CNN still running Google's "1 GB free e-mail" prank as fact on front page

[Paragon]

http://www.cnn.com

:D

Google to offer 1 gig of free e-mail
http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/internet/03/31/google.email.ap/index.html

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California (AP) -- Search engine Google Inc. announced Wednesday it will launch a free, Web-based e-mail service to compete against popular services from rivals Yahoo! Inc. and Microsoft Corp.

Google's service, called "Gmail," will include a built-in search function that will let people search every e-mail they've ever sent or received.

According to company executives, users will be able to type in keywords to sort e-mails or find old missives. And it will come with 1 gigabyte of free storage - more than 100 times what some popular rivals offer and enough to hold 500,000 pages of e-mail.

The service is being offered to invited users, and will be available to everyone in a few weeks, the company said...

[Florida_Geek]

1. What prank

http://news.com.com/2100-1032_3-5182805.html?tag=nefd_top

Google to offer gigabyte of free e-mail
Last modified: March 31, 2004, 3:57 PM PST
By Paul Festa
Staff Writer, CNET News.com


Google, the company that made off with the search market, is setting its sights on free e-mail.

The company, based in Mountain View, Calif., on Thursday is expected to launch a test with about 1,000 invited guests to try out a new e-mail service called "Gmail."

... POSTED on the 31th

[Paragon]

2. Read this on Google:

http://www.google.com/gmail/help/about.html

During this testing period, the Gmail interface is only available in English. However, we're committed to making Gmail available to as many people in as many languages as possible. And Gmail accounts can already be used to read and send email in most languages (even Klingon).

[Paragon]

3. And this:

http://www.google.com/jobs/lunar_job.html

Google is interviewing candidates for engineering positions at our lunar hosting and research center, opening late in the spring of 2007. This unique opportunity is available only to highly-qualified individuals who are willing to relocate for an extended period of time, are in top physical condition and are capable of surviving with limited access to such modern conveniences as soy low-fat lattes, The Sopranos and a steady supply of oxygen.

The Google Copernicus Hosting Environment and Experiment in Search Engineering (G.C.H.E.E.S.E.) is a fully integrated research, development and technology facility at which Google will be conducting experiments in entropized information filtering, high-density high-delivery hosting (HiDeHiDeHo) and de-oxygenated cubicle dwelling. This center will provide a unique platform from which Google will leapfrog current terrestrial-based technologies and bring information access to new heights of utility.

[Kellanved]

4. well, according to an unnamed Google PR person it is a Meta-prank

A release written in a way to make reporter think that it is a prank, while it is not.

[charlie]

5. GMail's a prank

but Google's long been available in Klingon:

http://www.google.com/intl/xx-klingon/

[lectrobyte]

7. It doesn't seem like it...

For some reason, this mail service seems like a reasonable thing for them to do, even with a 1GB limit. Plus, I just don't see the humor in it, if it is a hoax.

http://gmail.google.com

http://www.google.com/gmail/help/about.html

[charlie]

10. Yeah, you're right

Someone I know thought it was a goof too and I took him at his word. Now that I've looked around a bit, it looks legit. Here's an article in the Register from January about it:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/34983.html

Still, it seems overly ambitious -- a full gig of storage, regularly indexed into a personal db by their search engine. It'll be interesting to see if they can pull off such a generous service.

[Paragon]

6. LOL - read this:

https://www.google.com/accounts/ManageAccount

[lectrobyte]

8. I'm looking at it, and all I see is a userid and password box, what's...

funny about that?

[Paragon]

9. "Don't ask for my password for 2 weeks."

:silly:

[charlie]

11. That's just an option

to set a cookie's expiration date. Nothing really odd about that.