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Google Apologizes to Business Apps Users for the Gmail Outage

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Gmail went down yesterday affecting  not only Gmail users on the web but also those paying Google apps users in businesses and goverment agencies. The time was exactly around 9:30 am GMT and lasted for almost 2.5 hours according to the Official Google Blog.  Fortunately, during the outage most of the U.S.-based users are probably still asleep by then. But for the rest of the Gmail users worldwide, this has certainly cause too much trouble and inconveniences. Luckily, I didn’t notice as I was still on the road when the outage happened.

Anyway, Google is still investigating what caused the Gmail outage.  Google’s Site Reliability Manager admitted that this was certainly a rare occurence. 

For users of the Gmail web interface who are not paying anything to use Gmail and who were inconvenienced by the outage,  they could only sigh in relief now that the service is now back to normal. But for the two hours of productivity that they’ve  lost, they can only blame Google but get nothing in return.

While Google Apps users who pays Google to have the Gmail feature, Google is giving you 15-day free access to Google Apps.  Not bad for a 2.5-hour service breakdown, right?

So, how were you affected by the Gmail outage? Were you so dependent on Gmail that you almost went on rage when you could not access it yesterday morning?

Can Nokia’s New Ovi Store Compete with iTunes Apps Store?

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One of the most exciting announcements made at the ongoing Mobile Web Congress happening in Barcelona was Nokia’s new mobile content application service called Ovi Store. According to Nokia, the Ovi Store will integrate all its current mobile content services, Download, MOSH and WidSets into the Ovi Store. And to make things more interesting the Nokia is also opening the Ovi Store’s door to third-party mobile phone applications developer through revenue sharing similar to Apple’s policy with its Apps Store.

From the looks of it, the Nokia Ovi Store is a promising endeavour for Nokia and if carried out properly, Nokia may have something good in the offing for their mobile product offerings. Nokia mobile phones continue to be the most widely used mobile phone devices worldwide despite having less clout in the American market. Elsewhere, Nokia still dominates the mobile phone market, especially in Asian countries.

So, if Nokia could come up with a mobile content and applications store as good as Apple’s iTunes Apps Store, you can just imagine how big its consumers will be. Nokia mobile phones market share is still bigger than the iPhone despite the huge success that Apple’s mobile device has gained since it was launched. And if Nokia’s Ovi Store could offer something as robust as the iTunes Apps Store plus other mobile stuff, then it could very well give the iTunes Apps Store a run for its money.

Can Nokia’s Ovi Store compete with iTunes Apps Store? Probably yes. But could third party application developers come up with good applications for Nokia’s mobile phones, or could Nokia phones handle sophisticated mobile applications? Those are the proper question to ask. And the answers are yet to be ascertained.

10 Mindfulness Apps and Gadgets to Help Improve Your Mental Health

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Image by Raimund Feher from Pixabay

In recent years, mental health awareness has taken center stage. Although the stigma surrounding mental wellness (including mental illnesses and mental health conditions) has not been erased, it surely has been significantly reduced in the past decades. 

And because of it, highly beneficial practices — such as mindfulness, journaling, and meditation — have fortunately emerged as a result of this action. Now, people don’t have to go far to learn how to put their mental health first.

[Read more…] about 10 Mindfulness Apps and Gadgets to Help Improve Your Mental Health

Health & Wellness Apps that Give Women Control

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When it comes to wearable apps, how users engage with technology will ultimately influence the next round of innovation, and form will always be predicated on function, especially for busy women.

Form & Function

Stylish wearable accessories have come a long way since the Apple Watch, and these days, smart rings enable you to pay for purchases with a slight gesture of the hand, smart belts monitor eating habits and physical activity, while custom smart glasses allow users to see the world in a totally new way.

[Read more…] about Health & Wellness Apps that Give Women Control

3 Shooting Apps You Have Got To Try

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shooting-app

Why do we like to shoot at things? We shoot rubber bands, rolled up papers, spit wads, sticks, rocks, arrows, bb guns, and real guns. We love to aim at something and fire away. There is some instinctive hunger to eye a target, estimate the distance, prepare the shot, and release the projectile. The need transcends culture and is the basis for most sports; put the ball in the hoop, pitch over the plate, kick the ball in the goal, pass the ball to the target.

In its most current derivation, that need can be met on the screens of our phones and mobile devices. Games that challenge us in our ability to shoot targets, game or even people are insanely popular. We still can purchase a rifle legally, equip it with a powerful optic device, buy ammunition, find a range or go hunting, and shoot things to smithereens. We can also do many of the same things, albeit with much less sensory input, sitting comfortably on our couches. Right or wrong, you decide. Here are 5 Apps for iOs you should give a shot: [Read more…] about 3 Shooting Apps You Have Got To Try