Google's changes to its Gmail service hurt sales at Groupon, so much so that the company is shifting its business away from email. The company reported "double-digit" declines in the percentage of consumers that open emails from Groupon in the third quarter. The company claims to be one of the largest emailers in the world and attributed its $2.6 million net loss for the quarter to these unopened emails. "Results were impacted by Q3 seasonality and double-digit declines in e-mail open rates related to the new Gmail promotions app that was rolled out earlier in the quarter," Eric Lefkofsky, CEO …

Peter Yared, CTO/CIO at CBS Interactive, thinks that email is turning into "just another stream." In a think piece published on TechCrunch.com, Yared argues that email is evolving to keep up with the increasing volume and thinks that one day soon, a recipient won't see all of their emails. Instead, they'll only see emails from senders that a recipient repeatedly opens and inboxes will be sorted by relevance and not by date and time. "Mail systems are evolving to match the new volume of email, and users will increasingly see only algorithmically vetted emails," he writes. "Some other emails may …

Col. Lynnette Arnhart has stepped down from her duties involving a gender study after a controversy surrounding an internal email she wrote that went public. In the email, Arnhart suggested that the Army avoid using photos of attractive women in marketing materials. Gen. Robert Cone, commander of the Army's Training and Doctrine Command at Fort Eustis, Va., has reportedly accepted the move, "in order to protect the integrity of the ongoing work on gender integration in the Army."

New York state officials have warned citizens about an email scam in which spammers are pretending to be tax collectors. Governor Andrew Cuomo's office reported that the spam appears to be from the IRS or the NY State Tax Department, and threaten recipients with fines, or even arrest if they fail to pay. Officials have advised citizens that tax officials would always contact a citizen by letter with a phone number to call about any issues.

A music fan spends on average $3.78 in direct purchases from artists over the customer lifetime when they share their email address with a group, according to a new report from Topspin Media Inc. Some bands see even higher returns. According to The Wall Street Journal, Arcade Fire fans that share their email address with the band spend on average a lifetime total of $6.26 from the indie band. The Icelandic band Sigur Rs earns an average of $10.91 from each email address they collect.

Opera Mail, a veteran email tool that used to be available as a browser email, is now back as a standalone email client. The tool supports Gmail but it doesn't work with Microsoft Exchange. The email inbox supports POP mail, RSS feeds as well as Usenet newsgroups.

A hacker using a computer and a basic understanding of the Internet hacked into the email of one of the members of the European Parliament and gained access to that person's emails and documents, as well as the emails of their assistants and the institution's IT experts. The hack reveals the vulnerability of Parliament's computer systems.

IceWarp Messaging Server, a corporate email server that offers both on-premise and cloud versions of Microsoft Exchange emails, has a new iPhone app available for iOS 7. The tool allows users to manage their email accounts, as well as to take notes. The app competes with the better known players Google Apps for Business, Gmail, and Office 365.

Microsoft revealed plans today for Office 365 Message Encryption, a new tool that will help users send encrypted emails to anyone outside of their company. The service will go live during Q1 2014. Using the platform will allow users to add a layer of protection to documents that they are emailing. The tool is ideal to be used for sensitive communications that include information like bank account numbers and passport numbers.

Theresa Vail an Army National Guard soldier who is also the current Miss Kansas does not agree with her superiors. Earlier this week Col. Lynnette Arnhart sent an internal Army email posing the idea that photos of attractive women should not be used in military marketing. According to reports, Arnhart said that "average-looking women" are preferable to more attractive women in these promotional materials. Vail responded by saying that Arnhart's comments are wrong and support a stereotype that attractive women have no place in combat.