A small number of users in the Apple Support Communities have reported that their iCloud e-mail accounts may have been compromised by spammers, even in cases where the user had a strong, randomized password. Reports began flowing in of mostly little-used iCloud accounts sending out spam messages, replies to which alerted users of the problem. Apple has not commented on the issue thus far.
[Updated: Full service resumed at 10:30 p.m. PT] Some iCloud users have been affected by mail and notes outages, according to reader reports and status updates from Apple. The problem is said to affect less than one percent of iCloud users, but causes those users to be unable to retrieve e-mail. The problem began around 7 a.m. (Pacific Time) and was partially resolved late in the afternoon, but delays of incoming mail was ongoing until around 10:30 p.m. PT.
Apple has failed in its legal bid to stop Motorola from forcing an injunction against its implementation of push email in Germany. Consequently, Apple has pulled the function from its iCloud and MobileMe services. The Cupertino-based company has posted a support statement on the matter, which now leaves German iOS users having to force e-mail updates by opening their mail application or setting their e-mail client to check periodically for new e-mail.
Apple will be making a few tweaks to Mail, its default e-mail program, in this summer's Mountain Lion release. One big change will be to allow users to designate important people as "VIPs" and be able to make rules letting Mail notify users only when mail from a VIP arrives. The program will also feature an inline "find," and is removing RSS reading and management from Mail, MacWorld reports.
Following the rapid-release update schedule adopted by Firefox, the Mozilla Foundation has released a final version of Thunderbird 9.0. The free open-source, multi-platform e-mail alternative has been updated to use the Mozilla Gecko 9 engine, sports a new "opt-in" system for reporting performance and usability data back to Mozilla, adds support for Personas and updates security. A separate security update was also released.
Though most Mac users already know never to send their login information for any site in response to an e-mail (often posing as the user's bank, brokerage firm, Apple or other name-brand internet companies), variations on the phishing e-mail continue to pop up, particularly just before and after Christmas. The Mac Observer's Bryan Chaffin reports getting a new one specifically aimed at MobileMe users.
Sparrow, a lightweight IMAP e-mail client that boasts a clean, minimalist style and a variety of views to please users has grown to version 1.5, which adds Dropbox support in addition to CloudApp support to make attaching files faster and easier. The new version also offers the option to block images to help with spam control (images can be restored on a case-by-case basis) and a "dramatically improved" search function.
When a new product first appears, particularly in the shareware world, it is often the work of one or two people. Keeping up with support requests -- particularly if the product quickly finds an audience -- can be time-consuming. Ruben Bakker, the developer of Mailplane, is offering his own new app that tries to solve the problem of letting developers stay mostly focused on development with the release of Replies, a customer-support e-mail program.
Getting Microsoft's Hotmail service to work with Mail -- the default program for e-mail on the Mac -- and later with iOS devices -- has long been a popular subject in help forums and FAQs on the web. But now that it is one of several default choices on iOS 5, combined with incredibly strong sales of the current-model iPhones, Hotmail users are connecting their accounts to their iOS devices in large numbers, reports the Inside Windows Live blog.
Alternative Mac and Windows compatible e-mail client software Postbox has reached a milestore release, v3.0, and the update brings with it more social connections, tighter integration with GMail, better interaction with apps and services, more productivity features and better OS integration for both Mac O SX and Windows 7. The new version also features a "favorites" bar to let users quickly jump to preferred mailboxes, and the ability to create and send "canned" responses.
An updated version of Sparrow, a minimalistic mail client for the Mac, has been released in the Mac App Store. Version 1.3 brings full support for OS X Lion and adds several new features designed to simplify mail accounts. Dragging the sidebar to the left side of the window will now present users with an extend side bar that provides quick access to all labels and folders. The company has also integrated a Send and Archive feature akin to that found in Gmail, additionally drag and drop support, reworked sidebar animations, and more. Sparrow 1.3 can be purchased in the Mac App Store for $10.
Postbox has launched version 2.5 of their self-titled alternative e-mail client for Mac and Windows, bringing full 64-bit support for OS X (the Windows version is still 32-bit for now), a new double-row vertical thread pane view option, a streamlined message view and a new Mac theme featuring a new icon set by Panic's Kenichi Yoshida. The new version also includes improvements across the entire interface, expanded options and more.
Infinity Data Systems has updated its Eudora-like e-mail client, MailForge, to version 2.1, making it Intel-only and giving it a major speed boost, along with a completely re-written search, improved junk filtering, CRAM-MD5 IMAP support, and other bug fixes. The program includes features inherited from the classic versions of Eudora, including very advanced search functions, editing ability on all facets of incoming mail and scheduled sending of e-mails. The program also has full Unicode support, the ability to re-direct e-mails, the now-familiar three-pane interface along with multi-window support and more.
Mac and iOS developer Equinox has released a new HTML-based designer for e-mail designed to work specifically with Apple's Mail program and its stationery templates called Mail Designer. Using templates and customizable art elements, users can drag and drop copy, images and other elements directly onto a canvas to quickly and easily create HTML e-mails readable by most modern e-mail clients, as well as templates suitable for future use inside Apple Mail.
The FBI is reportedly set to announce significant expansions to its surveillance efforts aimed at web-based communication. The bureau is expected to voice concerns over the inability to track certain types of correspondence, such as e-mail and social networking, that do not go through the standard wiretap channels of cellphones and landlines.
Mobile users struggling with managing large amounts of e-mail in the GMail inbox can now set up and utilize Priority Inbox, a service that automatically identifies important mail based on what users actually read and reply to (which Google keeps track of). Up until now, only desktop users and a handful of Android devices could use the service, but it is now available for almost all HTML5-compliant mobile web browsers, such as devices on Android 1.5 or higher or iOS 3 or higher.
Originally created for in-house management of their own customer base, UK software house The Escapers have now released Whoosh, software that takes advantage of Amazon's Simple Email Service (SES) to allow affordable, scalable batch or bulk e-mail service using a familiar Mac user interface.
Postbox ($40), an alternative e-mail client for Mac and Windows, has reached version 2.0 and sports a variety of new and improved features to increase users' productivity. The Mozilla-based client differentiates itself from Apple's Mail by offering support for add-ons, anti-phishing and malware protection, different views for smaller screens, tabs, built-in archiving and complex searching among other features.
Infinity Data Systems has launched a new 2.0 version of its Euroda-style e-mail application, MailForge. The program can be used to mange, store, and send text e-mails or HTML, and provides tools for controlling the timing of outgoing messages. The latest release offers a wide range of new and enhanced features, including improved speed for opening mailboxes and deleting e-mails, as well as full integrated with SpamSieve for users who own a licensed copy.
Postbox has launched a new home version of its self-titled e-mail application, Postbox Express. While this smaller version doesn’t carry all the functionality of the original Postbox, it still contains a wide range of tools for finding, organizing, and viewing e-mail messages. Features include a built-in search panel, support for tabbed e-mail browsing, and integration with a variety of Mac applications such as Address Book, iCal, Spotlight, iPhoto, and OmniFocus. A built-in status-update function is also provided, which can be used to send updates via Facebook, Twitter, or FriendFeed.
Verizon has already distributed over-the-air software updates for the HTC's Incredible smartphone. The downloads, which began to arrive sometime last week, appear to address an issue related to Exhange used for corporate e-mail accounts.
Kerio has launched Connect 7, the latest release in a series formerly known under the MailServer name. Several major changes have been made, such as the ability to host a distributed domain cluster, uniting scattered physical servers. The program has also been given CardDAV support, allowing contact sync with compatible apps, such as the Snow Leopard version of Address Book.
Central Atomics has released the first version of Rocketbox, a supplemental tool for Apple's Mail software. It attempts to make Mail search more efficient, for instance by using its own faster engine, and adding the ability to search by person. Important people are identified through a scan of earlier messages.
Gboard.com has released the Gboard, a shortcut keyboard designed specifically for Gmail users. The device provides 19 different Gmail shortcuts, for tasks such as marking spam or trash, forwarding or replying to e-mails, and adding or removing stars. The unit requires no initial software in order to work, and is color-coded to separate different task categories.
Zevrix Solutions has announced a new media delivering software, File Courier 1.0. The app is designed to improve the efficiency of sending files and folders via FTP or between local destinations. Automatic e-mail notifications, containing delivery info, can be sent to recipients, while a variety of customizable templates can be used to present the items and locations. Users can also encrypt disk images with passwords, or create low resolution versions of PDF files that can be attached to an e-mail.
In brief: Cortado has announced an update to its Hosted Exchange service for the iPhone, adding Mailbox creation support. CS Odessa delivers Snow Leopard support to its line of ConceptDraw applications featuring tools for project management and graphics creation. MacPractice, a developer of practice management and clinical applications, has added support for Apple’s latest Mac OS X 10.6 operating system to its MacPractice version 3.6.8 software.
Postbox has launched a new self-named, Mozilla-based e-mail application. The software features fast searches using operators, and a text preview mode. Content tabs allow quicker access to attachments, images, links and contacts. A related option is Find by Contact, which brings up messages, images, links and attachments for a specific contact in tabbed form. Messages in tabs can be ordered and reordered.
restoroot.com has released an upgraded edition of its winmail.dat conversion plug-in for Mail, Letter Opener 3. Winmail objects are automatically converted into attachments, vCards and iCal files, allowing proper interaction with Outlook messages. Version 3 features a complete rewrite for Snow Leopard compatibility, as well as a number of small functionality improvements.
Apple is already fully aware of a critical security flaw in the iPhone Mail client, according to an inside source. The source claims to have proof of the fact, and suggests that Apple will probably fix it with the release of the iPhone 3.1 firmware. Temporary remedies may including rebooting a phone, loading messages several times, or simply waiting long enough.
iPhones may be more susceptible to Internet-related threats, a recent Trend Micro survey suggests. The study is based on 1,000 smartphone users 18 years or older, and seeks to shed light on public beliefs about smartphone security. According to the survey, when compared with other smartphone users, iPhone owners generally use their phone's web browser more, and spend more time shopping online, visiting media-sharing websites, and sending and receiving larger quantities of e-mail, which can often involve URLs they click on. Malicious hackers and scammers may be drawn to the iPhone due to this fact, says Trend Micro.
A potential security issue in the iPhone 3.0 firmware has surfaced via a YouTube video. The bug allows users to view previously-deleted e-mails, by searching for the title of a deleted message. The results screen displays two copies of the message; when either is selected for the first time, Mail crashes. When the messages are selected a second time however, an iPhone will either display the original text, or a warning saying "This message cannot be displayed because of the way it is formatted."
At least some MobileMe subscribers have been experiencing problems with Apple's SMTP servers, according to forum discussion. In attempting to send out e-mails, the subscribers have been running into timeouts, at which point they have been prompted to pick another SMTP server. The consequence has been inconsistent delivery, frequently blocked but sometimes successful.
Kerio says it is bringing MailServer to hardware running Parallels' Mac virtualization software. With MailServer Virtual Appliance, Kerio uses a preconfigured version of CentOS 5.3 Linux as the core operating system, packaged specifically for Parallels. The software can run on any Intel-powered Apple system, including the Xserve and Mac Pro, as long as they are also utilizing Mac OS X Leopard Server.
Infinite Data Systems has launched MailForge, a Euroda-style e-mail application formally known as Odysseus. The software provides users with a place to send, manage and store HTML or text e-mails, along with a search field to help find e-mails and controls for the timing of outgoing messages. MailForge can be used in either a multi-window or tabbed interface, and offers customizable features such as message redirection and and junk-mail filters.
Kerio has released MailServer 6.7, adding a Global Address List, native support for iCal/CalDAV, and enhanced anti-spam support. The new version also includes an IMAP migration tool, making it easier to move data from other server software with minimal disruption.
Urban Design has launched Mail-Grab 1.0, a new batch e-mailing application that works with Mail. Mail-Grab extracts e-mail addresses from Apple's software, removing duplicates and applying user-determined filters to target a group for mass e-mailing. Once a message is written, Mail-Grab feeds back into Mail to generate and deliver output to each address. Mail-Grab also supports saving messages, printing them, and exporting to other applications.
iPresentee has launched a Valentine's Day Mail Stationary package, the latest addition to its line of templates meant for Apple's Mail software. The new Valentine's Day collection comes complete with 16 different templates. When downloading the artwork, an installer is provided to make sure the templates are stored in the right folder and automatically displayed in the Apple Mail New Message Stationary menu.
Developer Postbox says it has opened up beta testing of its self-named e-mail software, which can now be downloaded by the public. The app said to differ from most e-mail clients by cataloging all content within a user's e-mail, including links and attachments. This enables a user to not only search for general keywords but filter by categories, such as imagery or documents.
LizzardWerks has released Wide Email 1.2, an update to its iPhone application that offers a wider horizontal-landscape keyboard for writing e-mails. Typing shortcuts have been added, allowing users to insert words, phrases, or even paragraphs by entering just one or two letters. The shortcut list allows new content to be added, while the existing entries can also be edited or deleted. The update addresses several bugs, including a problem with transferring long messages into mailboxes.
Arten Science has posted R10Cipher, a new encryption utility. The app is claimed to simplify encryption, mainly in relation to public key systems; R10 is focused exclusively on e-mail text, and makes use of a 128-bit version of the Blowfish encryption scheme. In delivering a message, the sender inputs text into the software, which then saves the output as a message body or an attachment. The recipient must then decipher the e-mail with R10 and a shared key.
Bad Dog Apps has released an update to BdEmailer, its e-mail software for the iPhone and iPod touch. The software attempts to expand on the functionality of Apple's own Mail client, by allowing landscape typing, bulk, draft and favorite messages, and a searchable history of sent items. The app now supports the SMTP protocol, which can be used to deliver pre-formulated quick responses without leaving the app.
Falkon Ware has launched an update to its bulk e-mail app, SerialMailer 5.9, adding advanced template support. The new templates will allow embedding messages into existing designs. The custom templates can be created and edited with most web site editors, and new Christmas templates are now included for holiday mailing lists.
Kerio Technologies has updated its MailServer groupware, taking direct aim at Microsoft Exchange. The company says MailServer 6.6 has two key improvements designed to convince Exchange users to switch. The first is support for managing resources -- the ability to book conference rooms, audio/visual equipment and other assets using online tools. The second addition is a migration tool designed to make it less painful for companies to move their data from Exchange to MailServer. The new release also provides improved e-mail support for the iPhone and other mobile devices.
An independent app has been released that attempts to a address an underlying problem with iPhones and iPod touches. In regular use of an Apple handheld, the built-in Mail client does not have the option of switching to a landscape-mode keyboard, despite its presence when using Safari. TouchType is a separate e-mail client whose sole purpose is to allow typing in landscape, thereby making the keys larger, and increasing the spaces between them for the sake of accuracy.
After a long delay, IBM says it has released a new web application for the iPhone and iPod touch, Lotus Domino eMail. The function is tied to the Lotus iNotes software bundled with Lotus Domino Web Access 8.0.2, and provides access to Lotus e-mail, contacts and calendars. E-mail browsing allows the collapsing or expansion of details, and the viewing of attachment files, such as graphics.
Comm-Unity Networking Systems says it has released an update to MMEmail, its extension for FileMaker Pro. The plug-in lets people send e-mail directly from within a FileMaker database, eliminating the need to pop up other applications such as Mail or Entourage. The option is present for both developers and end-users, and allows file attachments.
Apple's MobileMe service is lacking in a useful security measure, a new report suggests. Observers note that while the web component's login process is encrypted, it does not appear to use SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) or any other type of encryption when actually sending data. Theoretically, this means that a hacker sharing the same Wi-Fi hotspot could intercept data a person is sending via their web browser.
Softhing says it has released a new version of Entourage Email Archive X, bringing the app up to v4.1. The program is used to archive e-mails and their attachments, including both sent and received items. Messages are indexed for Spotlight search, and can be restored individually or in bulk to Entourage as necessary.
Developer IceWarp has released v9.3 of its self-named server software. The suite addresses a number of tasks related to corporate communication, including e-mail, groupware and instant messaging. Among other changes in the update is a new iPhone/iPod touch interface for webmail, which lets users more quickly navigate between folders and items, while still retaining functions such as blacklisting and whitelisting.
