Gmail Adds Voice, Video Chat

(AP) - Google Inc.'s Gmail service got knocked offline today in a widespread outage that affected most users for a few hours this afternoon. It wasn't immediately clear what caused the disruption, which led users to get a "502" error message. Google first posted of the problem at 3:53pm EST and says it was fixed by 5:40pm for nearly everyone. The company suffered a similar glitch in May. More»

Sharing ad revenue boosts income for YouTube and lets videomakers hone skills

(NEWSER) - YouTube's "partnership" deal with users is generating cash for both sides, the New York Times reports. Splitting ad revenues helps YouTube avoid the copyright kerfuffles that have hamstrung much of its moneymaking potential. Hundreds of partners are making thousands of dollars a month, the company says, allowing some self-made celebs to quit their day jobs. More»

But others say number of junk messages increasing

(NEWSER) - Emailers have been hitting the “Delete” button for years, but spammers may be just now taking the hint, Google says. The tech giant isn’t releasing specifics, but it insists that the number of junk emails sent out has leveled off and could even be dropping for the first time in years, an encouraging sign that spammers may be giving up. More»

App might take off like Firefox, unless users prefer webmail

(NEWSER) - The makers of Firefox are spending $3 million to amp up their old email program, Thunderbird, CNET reports. Mozilla Foundation hopes to repeat the success it had with Firefox, a browser that nabbed a notable market share. Yet Thunderbird may have a tough flight ahead of it: Many users prefer web-based email, and will need convincing to download a stand-alone app. More»

Salon surveys advice for those losing the battle with their deluged inboxes

(NEWSER) - A spate of new survival manuals is addressing the problem of swamped inboxes, writes Salon's Scott Rosenberg. But how does one navigate through the sea of attachments, spam, and forwarded off-color jokes? Most experts agree on striving for emptiness: delete ruthlessly. More»