so you've got a gmail account, now what?

now that we finally have gmail accounts, whats next?

use it (duh?)

update all your list, forums, groups subscriptions to use gmail
update all your email forwarding services to forward to gmail

use PGtG (Pop Goes the GMail) to download your mail using a pop3 client

use GTray to know when you have new email without keeping a browser open

use GML (Mbox & Maildir to Gmail Loader) to move (more like forward) your mbox and maildir format mails into gmail

use G-Mailto to associate web mailto links to gmail

and most importantly, remember how it felt like to want a gmail account so bad, so when you get the chance, GIVE away your invites!

update:
seems pgtg no longer works with gmail =( i hear it's because gmail changed their login process. dang! there is an alternative, but it's no longer free. check out psgmail, you have 14 days to see if it works for you.

more updates:
pgtgm has come back from the dead! (albeit with another name). it is now known as gPopper. thanks to izzy (author of gNotify), for picking up where jaybe left off =)


even more updates:
gmail just provided pop access! woohoo! i guess i can now say goodbye to gpopper and psgmail =)

yahoo messenger filtering blogspot urls?

there's something funky going with yahoo messenger 6. any message i send containing a blogspot url doesn't get through. what's up with that yahoo??? you doing some funky filtering??? is this some sort of censorshit??? er, pardon my french, i meant censorship. =D

as an expirement, i sent out four messages to a contact (numbering each message) to see what would happen:

1 test
2 test
3 lolomoblog.blogspot.com
4 test

and here's what she got:

xxxxx: 1 test
xxxxx: 2 test
xxxxx: 4 test

weird, huh?

got a gmail account?

I WANT A GMAIL ACCOUNT! *sigh* won't anyone give me a gmail account... pretty please =D no one? oh well... i guess i'll just have to wait for them to make it public...

anyways, for those of you who haven't heard of gmail, it's a web-based e-mail service that will be offered by google (soon?). here are some key features:
- since it's google, you don't need to sort your email to find something, you search for it
- 1G of storage. yes, 1 gigabyte!!! (now are you beginning to see why i want one)
- messages are displayed with their replies. (kewl huh?)
- NO POP-UP ADS or untargetted banner ads.

did you just say "huh?" on that last one? well, here's what they say about that:

8. Are there ads in Gmail?

There are no pop-ups or untargeted banner ads in Gmail. Like Google search results pages, Gmail does include relevant text ads on the right side of the page. The matching of ads to content is a completely automated process performed by computers. No humans read your email to target the ads, and no email content or other personally identifiable information is ever provided to advertisers.

Ads are matched using the same technology that powers the Google AdSense program, which already places targeted ads on thousands of sites across the web by quickly analyzing the content of pages and determining which ads are most relevant to them. Here's a sneak peek of how ads look in Gmail.

interestingly enough, a lot of people thought this was an april fools joke, i though so too at first. i mean 1G of email storage? for free??? and the announcement being so close to april 1? well, it's not an april fools joke, the actual april fool joke was about some weird job opening (i forget the details), and I WANT ONE!!! *sigh*

anyone have an extra invite? =D

get more info here.

UPDATE: i got invited!!! woohoo!!! don't sort, search =D

playing mpg files on your ux50 using movieplayer

i keep forgetting how to play mpg files on my ux using movieplayer and i keep having to google to be able to do it. well, i will google no more. i've decided to post it on my blog for easy access =) so, here i go...

in order for movie player to "see" your mpg files, they need to follow this naming convention: MOVnnnnn.mpg (where nnnnn is a 5-digit number, e.g. MOV00001.mpg)

after renaming your file, you now have 2 options. you can either copy the file into your /DCIM/100MSDCF (i.e. /DCIM/100MSCDEF/MOV00001.mpg) or you can create a folder called /MSSONY and in it another folder called MOML0001 and then place the file there (i.e. /MSSONY/MOML0001/MOV00001.mpg)

bt surfing with the ux50 and your pc

it seems i've been getting quite a bit of pms on bt surfing with a pda lately so i've decided to make a little howto on how i got it to work on my ux50.

here's what i did on my pc (i have win2k installed on my machine, i think this also works for winxp):

1. enabled internet sharing - on the sharing tab of my dial networking connection properties, i checked enable internet connection sharing for this connection (notice that my screen capture shows lan instead of dial-up networking, don't worry, they have similar internet sharing tabs =)


2. set the ip of my bluetooth network - i set it to 192.168.0.1

just to clarify, this screen shot is not connected to the previous screen shot. the previous screen shot was for my local area/dial-up connection while this screen shot is for my bluetooth network connection.

3. configured my bt to "Allow other devices to access the Internet/LAN via this computer"


here's what i did on my ux50:

1. created a connection to my pc



2. created a network service using the connection in #1 (make sure to specify your dns server on the details screen)




if you're still having problems, drop me a line =)

exim carrying case for clie ux40/50 handhelds: a summary

<- previous page

the transaction:
not as smooth as i had hoped but i guess that was just my luck =). the guys at pda-now are pretty decent folks. if you have a problem with the transaction, just let them know and they're sure to respond immediately. =)

pros:
+ great protection against scratches
+ good fit, easily snaps onto the ux
+ camera view is unobstructed
+ lots of pockets
+ charges the ux via usb!

cons:
- doesn't really offer much protection when dropped
- the reset hole is a bit to small
- using the usb port takes a bit of getting used to
- lumps at the back of the case
- adds a bit of bulk to the ux

conclusion:
a great case, even if i do say so myself =)



ps - i did start this review a week after i got the case, unfortunately, i've been busy so i've only completed it today. anyways, i hope this review helps people out there looking for a good case for their ux50 =)

pps - btw, more pictures at http://shadow.mysnaps.org.uk/c191405.html

exim carrying case for clie ux40/50 handhelds: the review (3/3)

<- previous page

well, it can't all be good, now can it? =) as with anything, there is always room for improvement.

first one i noticed was the reset hole. although it was perfectly aligned with the ux's reset hole, it was a bit small. normally (ie, without the case), i would only need to pull out my stylus and poke my ux at the back. easy right? now it's a bit of a struggle, i need to get it in real good (=D) in order to do a reset. the hole is a wee bit too tight (=D). of course, after having gone in and out a few times (=D) it's now a bit more loose (=D). maybe after a few more resets, it will be much less of a struggle (where's the fun in that, eh guys? =D).

second is the usb port. once again it's a bit of a struggle getting it in the first time. i guess it just takes a little getting used to. after doing it everyday for a week, it gets pretty easy =)

hmm... better get on to the last one before this goes over the pg rating =p

the next two are more aesthetic rather than functional.

the third one you will see when you turn the case over. at the base of the case, there are some lumps. one on the reset hole, and another on the opposite side of the battery connectors. you won't see these lumps if you look at the pictures on their website. tsk. tsk.



here's another look:



last, it's the added bulk on my ux. but like i said earlier, although i don't really mind the bulk, it can be a point of consideration for some other people.

here's a picture of my ux, with some stuff in the pockets. i've placed my t610 beside it to provide a basis for comparison.



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exim carrying case for clie ux40/50 handhelds: the review (2/3)

<- previous page

my favorite feature is its ability to charge my ux via usb =) unlike the brando case which just copied the hooks from the ux cradle, exim also brought the battery connectors along =) the case receives power from the usb port near the base and passes it on to the ux via the 4 tiny connectors.



you can also see from the picture that the exim case has holes that correspond to the ux's reset hole and speaker. you can't see it from the picture but they are perfectly aligned to the ux's corresponding holes.

another good feature of the exim case is, for lack of a better term, "the space for the camera". the exim case provides enough space so that the camera's view is not obstructed. but then again, if you really want space, you can always fold the flap over =)



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exim carrying case for clie ux40/50 handhelds: the review (1/3)

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now on to the actual review =)

the exim case is actually a pretty good case. i like that its hooks easily snap onto the base of my ux. it does add a bit of bulk but i think it's well worth the value it also adds.



unlike the brando case which only has pockets for the memory sticks, this has 2 memory stick slots, 2 card slots, a slot for an extra stylus, a slot where you can put a picture (at least that's what i put in it) and another pocket where you can put some bills. (you can't see the it in the picture, it's behind the flap)



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