VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Anyone picked up on this yet?

http://pressoffice.virginmedia.com/p...473&highlight=

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

So they've finally realised their own servers are shockingly bad?

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

No - offers Over 7GB of storage and @virginmedia.com email addresses for customers.
That's more than the current storage for most other companies.
Any idea on the storage space with other ISPs?

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Yes but the point is, it's being held on Google's servers, some people might not like this because of the so called Spy Adverts they show, whether this will be removed in VM's branded offering - who knows, most ISP's mailboxes are around 10meg

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

oohh... they finally got round to doing this!

Where do I click?

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Revert to pen and paper then?

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

"Available to all of Virgin Media’s home broadband customers, the enhanced services will be piloted by the first 20,000 new customers to sign up from today, with full launch to all new customers shortly after. Existing customers will then be migrated across to the new service at no extra cost and will be able to keep their existing @blueyonder.co.uk, @ntlworld.com or @virgin.net email addresses or choose to sign up for new @virginmedia.com email addresses."

---------- Post added at 10:09 ---------- Previous post was at 10:09 ----------

Did I say it bothered me?

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

They can sign me up now :)

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Nice, I'm looking forward to exploring what the new service offers. I'm assuming they will still allow POP3 access rather than forcing everyone onto a Virginized Gmail webmail interface though. Does anyone know?

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

we already have... mental ward ;)

wouldnt mind it but quite happy with my email accounts as they are.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Don't use the existing Virgin email system because its naff, The google system works well and having a virginmedia.com address will be nice.

BTW you know they let me out from time to time, Mostly for the Clan events

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

To be honest I use the Googlemail account anyway rather than the NTLWORLD account email. I find the spam filtering better, it's portable (can use it from home and work), and with Googlemail there's an alleged infinite storage space available.
Oh yes - and they offer IMAP too which saves storing the mails on my hard drive, and makes them even more portable.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

In the case of Sky somewhat less, they have used Google for some time but have a 10GB limit.

BT's storage is unlimited, it's rebranded Yahoo.

Already use Google and prefer ISP-agnostic email so will not be doing anything, VM offers me nothing over this.

Prize to the person who gets richard.branson@virginmedia.com and neil.berkett@virginmedia.com though ;)

---------- Post added at 10:39 ---------- Previous post was at 10:37 ----------

No, they (we) clone you then hypnotise you into thinking you were let out.

As far as VM's email goes you and I remember the old system, poor abused thing, that and the old Usenet service earned their keep :D

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

I thought that the idea was going to be that you could keep your old address and also have a new virginmedia.com address. People register with websites using an e-mail address and so there could be a lot of things to change over to any new address.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Sounds like it's google apps' version of gmail so they'll be able to have imap or pop3. I don't agree with ISPs using gmail, not because of the whole big bad google rubbish but because i think email is something the ISPs should handle and not outsource.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

You're on the wrong ISP then, once this is migrated over Virgin will have outsourced email, usenet and online storage.

I see the point, ISPs should provide internet connectivity and leave things like email and news hosting to the experts, it's why I like the Be/O2 model of charging as little as possible and provide internet access only.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Agreed.

Whilst disk and hardware prices have gone down considerably in the last few years, trying to give 3 million customers 6GB each (18,000 Terabytes of disk, not including any mirroring or duplication for backup), would be a little (actually a lot) expensive. ;)

Leave it to the experts, like Google or MS (imho). We just outsourced our Student email to Google (no adverts as part of the deal), as the cost and complexity of giving 30,000 students 6GB each was not a step I, or the University, were willing to take (we could spend the money on more beneficial things for the students).

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

I only use the email for things that are registered to it with the email being forwarded to a google apps account so this change won't really affect me.

I do agree with the ISP should just provide the connection though but as usage of email/usenet/homepages isn't forced I don't particularly mind

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

where do i sign up?

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

I believe from an earlier posting it's being rolled out to new customers initially.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Boo!!! :(

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Don't forget it's most likely compressed at their end, and since everything in an email (inc attachments) is encoded as text it probably compresses very well indeed

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Well you could just open a Googlemail account, and then set up POP3 to pull your VM emails into the Google account?

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Not really. The attachments will be stored as is, they won't be held at Google in ASCII format, moreover that text will not compress well as it will lack the usual repetition and patterns present in standard text files. It's those patterns that make text so compressible, 8 bit binary converted to 7 bit ASCII doesn't tend to have those and the binary -> ASCII conversion increases file size somewhat.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Hope Google sort out the authorisation issue that is hampering Sky's mail service through them at the moment, if not VM customers will soon be suffering the same intermittant login issues that Skys' customers are.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

I'll offer 10 quid for both.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

No one will get them as they will ensure those names are not for release for obvious reasons along with any other potentially sensitive email addresses.

Plus the are only 20,000 email addresses in the present release and they will be taken by the weekend.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

You would hope they do.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

You can setup the VM emails to be forward to another email address which is what i do

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

POP3 will remove them from the server. Forwarding them will eventually fill up your NTLWORLD or Blue Yonder email account.

You can also set googlemail to reply from your NTL or BY account.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

VM will be ensuring that if there is a joe.blogs at ntlworld.com email that no new customers will be able to create a joe.blogs at virginmedia.com as it will be reserved for that person to change the ntlworld.com over to the virginmedia address.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Not quite, if there is a joe.bloggs@ntlworld.com & a joe.bloggs@blueyonder.co.uk & a joe.bloggs@virgin.net, it will be a first come, first served situation, so dont presume you will automatically have your mail address waiting to be transferred over to the new domain.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

With ex ntl mail you can choose 'forward & keep a copy' or 'forwarding only - doesn't keep a copy'.

Your second statement is correct - and is very useful :)

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

That is exactly right you will be told what day the release is and it will be first come first serve, unless you have an unusual name.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Doesn't bother me, as I forward all my NTL accounts on to my Gmail account anyway.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Yes that is correct but what I was saying is that the new customers getting the virginmedia.com addresses will not be able to choose those names if there is already one existing on any of the 3 current mail services.

I would imagine there would be joe.bloggs2 or joe.bloggs3 reserved if the same address was around on the different platforms.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Anyone know what will happen with those of us who use more than ten mailboxes?

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Does this mean that all my e-mails and all e-mails sent to me will now be scanned for keywords and have adverts injected into them (as happens with the free GMail service that Google offer)?
If so, I'm not a happy camper - I have NO problem with this happening to the free GMail users who have, after all, decided that the advantages of a FREE, reliable e-mail service are worth the intrusion and loss of privacy. HOWEVER, the VM e-mail service is NOT free - it's a part of the (not insubstantial) monthly subscription that I pay to them, and I don't want anyone nosing around in my private e-mails (I work in Healthcare, and have a couple of friends/relatives who have serious health issues. In both my private and professional lives, I use e-mail to communicate sensitive, private and confidential medical information and advice. I simply CANNOT allow Google - or anyone else - to snoop on the contents of these e-mails)
Definitive answer to this question required IMMEDIATELY please!

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

There's just no pleasing some people,

If you don't want to use email - then revert to pen and paper. At the moment, that't about the only thing that's not scanned by HM Govt.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

I'm not entirely sure what HM Govt have to do with concerns over Google keyword scanning mail sent to and from Virgin Media customers :confused:

Billy-Bob, ideally if things are confidential you should be encrypting them. There are several things that can accomplish this. The good news is that mail to Google's outsourced service is encrypted during transit over SSL / Secure Sockets Layer making it more secure in transit than standard email. If in addition you encrypt the mail yourself with one of the many programs available so that you have the Google encryption then your own inside they will not be able to keyword scan it.

I'll ask someone who works for Sky if Sky mail is keyword scanned however I am quite certain this is not the case. Google are receiving revenue directly from Sky and Virgin for the use of their Gmail platform and do not attach advertisements to outsourced mail, so to keyword scan it would be a waste of resource.

EDIT: Billy-Bob: as a general rule always consider email to be the equivalent of a postcard, not a letter inside an envelope. If you require an 'envelope' employ encryption.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

On the sky email system (via googlemail) the only advertising is a standard banner. The usual side bar of key word driven ads is not there, this would point to no advert delivery via keyword scanning, doesn't mean the scanning isn't there though obviously.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

A very good s/mime tutorial. Can be a bit tricky to set up but ultimately it is time well spent.
http://www.heypete.com/pete/secure/c...thawte/ie.html


I use GMail's web interface as well as having their POP option activated. The POP option is activated mainly to be able to recieve and send s/mime using Outlook Express, s/mime does not work using a webmail interface directly. When a gmail is recieved via a POP client it does not contain any adverts but looking at the web interface you can see a copy of the mail which has been scanned and injected with targetted ads. Of course you could activate the option NOT to leave a copy on the server BUT I have a sneaky suspician that your mail will still come through the server, still be scanned but it's just that you won't be able to see it via the web interface.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

If you are a NTL customer and have say15 email addresses ending in @ntlworld.com you have the option of keeping all your mailboxes as they are and not taking a @virginmedia.com email address at all.

Now if you decide that you want to have even just one @virginmedia.com address you have to lose up to 6 @ntlworld.com email addresses to make room for them.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

I thought that the original plan was to allow @ntlworld.com etc and @virginmedia.com addresses at the same time as it could be complicated to remove all references to the @ntlworld.com address in one go. The VM Press Release indicates that this is no longer to be the case and that it is one or the other but not both.
So which is it?

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

It seems to be the latter

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

I am talking about NTL only and if they want to keep 15 mailboxes open then they stay @ntlworld.com but if they want an @virginmedia.com email address then they can only have 10 email addresses.

Telewest @blueyonder.co.uk accounts go up from 5 email addresses to 10 email addresses as they are on a different platform.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

http://www.virginmedia.com/help/emai...in-changes.php

What happens to my email address when it's moved to the Google email service?

In short, there’s no change to your address. Your existing address will carry on working, and we’re not making anyone an @virginmedia.com email address just to use the service. You can continue to use your existing address if you want. After your mailbox has been moved to the Google platform, you will be able to choose whether you want to change to an @virginmedia.com address

---------- Post added at 18:22 ---------- Previous post was at 18:14 ----------

I would say the number of e-mails already created stay the same - so if you have 15, you keep 15

However if you only have 5 on either domain you would only be able to create 5 more after the move

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

I said that 2 posts back Ben in answer to a question regarding having more than 10 email accounts and if a @ntlworld.com email user with more than 10 email addresses wants even just one @virginmedia.com email address they have to delete the excess mailboxes so they end up with a maximum of 9 @ntlworld.com email addresses and if they want another @virginmedia.com addy they have to delete a another @ntlworld.com addy to allow it, harsh but the rules.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Many thanks for the answers Moldova. Will all existing ntlworld addresses be automatically moved over to Googlemail?

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Virgin Media E-mail help.

This, along with the Press Release indicate that you cannot have even a single @ntlworld.com address alongside an @virginmedia.com address.

Can everybody remember every time that they have referred to a particular e-mail address when using a website and be able to change the address. Where people have to specify an e-mail address for future possible contact(eg a competition), that will fail if they change to a @viginmedia.com address because the old address is no longer valid.


I have found this VM webpage
Which contradicts all this and says you can have both @ntlworld.com and @virginmedia.com. Mind you this was published in Feb 2007(over two years ago) and is from a CF thread from August 2007.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

What I stated above is what we have been trained out so it must be correct, and you can have the emails as I posted above on NTL accounts.

---------- Post added at 19:52 ---------- Previous post was at 19:51 ----------

Yes that is what we have been told in training on the new mail platform.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

So are the Press Release and the e-mail help page incorrect?

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

There are 3 platforms merging into one and they have to accommodateate everyone in the best way they can, so you can mix them but NTL get the short end of the stick if they have more than 10 existing email addresses.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Interesting to see how people use email addresses differently.
I pay £9.99 a year to UK.net to have my own domain that has 4 addresses. These are all forwarded to 1 gmail account, for the spam filtering, and then to my ntl addy. Done it like this for ages now and if I ever decide to move ISPs all I have to do is change the last redirection from gmail.
I pick up mail using Outlook and remove the copy from the NTL server when I do that. Gmail keeps its copies and I go in every couple of days and clear out anything I don't want, and the spam after a quick scan through.
Gives me a redundant back up if ntl's servers have problems, not totally unknown, and also stores my "important" mails away from the house.
Not sure how virgin using gmail will affect this, suspect I won't change anything.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

I use Outlook for mail - and link to the Googlemail through IMAP rather than POP which then replicates the folders in Googlemail on the Outlook. Saves the size of the pst file and it means the same emails are available on either laptop or desktop.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

yes, give the new customers the new things. while us old customers make do

Its ok, I use VM for internet connection, and I have always used external sources for everything else.. my nutella.co.uk domain has always been used with google apps, and its been near perfection for about 8 years now.

I wont use any isp connected email, it holds no personal touch to be honest. Though if VM offered something like nutella.virginmedia.co.uk domains styles, I might be convinced otherwise ;)

On the side, the newservers are cackhigh, unless you just want text only, which is speedy as always.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

This wouldn't be a problem if I didn't want to use e-mail, would it? The point is I do want to use e-mail, I'm just not happy to pay a company £37 a month for a service, only for them to then read the contents of my communications to try and "monetise" me further. Do keep up, old bean.

@ everyone else: thanks for for the constructive comments and suggestions.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Does anyone know what if any advantages the using virginmedia gmail partner will have over vanilla gmail?

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Much improved spam filters and reliability.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Sorry, Mick - I may have to disagree (if you mean that VM's Gmail is more reliable than vanilla Gmail).

Google use/now own Postini, one of the best spam filter (and archiving/search) tools, and we use the Education version of Gmail, and any problems (not that there has been many) that hit the consumer version have also hit the Enterprise and Education version (the difference being there are SLAs with the Enterprise version, involving the refund of monies in the event of SLA breaches).

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

I meant VM's GMail is likely to be more reliable and with better spam filters than VM's currant mail system.

I dumped VM's (then Ntl's) extremely unreliable email service for Gmail almost as soon as Gmail started.

Since then I have seen little spam and have enjoyed almost continual uppage.

It's a pity about the BTA scanning but the Ads are at least unobtrusive. I'm not happy about BTA scanning but at least Google do give us the nets best search engine and email service in return. It is a trade I am happy to accept for the time being at least.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

By the way there is no Ad scanning in Virgin's Google hosted e-mail

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Been using gmail since it started as a beta. I find it very good and its fast.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Based on what people have said I have just finished transfering all my stuff to gmail. As I have used my own domain for quite a while there didn't seem to be any point in waiting for virgin. Fine so far using thunderbird via imap. Looks like I will get to shutdown my local imap server.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Does anyone know an ETA for VM based Gmail?

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

I think you know what someone will say to that :LOL:

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

To be rolled out fully by July 2010 in stages.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Any mail going through Gmail's servers will be scanned.

If you are using a pop client to access your mail then you won't see the generated ads. Access your mail via the Web Interface and you will.

Why wouldn't Gmail scan VM mail? Are VM paying Google huge amounts of cash to take over their mail commitments without subjecting VM Subs to BTA scanning?

I don't think so. ;)

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

You may see Google Ads but they won't be generated from your e-mail content

---------- Post added at 22:08 ---------- Previous post was at 22:08 ----------

Why wouldn't Gmail scan VM mail? Because their agreement says they won't

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Or use IMAP which copies the folders on the Gmail system into your Outlook - means the folders are available on which ever computer you are using..

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

Anyone got any time line as for when it will be available to current customers with @ntlworld.com email addresses.

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

End of the year it is looking like. Virgin.net customers are the next to go over (As they are the smallest existing e-mail database)

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

I use Firefox with NoScripe & Adblock Plus, and never see ANY ads on any websites I visit, this might be the reason that i can browse the fastest using my pc in the house, everyone else still using IE 7 or 8 and its SLOOOOOOOOOWWWWWW lol

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

I'd assume VM were paying Google upto $50 per user to use Google Apps, as that's what it says it costs if you have more than 50 users

Re: VirginMedia offers enhanced service with Googlemail
 

I'd assume that the exercise is benefitting VM hugely otherwise why would they bother?

MMMM!! all them lovely new punters to be scanned and recieve targetted ads.

I would be surprised if VM are paying Google anything, I would expect that VM have SOLD all our email accounts to Google for a princely sum.