Friday, February 8, 2013

Software : Google just improved third-party apps integration for Drive

Software : Google just improved third-party apps integration for Drive


Google just improved third-party apps integration for Drive

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Google just improved third-party apps integration for Drive

Google Drive launched last year, and it's had no trouble making headway against competitors like SkyDrive, Dropbox and iCloud.

And though third-party apps that interact with Google Drive have long been buried, Google announced on Friday that changes had been made to remedy that.

Google's Nicolas Garnier, developer advocate focusing on Google Drive and Web APIs, wrote in a Google Developers blog post on Friday that over 100 different third-party apps feature deep Google Drive integration, and now they'll be easier to discover and access.

Google added space to the "create" menu for third-party apps to sit alongside Google apps like Docs and Sheets, plus a "Connect to Drive" app browser to search for Drive-enabled web apps without having to leave Drive at all.

Creative improvements

Clicking on the create button now reveals whatever third-party web apps you've connected with your personal Google Drive alongside the standard first party Google apps.

"This makes your Drive-connected apps easier to reach and more visible to Google Drive users," Garnier wrote in the blog post, addressing developers of apps that use Google Drive.

Within the create menu, clicking "connect more apps" allows you to browse Google Drive-connected apps from directly within Drive, negating the need to visit the Chrome Web Store.

Google app developers whose apps are already compatible with Drive and listed in the Chrome Web Store's Drive section don't have to do anything extra for their apps to be integrated thus - Google is doing it automatically.

Garnier recommended Google app developers who aren't yet integrating with Drive check out these steps to learn how to do so.

Real Time Information scares small businesses

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Real Time Information scares small businesses

An increasing number of small companies are aware of the Government's impending Real Time Information (RTI) system, but many fear that its introduction in April will cause serious problems, according to the Forum of Private Business (FPB).

It has been one of the main issues to emerge from a study on the IT outlook for small businesses conducted by the membership organisation for small businesses.

RTI is a system created by HM Revenue & Customs for payroll information to be passed on continuously rather than updated monthly. It will demand changes in the way that businesses provide the information to HMRC.

A survey of 4,000 FPB members indicates that awareness of RTI is high, with 70 per cent saying they are prepared for the changes and 18 per cent prioritising investment in technology to cope with the system.

But 65% believe that HMRC would struggle to cope with the changes, even though some had acknowledged that a pilot had run smoothly. 22 per cent claim that RTI will make it less likely for them to take on new employees, although most say it will have no impact on employment levels.

A sensible transition

Phil Orford, Chief Executive of the FPB, said that while the research shows that businesses are better prepared for RTI than similar studies have suggested, there is still a significant number that are unprepared.

"If nothing else, this paints a depressing picture of small firms' confidence in a government department that is key to their operations," he says.

"Those businesses involved with the RTI pilot run by HMRC last year were a little more confident here, but there are clearly still fears about how seamless the transition will prove to be."

He added: "With this uncertainty in mind we are calling for HMRC to adopt a sensible and reasoned approach towards enforcement in the early stages. Already the government has announced the delay to some fining powers, but the effect of the switch to online reporting must not be underestimated, nor the cost of investing in new software ignored.

"Ideally we want to see a moratorium on fines in all but the most serious cases."

A spokesperson for the FPB told TRBC that it is not concerned about companies having to spend heavily on IT to cope with RTI, but that accounts departments and staff should be aware of it requires of them. This could involve some investment in training.

The organisation has published a blogpost on the implications of RTI that advises members on the appropriate software settings and types of submission. It also suggests that if the supplier of a company's payroll software is not providing the necessary service it should look for an alternative.

Week in Tech: It's all fun and games - until someone loses an empire

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Week in Tech: It's all fun and games - until someone loses an empire

February is a great time for gamers: it's when firms gear up for the annual GDC games developers' conference, and it's when those firms' plans start to leak like a great big leaky boat.

First up: the PS4!

We've known about the PlayStation 4 for ages, of course, but this week we finally got some concrete details: Sony's going to spill the PS4 beans on the 20th of February, and it won't be cheap. Never mind the hardware, though: is Sony going to try and kill off the second-hand market?

As James Rivington reports, "Current industry wisdom suggests that future PS4 games might be tied to your Sony Entertainment Network account and will thus then have no resale value." Valve's Steam has a similar approach, but that "doesn't mean we're happy about it."

Xbox and PS4

We're not happy about Microsoft's plans either. As has been discovered, it looks like "you won't be able to play second-hand games on the forthcoming Xbox 720": it'll need an always-on internet connection, "meaning every single game will be verified as you fire it up."

Don't you just love it when anti-piracy moves make life worse for law-abiding customers and help push high street retailers a little closer to bankruptcy? Perhaps the next time we go into Game, someone from Microsoft or Sony will punch us in the face.

If they do, we'll say: Ouya!

By happy concidence, Ouya just happens to be the name of a brand new and potentially very exciting console. The company is now taking pre-orders for the innovative Android console, and promises that all games will be free to play. That doesn't mean they'll be free, but it does mean that you'll at least get a demo. The hardware is open, hackable and can potentially run anything Android-y.

Ouya hit the headlines thanks to a very successful Kickstarter campaign, where it promised to build the device if enough people backed it. Could the same thing work for Darth Vader? Apparently so: the Kickstarter campaign to build a Death Star raised more than £50,000 in its first day. Unfortunately that's still a bit short of the final goal which, as we report, is £54,300,000,000,000,000. It looks like the Evil Empire has a long way to go.

Ouya

Microsoft keeps Dell on side

Did someone say evil empire? They can't have meant Microsoft, because Microsoft is all nice and just gave Dell two billion quid. The reason? To help founder Michael Dell take the company private and point it in a new direction.

Is that all? Gary Marshall wonders, because Dell wants to get out of the consumer PC market - a market Microsoft would very much like Dell to stay in. "The prospect of Dell dumping its consumer products or worse, staying in the business but embracing other OSes, is something Steve Ballmer doesn't want to see," he argues. "And if that means handing out a few billion? For Microsoft, that's small change."

You'll need more than small change if you fancy Microsoft's latest product, the Surface Pro: the full-fat Windows 8 laptoptabletthingy Surface Pro launches this week with a starting price of $900. That's for the 64GB; the 128GB is $1,000, and you'll need to buy the snazzy keyboard or touch cover separately. Is it any good? We sent Windows wizard Mary Branscombe to find out, and she says it's quite nifty. It even comes with a free pen.

Office 2013 doesn't come with a free pen, but it does have lots of new things for you - and as ever, Mary Branscombe has the low-down. The new subscription model makes it cheaper to buy (although you can't skip a year), and every app has something new and great in it.

The only real downside? Windows XP users will have to look elsewhere, and if you don't like the Metro design language you'll have to use it with your eyes closed.

Buying Guide: Best Photoshop alternatives: six we recommend

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Buying Guide: Best Photoshop alternatives: six we recommend

Best Photoshop alternatives

Photoshop CS has long been considered the world's best image editor, and it's now the standard by which all image-editing programs are judged. But it's not without flaws - it's both complicated and expensive.

So we've taken a look at six cheaper alternatives to Photoshop. Our round-up of Photoshop alternatives doesn't just list programs that offer the same or similar tools as Photoshop, but for less, though. It also has programs that approach photography in a different way.

So don't imagine that Photoshop CS is still the only serious choice photographers, because any one of the six applications on test could change your mind.

So what are the best Photoshop CS alternatives? Let's find out...

Adobe Photoshop Elements 11

Price: £79

Photoshop Elements

Photoshop Elements takes some of the core tools from Photoshop and wraps them up in a novice-friendly interface so new users won't be daunted but more experienced photographers can still apply advanced image manipulation techniques. In fact, Elements is not one program but two.

As well as the Elements Editor, there's an Organiser application with some powerful tools of its own. Adobe Bridge, which comes with Photoshop, is a fairly basic browsing tool for viewing the contents of your folders, but the Elements Organiser is a more sophisticated database application that allows faster searches and the ability to bring photos together into themed Albums, without changing their location on your computer.

The Editor itself works in three modes: Simple, Guided and Expert. In Simple mode you can carry out basic adjustments in a semi-automatic fashion with the minimum of jargon. Guided mode introduces more ambitious effects by explaining specific tools and helping you apply them step by step.

These Simple and Guided modes are great for novice and intermediate users, but they could easily give the impression that Elements is a seriously dumbed-down version of Photoshop. It's not - and the Expert mode shows just what it can do.

Performance

From a photographic point of view, there's not much that Photoshop can do that Elements can't. You can create layers and selections in just the same way, and apply the same effects and adjustments.

There are exceptions - Elements offers only basic curves adjustments, for example - but most techniques you would use in Photoshop can be applied in Elements too. The Photomerge Panorama, Scene Cleaner and Exposure options are clever and effective, and Elements 11 has Adobe's latest 'content-aware' technology that can be used to remove objects and filling gaps.

Lightroom and Aperture can both be set up to use Photoshop as an external editor, but you could just as easily use Elements instead. And the combined cost would still be less than half what you'd pay for CS.

Verdict: 5/5

Buy direct from Adobe.com

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4

Price: £104

Photoshop Lightroom

Lightroom takes care of all your photographic needs, from importing your photos to organising them, enhancing them and sharing them with other people as books slideshows, prints or web galleries.

It's arranged as a series of modules, displayed horizontally along the top of the window. It's in the first Library module that most of the work is done. Here, you import your photos then browse them in their original folders, or organise them into Collections for specific jobs or projects.

You can also create Smart Collections, which use search criteria to automatically pick out shots taken within a certain time period or with keywords, for example.

You enhance your photos in the Develop module, and the editing tools here are based around those in Adobe Camera Raw, the same raw-conversion software that comes with Photoshop. The tools are arranged in a more accessible and logical format though, using collapsible panels at the side of the screen. Lightroom makes no distinction between raw files, JPEGs, TIFF images or Photoshop files - it works on them all in the same way.

Finally, all the adjustments you make are non-destructive - the original images remain unaltered, and you can modify or remove any of your adjustments at any time.

Performance

Lightroom's editing tools don't match Photoshop's. It can't layer images, for example, and while it can carry out localised adjustments to colours, tones, clarity and more, it doesn't offer precise selections as such. Its tonal and colour enhancement tools are quick to apply, effective and easy to undo.

It's very good at enhancing specific colours or colour ranges, carrying out black-and-white conversions and curves adjustments. It incorporates Adobe's automatic lens correction profile, and the Adjustment Brush and Graduated Filter tools are very quick and useful.

If your main interest is making the most of your photographs, rather than combining images in montages and applying special effects, you won't mind that its editing tools are more limited. This makes Lightroom a genuine alternative to Photoshop, but you can't rule out the possibility that you might still need Photoshop (or Elements) for certain jobs.

Verdict: 4/5

Buy direct from Adobe.com

Apple Aperture 3.4.3

Price: £55

Apple Aperture

Aperture is Apple's equivalent to Lightroom. It works on exactly the same principle, importing your photos into a database for rapid, flexible organising and searching, and applying non-destructive editing processes that preserve the original images untouched. These are your Masters, and they can be stored either in their original folders on your hard disk, or copied into the Aperture library.

What you see and work on are Versions of these Masters - though you can export new files with all the adjustments applied when you need them. Aperture is especially fast and efficient at organising all your images, more so than Lightroom in fact, but its editing tools are not quite as good.

The approach is the same as Lightroom's. The tools are all arranged as a series of expanding panels down the side of the screen, and they're stored in the Aperture Library rather than being applied directly to your images, or Masters. These adjustments can be reversed, modified or removed at any time.

Performance

You can carry out basic adjustments such as cropping, Levels adjustments, Curves and sophisticated hue, saturation and tonal adjustments, but while Aperture can correct chromatic aberration, it doesn't fix lens distortions, either with automatic lens correction profiles or even manually.

It does offer localised adjustments via Quick Brushes, for tone and colour enhancement, sharpening and noise reduction, for example, but they're not as straightforward to apply as Lightroom's Adjustment Brushes. This makes it all the more likely that you're going to need a separate image-editing application for anything other than routine image enhancements.

You can save adjustments as preset effects, just as you can in Photoshop Lightroom, but where Lightroom could conceivably replace Photoshop, it's unlikely that Aperture ever would.

Aperture does have other strengths, including its efficient photo management, its photo book design tools, web galleries and web journals, which combine photos and text in the form of a blog-style website. It also has a unique Light Table feature for combining and comparing pictures on a virtual table to arrive at a cohesive and complementary collection for a portfolio or publication.

However, while it's a very strong Photoshop complement for Mac owners - especially at just £55 - it's not a Photoshop replacement.

Verdict: 4/5

Buy direct from the Apple Store

Three more Photoshop alternatives reviewed

Corel PaintShop Pro X5

Price: £80

Paintshop Pro X5

PaintShop Pro has gone through many incarnations since its early days as a shareware image-editing package. Now owned by Corel, it's a powerful and relatively inexpensive program available in Standard and Ultimate editions.

The Ultimate version adds a Creative Collection of images, brush packs and textures, Facefilter 2 makeover and sculpting tools and Nik Color Efex Pro 3. It's not the latest version of Nik's effects suite, but it still boasts over 250 filter effects.

PaintShop Pro combines image organising and editing tools into a single window with three tabs: Manage, Adjust and Edit. The Manage tab combines folder-browsing tools with Collections and Smart Collections, while the Adjust tab is for carrying out routine image enhancements like cropping, tonal and colour adjustments.

Performance

The real editing work is done in the Edit tab. Here, PaintShop Pro offers almost all the tools you'd see in Photoshop, from layers, Layer Masks and Blending Modes, to sophisticated options like HDR (high dynamic range) image merging tools and a Photo Blend tool for blending parts of diff erent objects - for example, you could combine two or more examples of the same group shot to produce a single image where everyone is smiling at once.

You get a good range of special effects too, including a Retro Lab, which enables you to simulate the look of old lo-fi cameras like the Lomo and Holga.

PaintShop Pro can also be used to add text to your photos and, interestingly, vector objects. These are shapes you can create and modify individually and merge with your photographic images. You can create simple shapes and custom curves and outlines you can reshape using nodes. You also get Picture Tubes, which helps you to paint repeating objects on your images.

PaintShop Pro is a very powerful and interesting alternative to Photoshop, but it doesn't feel as responsive to use. Instant Effects take a few moments to apply, for example, and while the effects of Adjustment Layers are previewed in the adjustment panel, they're not applied live to the image as you move the sliders.

Verdict: 4/5

Buy direct from Corel.com

DxO Optics Pro 8

Price: £269

DxO optics

DxO Optics Pro is more of an image-enhancer than an image-manipulator. It's designed to take the imperfect images captured by your camera and your lenses, correct their faults and make them as technically perfect as possible.

It's all based on hard science, using custom-made correction profiles for thousands of camera lens combinations. These are tested by parent company DxO Labs, which also makes its testing processes and equipment available to other companies - Digital Camera uses DxO equipment for its camera and lens tests, for example.

DxO Optics Pro identifies the camera and lens using the EXIF shooting information embedded in the file, then loads the appropriate correction profile automatically, or prompts you to download one.

It doesn't support every possible camera and lens combination, but it's rare to find a mainstream camera-lens combination that's not on the list. The software then automatically corrects a range of lens faults, including chromatic aberration (colour fringing), distortion (barrel and pincushion), corner shading (vignetting) and edge softness. You can also manually correct perspective distortion and anamorphous distortion, where objects are distorted at the edges of wide-angle shots.

Performance

DxO works on both raw and JPEG files, but these must be unedited. The raw conversions are of a very high standard, and are particularly good at reducing noise in high ISO shots. It also uses advanced lighting controls to maximise the dynamic range of raw files and balance the lighting in high-contrast scenes.

But it's not an image editor as such, because although it offers various preset 'looks', it doesn't support layers, or any kind of manual, localised adjustments. This means DxO Optics Pro is a tool you'd use right at the start of your image editing workflow to maximise the quality of your original images.

If you never manipulate your images anyway, that could be enough, but you're almost certainly going to need some other image-editor to go with it.

The Standard version isn't that expensive, but if you have an advanced SLR you may need the Elite version, which is twice the price. The tools are the same, and it all depends on what camera you use. If you have a Nikon D7000, for example, the Standard edition is fine, but if you have a D800, you'll need Elite.

Buy direct from DxO.com

Verdict: 3/5

Serif PhotoPlus X6

Price: £71

PhotoPlus X6

PhotoPlus X6 is a program in two parts. There's PhotoPlus X6 itself, and a separate PhotoPlus Organiser to take care of all your image filing needs. This is basic but effective, displaying the content of the folders on your hard disk, or Albums of images drawn together from different places.

Like rival programs, it can also display Smart Albums based on image search criteria. It takes the Organiser a while to display thumbnails in newly added folders though, and while it can display raw files directly, the colours look oddly flat.

Once your images are opened in PhotoPlus, you're presented with a set of tools that are remarkably similar to those in Photoshop. It's like being transported to a parallel universe where everything is superficially the same, yet oddly different.

Performance

PhotoPlus X6 has an all-new Raw Studio, Serif's equivalent of Adobe's Camera Raw plug-in. It can apply localised image adjustments and you can manually correct lens aberrations such as chromatic aberration, vignetting and distortion. It's a step ahead of Photoshop Elements in this respect, but not up to the standards of Photoshop's automated lens correction profiles and adjustment brushes.

It's not easy to get good results from raw files either. Colours need a strong boost, and our raw images had a narrow bar of solid colour down one side, which suggested some compatibility issues. Serif's clearly working hard to keep pace with Photoshop, including a non-destructive (reversible) Crop tool, just like the one in Photoshop CS6.

When you apply adjustments, they're created on new Adjustment Layers, just like you can in Photoshop. The similarities between the two are so strong it's easy to imagine that any effect you can create in Photoshop can be replicated in PhotoPlus.

Yet by comparison it actually feels quite crude and unfinished. It ticks all the boxes, but it lacks the speed, clarity and precision of the program it's trying to emulate.

Serif PhotoPlus X6 is an interesting choice if you're keen to get the most bang for your buck, but it's not easy for beginners to get to grips with, and nor is it fast, polished and reliable enough to compete with Photoshop. It can deliver very good results in the right hands, but you'll need good technical know-how and a willingness to turn a blind eye to its rough edges.

Verdict: 3/5

Buy direct from Serif.com

The best Photoshop CS alternative is...

If you can't afford to stump up a whole load of cash for Photoshop, which of these six alternative programs can step in to fill the gap?

Each of these programs brings something unique to the table, and their scores reflect how well their featureset and performance compare with Photoshop CS6. Lightroom offers an effective way of working with your photos, and Aperture does the same for Mac owners.

PaintShop Pro X5 is cheap, straightforward and effective, while PhotoPlus X6 tackles Photoshop head-on. DxO Optics Pro concentrates on image enhancement, beating the limitations of your camera and lenses.

But the winner is Photoshop Elements 11. It's simple enough for novices, yet powerful enough for experts. It does almost everything Photoshop can, but using language, tools and processes designed for everyday photographers rather than jargon-savvy professionals.

Our test results

Our top three Photoshop alternatives in a nutshell

Adobe Photoshop Elements 11

What's good: it does almost everything you'd need an image editor to do.

What's bad: the novice-orientated approach could get on your nerves.

Our verdict: Elements 11 is great at both organising and editing your photos, whatever your level of photographic experience.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4

What's good: Combines organising and editing.

What's bad: lacks more advanced tools, like layers.

Our verdict: does lots of things Photoshop doesn't.

Corel Paintshop Pro X5

What's good: more powerful than elements in some ways…

What's bad: dated and awkward to use in others.

Our verdict: good if you want to try new tools.

How we tested the photos

All of the programs featured here were tested on a dual-core computer with 8Gb RAM in order to achieve a level playing field for speed and performance comparisons.

Lightroom 4, Aperture 3.4.3 and DxO Optics Pro were run under Mac OS X 10.8, while Elements 11, PaintShop Pro X5 and PhotoPlus X6 were tested with Windows 7. The applications were evaluated using a range of criteria:

  • Range of tools compared to Photoshop
  • Additional options that are missing or less advanced in Photoshop
  • Ease of use and interface design
  • Range of effects and quality of results
  • Suitability for users of different levels

The brief was principally to find which program(s) are genuine alternatives to Photoshop, but also to highlight new advances or ideas in image-editing that Photoshop users may not have considered.

We use reviewers with long-standing experience in their respective fields, both with the products being tested and their previous versions. Our reviews also allow for the latest trends and developments in the marketplace.

Small businesses spend on e-invoicing

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Small businesses spend on e-invoicing

A growing number of small and midsized businesses are making use of e-invoicing technology, according to a survey on their attitudes to IT by the Forum of Private Business (FPB).

It says a survey of 4,000 of its members reveals that 47% said they would use e-invoicing by the end of the year.

Respondents planning to send e-invoices to all customers indicate that they believe it would improve prompt payment.

By contrast, 38% have no plans for e-invoicing. They cite a number of barriers, most notably the difficulty in linking the technology to current credit control procedures.

Phil Orford, Chief Executive of the FPB, says: "When it comes to e-invoicing, the benefits to a business of such a system are well known to effectively tackle late payment by customers. Take-up appears reasonably positive among SMEs; 47% reported that they would use e-invoicing by the end of the year.

"If the government can tackle the biggest barrier of interoperability with credit control procedures then this figure is likely to jump much higher."

The survey also shows that when it came to investing in technology, 35% of firms are looking to spend on existing systems to get them working better. 31% are not looking to invest at all in the coming year.

There also appears to be less enthusiasm for cloud computing and mobile technologies. Business owners are split around the benefits of cloud computing, with 27% supportive and 26% suggesting the disadvantages outweigh the benefits.

The main disadvantages cited are data security (33%), lack of understanding (31%) and connectivity issues (23%).

Almost half (44%) of businesses surveyed feel that 4G mobile technology will have only a slight effect on the way businesses operate, with just 4% of the opinion it will be significant. 34% feel it would make no difference.

One in four businesses say that improved broadband speed iss the key support needed by businesses.

Orford says that more small firms need to look at increasing their investment in IT.

"While there are of course immense opportunities here, from innovative use of new government data to create apps, to potential cost cutting for smaller businesses by automated invoicing services, it is clear there is also a huge culture change needed amongst a wide demographic of businesses," he says.

"The message to business is clear: get on board or get left behind."

This was the first survey on IT investment carried out by the FPB, which is a membership organisation for small businesses.

Could 2014 hold Microsoft Office support for Linux?

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Could 2014 hold Microsoft Office support for Linux?

Will 2013 be the year of Linux? Maybe not, but then 2014 could certainly pick up that scepter instead.

A rumor appeared earlier this week that Microsoft is developing its first ever native Linux program, a Microsoft Office port that could be ready by 2014. Office for Android is already in development, and since Android is a Linux-based OS, it will be that much easier to get Office onto Ubuntu or another Linux distribution.

The report came by way of Phoronix, which was tipped off by an unnamed source at the Free Open-Source Developers' European Meeting (FOSDEM) in Brussels over the weekend.

If true, it would mark the first time that Microsoft deigned to develop anything for Linux, besides its Hyper-V virtualization for enterprise.

Why the change of heart?

Microsoft has so far mostly ignored Linux, but the open source operating system has been on the rise recently.

As of last summer, Linux still held a distant third place to OS X and Windows, with 5 percent of total PC users.

OS X then held 8.7 percent, and Windows had the rest.

Those numbers can't have changed too much in the past several months, but nevertheless Linux's future is looking brighter, thanks in large part to the ongoing rise of Linux gaming.

The rise of Linux

That movement is being led by Valve, which began beta testing a Linux version of Steam, its popular PC gaming platform, in November.

Phoronix speculated that Microsoft could also be looking at the increasing numbers of governments and businesses switching to Linux as a good reason to get Office onto the platform ASAP.

TechRadar asked Microsoft if the company had anything to say on the matter, but a spokesperson responded simply to remind us that Microsoft does not comment on rumors.

For more on Linux, check out TechRadar's history of Linux, beginner's guide to the OS, best alternative Linux desktops, and our guide on turning your Linux PC into a gaming powerhouse. It makes for excellent reading.

Mailbox app for iPhone goes live, but you'll have to jump in line

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Mailbox app for iPhone goes live, but you'll have to jump in line

Mailbox, the third-party Gmail app for the iPhone made by Orchestra, is up and running. The only problem is, you'll have to wait your turn to download it.

"Currently filling reservations on a first-come, first-serve basis," an all-caps message on the App Store read.

Only users who reserved their spot by signing up in advance are gaining first access. That's not to say you can't get a reservation - you just have to wait behind a few hundred thousand people.

The Mailbox team noted on their website that reservations will fill slowly to start in order to make sure all the cloud-based systems can handle the user load, but over time the numbers will pick up. Users can track where they are in line using a real-time ticker (available upon install) that counts down how many people are in front of them and how many people behind.

TechRadar has a reservation - we only have 296,440 people ahead of us.

Is it worth the wait?

The numbers are stacking up quickly on our tail, signaling demand is still boisterous for the app that promises to help users "fly" through their email thanks to a redesigned inbox. We signed up to receive a push notification in our Gmail when our turn is up, but for now it's fun to know we're no longer anchoring the end.

According to the company's site, the service checks emails in the cloud before securely depositing them in your mailbox. It's all about getting down to zero - read and respond to what's important, trash what's not, and keep your inbox light and clutter-free.

As for the app's nitty gritty, it relies on simple gestures and better organization to put an email service to the most task-efficient use. Users can single-swipe a message to archive or trash it. The app organizes conversations in a chat-like fashion for more coherent reading.

Mailbox app

Mailbox also snoozes emails for later using a button tap, sending stuff you don't want to read immediately back to the inbox to deal with tonight, tomorrow, or whenever. Plus, Mailbox can provide push notifications for new emails.

It's free too, so there's no risk on your pocket book for the potential reward of gaining a better way to use your email.

It's only running for Gmail at the moment, but Mailbox said other email platforms are coming soon. But keep an eye out for when you can get in line.

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