After more than a year, Outlook.com finally adds IMAP support

Microsoft has finally added IMAP support to Outlook.com, more than a year after the service was unveiled as the successor to Hotmail. The feature, available immediately and in tandem with OAuth, gives third-party developers another option when it comes to syncing messages and folders from the service.

Although the IMAP protocol is older than Microsoft's preferred method of email sync, Exchange ActiveSync (EAS), it's still a widely supported protocol, especially on feature phones and Mac OS email clients. Microsoft's Steve Kafka writes "we heard your feedback loud and clear that this was important", and announced the tighter integration Outlook.com in certain apps, including TripIt, Sift and OtherInbox.

IMAP (an abbreviation for Internet Message Access Protocol) was first designed way back in 1986 as a remote mailbox protocol, although it has been developed and improved on since the first iteration. One of the key features of IMAP is its robust folder system, allowing users to manage their emails in the hierarchy and setup that they prefer.

Gmail has supported IMAP since late 2007, and although the company offered EAS syncing options, last year it was announced that EAS support would be phased out, much to the annoyance of Windows Phone users. Gmail now primarily uses IMAP, CardDAV and CalDAV to sync emails, contacts and calendars respectively.

While Microsoft has now included IMAP support in Outlook.com, it still recommends using Exchange ActiveSync wherever possible. However if you do want to setup a third-party client to access Outlook.com through IMAP, Microsoft has listed instructions at the bottom of their blog post.

SanDisk's Extreme Pro CFast 2.0 memory card is the world's fastest

SanDisk can claim two milestones with the Extreme Pro CFast 2.0: it's both the fastest memory card available of any kind, and also the first CFast 2.0 memory card. CFast 2.0 is a CompactFlash memory card variant, with the CompactFlash Association having announced the specification last year, boasting speeds of up to 600 MB/s through a SATA interface.

The Extreme Pro CFast 2.0 card doesn't quite reach the maximum transfer speeds of the CFast 2.0 spec, but it does support SSD-like performance. SanDisk claims the card is capable of 450 MB/s read speeds and 350 MB/s write speeds, saying it will take just four minutes to transfer a 100 GB file from the memory card.

As the CFast 2.0 specification is new, there will be limited support for these cards in the recording equipment they're designed for. The Arri Arima, a professional documentary-style video camera, will be one such device that will support SanDisk's new CFast 2.0 card, with the super-fast speeds allowing 2K video to be recorded at 200 frames per second and at high bitrates.

For users who want to stick with traditional CompactFlash cards, SanDisk has also announced the highest capacity CF card they've produced, coming with 256 GB of storage. It'll cost you though, with SanDisk listing a regular retail price of $1,809 for the high-capacity memory card.

SanDisk hasn't specified exactly how much the Extreme Pro CFast 2.0 cards - available in 60 GB and 120 GB capacities - will cost, but we can't imagine they'll be cheap either when they hit stores "soon".

Google gains legal right to use Gmail brand in Germany

Google happily announced on its blog todaythat @googlemail.com will now become @gmail.com in Germany. This marks the first time in several years that @gmail.com will be the default option for German users. Google had switched to @googlemail.com following a trademark dispute with businessman Daniel Girsch. Girsch was the owner of a German "electronic postal delivery" service named "G-mail", a company name which was short for "Girsch mail".

In 2005, when Google rolled out its Gmail service across Europe, both the United Kingdom and Germany quickly disputed its use based on trademark infringements. Faced with the proposition of having to pull Gmail from those countries, Google decided to re-label its service from Gmail to "Google Mail"  and offered U.K. and German citizens @googlemail.com addresses instead.

Eventually, Google settled with U.K. opposition but in 2007, Germans cemented their decision, preventing the company from operating in the country under its Gmail label.

Although the nature of the settlement is unknown, Google now appears to own both gmail.de and the German G-mail trademark, making it legal for the company to offer @gmail.com by default.

Existing users with @googlemail.com addresses will be able to transition to @gmail.com if they so desire. For users who do convert, their @googlemail.com email address will continue to remain active as an alias. This means if someone sends that user an email to their old @googlemail.com address, it will still arrive in their @gmail.com inbox. Additionally, users can even change back to @googlemail.com if they wish.

Black Friday iTunes email scam doing the rounds

Black Friday marks the start of the Christmas shopping period for many. Among the endless offers available to consumers is lurking the latest email scam in the form of a would-be offer from Apple.

The email titled "iTunes Gift Certificate" purportedly claims that you've won a free voucher valued at $50 for iTunes, but in order to claim it you need to open an attached zip file, releasing the malware on your computer in the process. Reports by the BBC suggest passwords will be at risk, it will affect the performance of your computer, and may wipe files from your drives.

The malware has been confirmed as Mal/BredoZp-B, first spotted by the German security group Eleven-Security. According to Sophos, a net security firm, the email suggests that once you have verified your account it will be credited with the $50 voucher. Consumers should be wary of any offer they receive through suspect emails that require you to act on them beyond visiting their respective websites.

Apple does have some genuine offers on, though. Their one-day Apple shopping event offers a small discount on nearly all of their music and computer products.

iPad 2s are available with a $41 saving, as well as a $101 discount on MacBook Air, Macbook Pro and iMac products. You can save yourself $21 on a iPod touch, but iPhone and Mac Pro products appear to have been excluded from the one-day special offer. Those hunting for a replacement Magic Mouse or most other Mac accessories can also take advantage of smaller discounts.

The Christmas period always marks an increase in phishing attacks and scams such as this iTunes fraud, as cybercriminals try to take advantage by preying on the shopping frenzy it creates. It certainly sounds appealing to cash-strapped shoppers when offered that sort of free money for music, videos or games.

The USA Today has published a handy guide with tips and advice to better protect yourself during the festive season, which can help people avoid any unpleasant surprises in the run up to Christmas.

Nook Color update adds apps, email, Flash and more

Lenovo was apparently leaking like a sieve over the weekend and now details for two still-unannounced products are starting to emerge ahead of their official announcement. The first concerns a new ThinkPad laptop model that's slimmer and thinner than any of its predecessors and also happens to feature a non-removable with new Rapid Charge technology, which will result in charging times 2.5 times faster than previous ThinkPad batteries.

The ThinkPad X1 will reportedly feature a 13.3-inch Gorilla Glass display with 1366 x 768 resolution, 2.5GHz Intel Core i5 2520M processor, up to 8GB RAM, a 160GB SSD for fast storage and will be just 21.5mm thick. Despite the small size you'll still find a decent assortment of connectivity options, with USB 3.0, eSATA, 3G Mobile Broadband, an SDXC memory card reader, and a hybrid "Digital Display Port" that could output to either DisplayPort or HDMI.

The leaked presentation slides show the X1 right alongside Lenovo's latest Edge models, the E420s and E220s, as part of "a new generation of ThinkPads." Although battery life on the X1 was not mentioned, Lenovo says it's three times more than a typical notebook and the new Rapid Charge technology will bring it to 80% charge in just 30 minutes.

As for the second big reveal it involves a new Honeycomb tablet from Lenovo carrying the ThinkPad moniker. This is separate from the often-delayed (in the U.S. at least) LePad tablet, and given the name it will likely target a business crowd with the usual security features and solid build quality.