When Web e-mail goes down, it seems to happen at the most inopportune times. We've all become so dependent on Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, and other Web e-mail services, that even a minute of down time can make us anxious. Is it really down, though? Here's how to check:

Gmail Google provides a comprehensive service status page that not only shows the status of Gmail, but other Google Apps services as well. To check Gmail's status, go to https://www.google.com/appsstatus.

Hotmail The Windows Live service status page shows the status of Hotmail, as well … Read more

Spotify is a fantastic music service, but it takes time to create your playlists. Sometimes, you just want to click Play and listen to songs based on your musical taste. You know, like Pandora. With a new Web service, you can make Spotify act a little more like Pandora. Here's how:

Step 1: Launch Spotify on your desktop or mobile device.

Step 2: Open your Web browser and go to http://echofiapp.com.

Step 3: Enter the name of an artist and click the Play link.

Step 4: When your desktop browser prompts you to allow Spotify to launch, … Read more

We told you about Turntable.fm's new approach to the music service scene back in June. The service is fun, interactive, and has really caught on since.

Today Turntable.fm released its first mobile app. It's built for the iPhone and is available in the App Store [iTunes link]. We are going to show you how to get started with the mobile app. Read on for more.

… Read more

For too many of us, passwords are annoying obstacles rather than valuable tools meant to keep our business (and back accounts) private. You may find yourself sticking with the same small number of passwords for every site, which means that you're only as secure as the least secure site you visit. Here are some tips to boost your online security: 

Find out if your account has been compromised. Visit ShouldIChangeMyPassword.com to see if your account has been made public by hackers. You only need to enter the e-mail addresses used on your accounts, and of … Read more

When developing a Web site, it's always a good idea to consider how the site you're working on will appear on other people's different operating systems and browsers. With the rise in popularity of Internet-enabled phones and other devices, this visual check has never been more important. With so many different devices, checking all of them would require a lot of time and money. Luckily there's an application that makes this visual check a lot easier; just follow these steps to see for yourself.

Step 1: Download and install the latest version of the Opera Mobile … Read more

"A picture is worth a thousand words" is not just a cliche poetic statement, it's also an enormous hurdle to overcome when searching a topic with just a picture as a reference point. The chances of you using different words to describe a picture than someone else is quite high when you're trying to find an image on the Web. Thankfully, Google Images has a feature that lets you use images to search for related topics as well as images similar to it. Here's how to use it:

Step 1: Navigate your browser … Read more

Many workplaces frown upon using company time for leisure activities such as browsing Facebook. This isn't without reason, however, as many people have gone on Facebook to post a status update and found themselves still on the site 45 minutes later instead of working. Fortunately, there is actually a way to update your status by simply sending an e-mail, escaping the grasp of the site during work hours.

Step 1: Sign into your account from the main Facebook page.

Step 2: Navigate to http://www.facebook.com/mobile in the same browser (not on … Read more

Although Facebook is extremely useful--it lets you catch up with friends, connect with grade-school buddies, and passively share details about your life--there are times when it's just plain creepy.

The third-person updates in your News Feed are the perfect example of this: when two of your friends have a conversation, or your friend "Likes" a new page, those activities show up in your home page timeline (and now the real-time feed in the chat window).

It's pretty fun if you're the stalker-type, but don't forget that if you can see your friends' activity, they … Read more

Linux isn't officially supported by the Spotify music service, but if you're a premium or unlimited subscriber, you can get the Spotify for Linux preview version onto Ubuntu. Here's how:

Step 1: Open up a terminal window (CTRL+ALT+T).

Step 2: Add Spotify to the list of repositories by adding the following line in /etc/apt/sources.list, deb http://repository.spotify.com stable non-free

Type command:

Step 3: Add Spotify's public key to verify downloaded packages.

Type command:

Step … Read more