How to sign out of Gmail from a different location

Please click on image to expand. So the reason for this post is this. Say, you use the internet in a new place because you have some urgent work and you needed to login. So you signed into your Gmail account at a library or an internet cafe. You finished you work and you leave. It is only later that you realize that you used your Gmail but when leaving, you forgot to sign out. It might be too far to go back and sign out. Some prankster might discover your email open and do something funny about it. Worse still, your personal information might get stolen. If you can get onto the internet as soon as you realize this, you can sign out of your account from a totally different place. This is what you need to do to sign out of your gmail account from a different location.

1. Login to your Gmail account.
2. Scroll all the way to the bottom and on the right-hand side you will find a link called 'Details'.
3. Click it.
4. A new window will open, quite similar to the one above.
5. Click on 'Sign out all other sessions'.
6. You're done.

How to get Full-Screen Compose in GMail

The new Gmail Inbox and compose has been launched now to most users across the world. With the new Gmail Inbox, all your mail can be categorized and displayed under various tabs - we have already written about it and you can view it here. With the Gmail compose however, when you want to write an email. The window is a small opo-up on hte left-hand corner of your screen. This has all changed and you now have a compose window that opens-up across your screen. This is still being rolled out to most users. So if you don't have the option as yet. Wait a few days and you can use this new feature by Gmail

How to get the full-screen compose in Gmail

1. Login to Gmail.

2. Click on Compose

3. Choose the drop-down arrow and select 'default to full-screen'

4. You could also click the arrow with a double-head. This takes you to a full-screen pop-out

To return back to your old compose - click on the broken arrow at the top of your screen. This should bring back your old compose, if you don't want to use the full-screen compose option in Gmail. This was announced via a Google+ post. I have found this very useful as I was using the old compose instead of the new - since it did not have full-screen mode.

Video below if you'd like the visuals
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUZi4nDtclo

How to get the New Gmail Version with Tabs

Gmail has a new look and feel, your inbox has been completely changed and everything looks new. With the new Gmail tabbed inbox you get all your mail organized according to category and tabbed under the same. When you first setup the new look you can choose from five options categories - Primary, Social, Promotions, Updates and Forums. Once you choose which tabs you'd like, emails are categorized under these tabs or categories. So if you want Social - all your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn etc, notifications and mails are stored under this category. So clicking on the social tab will take you to all your social mails under one category. This is fantastic and makes your inbox that much more organized.

There are five tabs for you to choose. You can decide to use all of them or even none. Customization is totally up to you. If you find that an email is showing up on the wrong category. right-click on that email and move it to a different tab, simply drag-and-drop. Works on web and mobile. The new tabbed inbox is available both on web and mobile.

How to set up the new Gmail Tabbed Version.
This will be rolling out over the next couple of weeks. For some it is already here.

1. Login to gmail
2. Click the gear icon in the upper right, then select Settings.
3. Click on 'Configure Inbox' - is this option has not yet appeared in your settings. You need to check back later as it might take some time
4. Now select the tabs you want to see and that's it.

You have the brand new version of Gmail and the new tabbed inbox is fun and exciting to work with. In the Android and iPhone and iPad apps, you will see the primary tabs first and you can navigate from there.

Check the video below for more.

http://youtu.be/CFf7dlewJus

Gmail Blue - The Blue Inbox for you

Gmail Blue might have been a joke but its's now a reality. If you want to stay closer to nature while working on Gmail and your Inbox - maybe reflect on the ocean, mountains or the moon, while you work. You should try Gmail Blue. Gmail Blue is a Chrome Extension that once installed turns your entire Gmail experience blue. It's still the same old mail but everything turned blue. you click on compose and it's blue, you type and it's blue again. Nothing changes just the colors - it might not be for everyone, but if this is something you fancy and you would like to have a blue inbox, this is extension is worth trying out.

In Fact, the folks over at Google say that it was one of the original concepts. many other colors were tried like orange and brown. Brown was a disaster but blue survived. Gmail just celebrated its 9th birthday and with it comes the release of blue. Click the link below to add the extension to chrome and have fun in blue. Moon-child that you are.

Get the Google Blue Chrome Extension here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Zr4JwPb99qU

Hotmail Shifting to Outlook: Will you loose your Hotmail ID

Outlook.com from Microsoft have announced that they have finally removed 'Customer Preview' from the service and the transition has begun. In just six months Outlook mail says that they have amassed over 60 million new email subscribers and users. Hot,mail.com was old and outdated and no matter what Microsoft tried the service could not be resurrected. Outlook.com seemed the answers and Microsoft built a whole new web interface and launched it to the public. Outlook.com comes with a slicker user interface and functionality that is second to none. Could possibly give Gmail a run for the money. For those of you who still cling to your Hotmail account - there is no bad news.

You can still keep your Hotmail account, however when you type Hotmail.com. You will get redirected to the new Outlook.com - don't worry and wonder where your Hotmail has gone to. it has just changed. Some users are sure to be worried, wondering what happened to Hotmail.com and why can't I reach it. You can login to Outlook.com with your Hotmail Email ID and password. You will be encouraged however to create a new Outlook address. The Outlook Inbox is really trendy and when you first login, you will be sure to see the difference and feel the change. So don't worry about your Hotmail.com address it is safe - all you got to do is login through Outllook.com

Gmail's new Compose now has over 1,000 emotiocons added

If you've not yet started using Gmail's New Compose -- this might be reason enough to start now. Gmail New Compose is the ability to write or compose more than 1 email at the same time. This was something not available in the old compose. The old Gmail compose would open up an entire page and you can only write one email at a time. With the new compose you can work on multiple emails at the same time. All the more reason to get started using the new compose. In addition to spice things up there are now over a 1,000 new emoticons added to the new compose page.

The new emoticons have the entire range of Google's similes  animals, trees, vehicles, figures, numbers and what have you. The list is endless and there is sure to be an emoticon for everyone out there.

How to use new Gmail Compose.

If you haven't already started, you would need to click on compose and on top of your message. Click on the link which says 'Try the new compose experience'. Once you do this a new windows opens up and you get the new compose box. Hover at the bottom of the box and click on the emoticon icon to get you 1,000+ new emoticons.

So if you're ready go use it now or get ready to receive new emotions in your Gmail messages. Makes your Gmail inbox that much more fun.

Gmail: How to send large attachments and files

Gmail has been coming up with a lot of healthy improvements and the latest one is the combination of Gmail and Google Drive to send large files and attachments. With the new feature you now have the ability to send files and attachments up to 10GB. This is 400 times the size of attachments previously allowed in Gmail and other email services for that matter. The Folks over at Google have taken this to another level and many users stand to benefit.

How to send large attachments in Gmail

1. You need to have Google Drive on your system, PC or device.
2. You need to have the new Gmail compose activated.
3. Once you're in the new Gmail compose - click on the drive icon at the bottom of your compose box.
4. You can now attach files from Google Drive or files from your computer to share 'Insert files using drive'.
5. Once attached click send and your mail is delivered.

In addition Gmail will also check that you have given appropriate file permissions. If the file is private and all recipients will not be able to open and view -- Gmail will prompt you to change the reading permissions so all recipients will be able to view the file. Source Gmail Blog.

http://youtu.be/OvP-uMzL1MY

Gmail Advanced Search using search operators

There are two ways to search Gmail for emails, messages and attachments. You could either click on the down arrow available in your search box or you can use Gmail Advanced search using Search Operators. Search Operators in Gmail are words or symbols that perform specific functions. There are many examples and here are a few -- if you want to search for emails with attachments the search operator would be -- has:attachment. You can also specify file type like .Doc or .XL. There are a whole list of search operators available to use. Another example is if you want to search for emails larger than 5MB, you would need to use size:5M -- if you want to search for email that is older than a year the search operator would be older_than:1Y.

Advanced search operators are words or symbols to be typed into the search box in Gmail. Please find a few more examples in the video below.
Here is the link to get the complete list of advanced search operators for Gmail.

http://youtu.be/yzUWkgFTiro

How to search Gmail for attachments

With Gmail becoming the most popular email service and even surpassing Hotmail -- one of the most important things for some people will be the ability to search Gmail for attachments with specific size. There are many search filters you can use to find all your email in Gmail. if you want to search for mails you have received containing only attachment. There is a quick and easy way to do this. All you need to do is to open your Inbox and use the drop-down arrow to quick search your Gmail.

How to search Gmail for attachments 
1. Click the down arrow in your search bar
2. A list of options will appear
3. From the options choose 'Has Attachemnt' once this box is checked you cna then click the 'enter' button or the create filter with this search.
4. You can then also specify from who and when and has the words or dosen't have the words
5. Click enter and begin your search

This is a quick and easy way to find email from that person with only contain an attachment.

Gmail New Compose: How does it work

Gmail was first launched in 2004 -- 8 years ago. But it is only in 2012 that Gmail surpassed Hotmail as the most popular email service provider. eMail as such is very sticky and people take a long time to change from one service provider to another. However long it took it is finally time to congratulate the folks over at Google for this tremendous feet. In addition to becoming the largest eMail service provider. Google's Gmail now has an all new compose experience (Compose Gmail in a new window) -- which focuses more on the message you need to send rather than other decorations hanging around. The whole thing looks like an empty box (think notepad) with the ability to quickly compose and send multiple emails all at once. Something that has not been available till now in Gmail. With the old compose you can compose only one message at a time. With the new compose in Gmail -- you can write multiple emails to multiple people all at the same time.

If you would like to know how to you the new compose -- Google has a simple and clear guide which you can check out here. If you would like to see the new Gmail email compose system in work please check out the video below.

Source: Google Blog

http://youtu.be/hD-nMReFyC4

Gmail: Sign-in with multiple accounts using Google Account Chooser

Gmail already had the ability to use multiple accounts. Meaning that is you had different accounts maybe one for work and one for home. You could switch between these accounts once you log-in to Gmail. Google Account Chooser however is different - with this new feature you can now use your Gmail with multiple accounts. These accounts could either be Gmail accounts or any other accounts. Using Google Account Chooser means you do not have to log in and log-out of each account. You can sign-up and add all you accounts and switch between them whenever you want. You can set it to remember your login ID and password and when you access Gmail all you need to do is to choose the account you want to use at the current time.

This is an opt-in feature that has been quietly released by Google and you can choose to enable or disable Account Chooser at any time. This is good for people who use multiple Gmail and mail accounts and takes away the headache of signing out and singing in with other accounts. You can now combine all your mail accounts be it work or home and use a single Gmail page to get all your work done. Remember to opt for the stay signed-in option, so the next time you want to log-in with a different account all you need is to click on the account you want to use.

Gmail sign-in with Account Chooser: How does it work
1. Click here to enable Account Chooser
2. Add an account using Gmail or any other Email address you use
3. This is an Opt-in feature and you therefore need to first add your existing account to get started.
4. Add as many addresses as you want
5. To disable this feature you can go here and to re-enable go here. 
Read more at the Google Account Chooser help section.

An original post by

Sociolatte

How to send SMS Text Messages from Gmail

You can now send a text message or an SMS (Short Messaging Service) to any of your Gmail contacts right form within your Gmail chat box. This means you can log-in to your Google Chat and in the chat box all you need to do is to type the number you want to send an SMS or text to and start communicating via SMS. This was a feature not available for sometime but now Gmail users get to enjoy this service.

How to send a Text or SMS in Gmail
1. Login to your Gmail account
2. If you contact is online click the chat box and once that opens click on more. From the drop-down choose Send Text SMS. You will not need to enter your contacts phone number and save it. Once that is done you're ready to start chatting with your pals using Text or SMS as it is called.

Just enter a number and started Texting
In the text box available in the chat, which says search chat or SMS. You can enter a mobile or cell phone number. Google will automatically figure out the country and the code. Once you enter the number you will be asked to add a name and save it. Once done a dialog box will open and you can begin your chat via Text or SMS.

Google Text Messaging: How does it work
We have listed the ways to get started and once you have sent you first Text Message / SMS. A dialog box will open and you continue typing and replying right from your dialog box within Gmail. These conversations will be stored in your chat history just as regular chat. 

Does Google Charge you for sending SMS Text Messages
No, Google does not charge but if you are using the service on your phone, mobile providers' standard charges will apply. So depending on which part of the world you're in. You will need to check your mobile providers rates for text messaging - this is if you want to use SMS Texting Service on your Mobile Phone. 

SMS Credits: How does it work
When you first send an SMS or Text you will notice you have 50 points. each time you send an SMS or Text one point decreases but each time you receive an SMS or Text back it increases by 5 points. You cannot use more than 50 points. If you finish your 50 credit it will come back to 1 in another 24 hours. There is a neat trick to get more credit points. SMS yourself and keep replying. Each time you reply you get 5 points and up to a maximum of 50 credit points. So keep it healthy whenever your fuel is going low. 
Read More at Google Support, click here to see a list of supported countries. 

An original post by

Sociolatte

How to connect your Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Flickr to Outlook.com

Outlook.com is the new Hotmail and the team have been leaving no stone upturned to get on with it. They have done an AMA on Reddit which we have already covered here. There is a lot of news on the internet regarding the service and it seems they have learned a lot of lessons from other services and launched this new email App which works amazingly. They did however make of ads in Gmail when you login to Outlook.com however they also have ads on the right sidebar. 


If you have decided to try the service one of the things you notice is that you can connect you Social Networks to the service and get everything you love in one place. Outlook.com seeks to work like a one-stop-social-network-shop, used the word shop there to use the age-old adage in a fun way. Anyways   once you login to Outlook.com you can easily connect your Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Flickr accounts to the service. Once connected you get all your favorite social networks in one place and you can start interacting from right within Outlook.com


How to add or connect social networks to Outlook.com
1. Login to Outlook.com
2. Click on the upside down smiley face on the top-right-hand corner

3. At the bottom you see 'Add' click on that

4. Now select the service you want to add - go through the authentication steps. 

5. You're done

An original post by

Sociolatte

Outlook.com is the new Hotmail - 3 questions answered by the team

The guys from the Microsoft who created Outlook.com and brought it to the web took to Reddit to answer questions from users. Hotmail will be fading away and in its place is Outlook.com. The team wants Outlook.com to become the popular destination on the web for people who want to use email service. The proposition is a tough one since many people who still keep a Hotmail ID do so only as a secondary one, most have switched to Gmail. There is also an outlook preview if you are interested. The argument that the team tries to make is that all other email services have not become old - Gmail they say is now 8 years old and it's time for something new. There is also a Outlook preview to learn more. 


Please find below some of the features that the Outlook team have highlighted

have a modern, fast UI
be connected to your networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google, and soon, Skype)
have smart tools to manage and filter messages
prioritize your privacy (we don't serve ads based on the contents of your email)


These are three questions that the team answered on their main write-up on Reddit
1. Why to switch from Gmail
They have said that Gmail is now 8 years old and something new is needed. They highlight that Outlook.com is directly connected with Facebook and Twitter has a cleaner UI, and as a afterthought - Outlook does not scan your emails to show you Ads. That was a direct hit at Google's Gmail service which shows ads based on users interests. 
2. How to switch from Gmail to Outlook
If you are interested and would like to try the new Outlook with your Gmail contacts. Complete instructions are available here. Once your done with your preview you can always switch back.
3. How to rename a current Windows Live or Hotmail account:
You can upgrade your Windows live account to the new Outlook service and detailed instructions can be found here. 


Please leave feedback in the comments section below with what you think. Will the service takeoff - it just might because Outlook is so popular in the corporate world and Outlook is synonymous with email.
Outlook.com you can read the complete IAMA on Reddit here

An original post by

Sociolatte

How to create a Gmail Custom Theme and add your own photos

Google have released another feature to help improve your Gmail experience aesthetically. You can now in addition to using Color Themes and HD themes add custom themes. Custom themes are available in either Light or Dark and you can change the background image. Which means when you login to use Gmail you can now personalize and make it all your own. So improve your visuals in Gmail by adding pics of your dog, cat or just about anything. If you link an image you find on the net or maybe even find on Pinterest you can link back to that image and have it displayed in your Gmail.


How to create a Custom Theme in Gmail
1. login to Gmail
2. Click on the cog icon
3. Choose Themes, scroll down and select custom themes
4. To add your own photos select Change your backgroud image
5. You can now choose from my photos, photos from phone, upload photos, paste a URL and recently selected.
6. Choose the image you want displayed
7. You're done
Source: Gmail blog

Video below for the visual on how it's done.

An original post by

Sociolatte

How to change Gmail's new button labels to text or icons

With Gmail's new look comes all the text buttons converted to buttons with logos. This might seem a bit confusing to some people just for the simple fact that we are used to the old text labels. So if you are one of those people who would rather have text bales rather that button labels help is at hand. In fact those text buttons used to be permanent fixtures but now only when you click on the text box do the options on top appear. Every Gmail user is familiar with those buttons - Archive, Spam , Delete, Move to, Labels and More. Users of email usually become very familiar with their Inbox layout and can usually do their usual tasks with their eyes closed. When there is a change it always takes a little time to adjust and get bacl to normal. So if you have become comfortable with the old text labels in Gamil, here is how to get them back.


How to change and toggle between text and button labels in Gmail
1. Login to Gmail
2. Click on the cog icon
3. Choose settings
4. Scroll down and beside 'Button Labels' choose between Icons and Text
5. You're done


This way you can toggle back and forth and choose the view your labels in Gmail either as Text or Icons.

An original post by

Sociolatte

Gmail for mobile: How to use the multiple sign-in feature

Gmail has released a new feature, multiple sign-ins for Gmail on Mobile. Just like on your desktop you can now sign-in to multiple account on mobile Gmail. Your Gmail account on your mobile device now has a mobile switcher button that lets you move between account simultaneously. 

How to switch between Gmail accounts on your mobile device

1. Click on Account Switcher found at the bottom of your thread's list

2. Click on 'Sign-in to another account.

3. Enter your other account info

You can now switch between accounts by selecting the desired account from the Accounts Menu. 
Source: Gmail Blog

An original post by

Sociolatte

How to make Gmail your default email application and do away with Outlook

This is a fantastic way to do away with Outlook always popping up when you click on the send mail link on a website or a blog. Hardly anyone users it on the personal PC's and it would be good to do away with it. Since Gmail has totally turned the way we use email around. The default email application for most people is Gmail. Well if your default mailing system is Yahoo or Hotmail then this will not make too much of an impact. For those of us who are heavily reliant on Gmail and when you click on the send mail link, Outlook opens and wastes time. Then help is on its way. A simple chrome extension is now available on the chrome store. Yes, for it to work you will need to have Google Chrome. When you install the extension it will make Gmail your default email application and provides a button to compose a Gmail message to quickly share a link via email.

This extension will open a Compose window in Gmail when you click any email address on a webpage. It also provides a button that will create a Gmail message when clicked, using the page title as the subject and selected page text and link address as the message. Click here to add the extension now. 

An original post by

Sociolatte

Gmail's New Look [Photos]

The Google team has rolled out a whole new look for Gmail. Starting from the sign-in page right through the entire Gmail experience.

So what's new with the Gmail New look

For starters the look is more elastic and modern it feels like something that is light and easy to use. The reason for the elasticity is that Gmail would like to become more flexible and easily fit into any screen size and any browser. It will be something that looks and feel very modern, easy to play with and with a fewer rough edges.

Gmail also has a whole new set of themes to use. With the new look you have a whole new set of customization themes and colors to use and give your inbox a feel that you want. You can also create a your own custom theme.

There will also be less clutter as you inbox has a totally new feel which looks beautiful which Google says should match the power of Gmail.

How to get the new Gmail look
1. login to Gmail
2. Click on the Cog Icon found on top top right-hand corner
4. Your settings open up
5. Click on Themes
6. Right at the bottom your have preview and preview dense choose either one
7. You're done

An original post by

Sociolatte

What is Gmail's Email Intervention and how does it work [Video]

Gmail would like you to stage an 'Email Intervention' and help out a friend who is still stuck using outdated email. How do you decide which email is outdated, the Email Intervention video gives you some examples to decide. Here are a few floppy disks, VHS cassette and portable disc player. Well you get the message and you know the email addresses people used to use during that era. Things have changed now with free voice and video chant being available on Gmail and not on some of those old outdated email services. No names are being mentioned as it is pretty easy to figure it out.


So how does Email Intervention work.


To make things really simple Gmail has a email address for you to go to to start your crusade http://www.emailintervention.com/ once here all you need to do is to enter the name of your friend who you do not want left back and enter the email address of your pal. Next enter your name and mail ID and send the mail. Alternatively if you want to  start an intervention for a number of friends you can signin to your account and invite multiple friends to use Gmail. 


This is one campaign from Gmail that would like to ensure long-term users of email make the switch to Gmail. There number of people who created email IDs in the early days are a significant number on the internet. Many of whom have have never moved or never changed their email ID.


So will you use this campaign and what are your thoughts. 

An original post by

Sociolatte