Thoughtsofanidlemind's Blog

Tag: Google

  • Exchange Unwashed digest: April 2013

    April 2013 saw the appearance of Exchange 2013 CU1 to release the restrictions that had previously stopped anyone running a “legacy” version of Exchange from installing Exchange 2013 into an existing organization. More stuff happened during April too, and some was even discussed in my “Exchange Unwashed” blog, as explained…

  • Sending cash via Gmail: an invitation to scammers?

    Am I the only one to have a small nagging doubt about Google’s announcement that they now allow Gmail users to send money to each other? Given the commentary that I have read so far, it seems like I am. Perhaps it’s my grumpy frame of mind but maybe it’s…

  • Google flogging a dead horse with Motorola pager patent

    For those who follow patent matters, the spat between Google and Microsoft revolving around whether Exchange ActiveSync infringes a Motorola pager patent dating from August 1995 has moved on to Germany, where an associated case is being heard in Mannheim. Google acquired the patent along with many others when it…

  • Google loses ActiveSync patent case in London

    On December 23, 2011 Microsoft sued Motorola Mobility in the High Court in London in an action (reference HC11C04536) that eventually came before Mr Justice Arnold on December 3, 2012. I first heard about the case in May when I was contacted by Bird & Bird, a firm of London…

  • Google and Microsoft spat over ActiveSync: Hardly a war, more like a skirmish

    January 30 Update: Just on the deadline, it seems like Google has acceded to a request from Microsoft to extend its support for ActiveSync connections to Gmail until July 31, 2013. The step simply makes sense as it reduces the number of users who would otherwise be mad at Google. …

  • Searching, iFilters, and attachments

    Ireland in October is definitely different to Florida in September. Although I didn’t see much of the outside weather during last week’s MEC in Orlando, heat and humidity has been replaced with Dublin’s ongoing mixture of rain and wind. Some say that the weather doesn’t really matter as long as…

  • Sanity slowing coming into focus in patent wars

    Patents have been a lucrative source of highly profitable income for the technology companies that have accumulated sizable portfolios over the years. Companies earn income by licensing their patents to other companies or by prosecuting others who are felt to infringe a patent. At the same time, a patent portfolio…

  • November posts on WindowsITPro.com

    I know that many of the readers of this fine blog don’t have the chance or the time to keep up to date with the “Exchange Unwashed” blog that I contribute to on WindowsITPro.com (of course, you could subscribe to Twitter and follow me there), so here’s a brief recap…

  • Gmail shows Office 365 how to meet a 99.9%+ SLA

    The really bad thing about the Office 365 outages in August and September is that the accumulated 330 minutes of downtime means that Microsoft cannot meet its published Service Level Agreement (SLA) of 99.9%. To their credit, Microsoft has already acknowledged that they failed to meet their SLA in August…

  • Offline Gmail returns but doesn’t make Microsoft quiver (too much)

    Yesterday Google relaunched offline access for Gmail, Calendar, and Docs. The new HTML5-based capability replaces the previous functionality built using Google Gears. Gmail is the first application to get an upgrade in the form of a Chrome application that can be launched using a new tab within the Chrome browser…