Box.net Integrates with Google Docs

Box.net, a popular online storage service, added an alternative that allows its users to create and edit documents and spreadsheets by Google Docs, but without leaving Box.net. The files are stored by Box.net, but they can be shortened using the regular Google Docs interface.

"Beginning today, Box's 6 million users can simply create and work together on Google Docs and Spreadsheets from within Box, as well as edit the existing 50M+ Word and Excel files previously stored on our platform. Google Docs allow entirely new forms of collaboration – like concurrent editing – that are not possible within desktop applications, and now these capabilities are easily obtainable to Box users. We believe that the mixture of Google Docs' collaborative restriction and Box's content management will transform the way people work," suggests Box's blog.

The addition has a lot of quirks: Google Docs still displays the navigational bar and some options that only makes intelligence for Google's services. When you edit a text from Box.net, the file is provisionally added to the Google Docs list, but it's quickly removed after the restriction window is closed. At some point, Google Docs will also add hold up for third-party apps, so it will be interesting to see if this feature will be better implemented.

Superstars and Nested Labels, Now Standard Gmail Features

Gmail's blog announced that three experimental features have graduated from Gmail Labs: superstars, nested labels and higher IMAP controls. There's also a Gmail Labs feature that will no longer be available: the Google Search box.

Superstars extend Gmail's starring feature by adding up different types of stars for flagging messages. For example, you could use the red exclamation mark to flag very important messages and the orange quotes to emphasize the messages that need a reply. The characteristic is not obtrusive since you can trigger it by repeatedly clicking a Gmail star. You can go to Gmail's settings page to modify the list of stars.

Nested labels have enhanced a lot since Google added this feature to Gmail Labs. You can add sub-labels from the menu, quickly rename or delete sub-labels, pick a sub-label from a hierarchical list when you create a filter. Nested labels are still a hack and there are many issues that need to be addressed so that users no longer notice the completion details. For example, messages that use nested labels don't inherit the parent label.

Advanced IMAP controls are only useful if you want to modify Gmail's IMAP features when using mail clients like Outlook or Thunderbird. You can disable auto-expunge and ask Gmail to wait until the client updates the server, delete messages instead of archiving them when you mark a message as deleted and bound the number of messages from a folder.