet connections on July 9

Search giant Google has issued a warring to its millions of users that they could lose the ability to connect to the Internet in July due to a computer virus.

The problem began when international hackers ran an online advertising scam to take control of infected computers around the world.

In a highly unusual response, the FBI set up a safety net months ago using government computers to prevent Internet disruptions for those infected users, but that system will be shut down on July 9, killing connections for those people

The FBI has run a campaign for months, encouraging people to visit a website that will inform them whether they are infected and explain how to fix the problem.

After July 9, infected users won't be able to connect to the Internet.

According to Fox News, Google has now planned to throw its weight into the awareness campaign.

The site will be rolling out alerts to users via a special message that will appear at the top of the Google search results page for users with affected computers, CNET reported.

"We believe directly messaging affected users on a trusted site and in their preferred language will produce the best possible results," wrote Google security engineer Damian Menscher in a post on the firm's blog

"If more devices are cleaned and steps are taken to better secure the machines against further abuse, the notification effort will be well worth it," he added

According to the report, the challenge, and the reason for the awareness campaigns is the fact that most victims don't even know their computers have been infected, although the malicious software probably has slowed their web surfing and disabled their antivirus software, making their machines more vulnerable to other problems.

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