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Google My Business for Android now lets users respond to customer feedback directly from their smartphones

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Google is now deploying an update for its Google My Business Android app that makes it easier for business owners to reply to customer reviews. With this revamped software, entrepreneurs can track customer critiques in real-time on the web, allowing them to address praise or complaints in a timely manner directly from their mobile device.


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Google updates its official Analytics app with iPad support

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Earlier this year, Google released an official app for its Google Analytics service on iOS allowing users of the popular service to view data and reports on the go, but the dedicated app has only been available for iPhone and iPod touch users. Today that has changed, however, as Google has updated its official Analytics app for full iPad support.
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Google Hangouts now supports free one minute voice calls in 25 countries

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Google recently announced that the first minute of voice calls through Hangouts will be free in 25 different countries. The search giant’s messaging app currently supports video chats and free domestic voice calls, but the company charges a different set of rates when a user places a call abroad. While you can purchase call credit for those longwinded long distance conversations, Google’s new offering is a reasonable option for quick calls or important (but brief) messages.


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Google announces PwC as latest Apps for Work and Google Cloud Platform partner

PWC Google Apps for Work

Google announced on Tuesday that professional services company PwC is the latest business to adopt the Apps for Work suite and Google Cloud Platform. The news comes less than one day after Google tabbed Squarespace and WordPress as two other new Google for Work partners, greatly expanding its business portfolio as competition increases.
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Google makes three Inbox invitations available to the app’s current users

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Earlier this week, Google launched Inbox, a new email management app that’s currently available on an invite-only basis. Almost reminiscent of when Mountain View launched Gmail as a beta product in the spring of 2004, the now social media-driven internet worked itself into a frenzy of tweets, +1s and likes from people vying to get hold of an invitation.


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Google Now rolls out Solar Eclipse and Police Activity cards

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Google Now can remind you to pay your bills and now it appears that Mountain View’s intelligent personal assistant software can help keep you safe. A group of Reddit users have received police alert cards from their local law enforcement branches advising them of nearby criminal activity. So be sure to read these cards carefully if you happen to see one on your phone.


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Inbox for Gmail: hands-on and first impressions

Mail for Inbox

Google this afternoon announced Inbox for Gmail, its all-new emailing solution that is intended to coexist with the regular Gmail platform. Inbox for Gmail is available on an invite only basis for Android, iOS and Chrome. I am fortunate enough to have received an invite to Inbox for Gmail, and I have been giving the iPhone app a rundown to see how it works. For the most part, Inbox is everything that you know and love about Gmail in a sleeker package.


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Google’s new Inbox app is a marriage between Gmail and Google Now (update)

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Inbox

Today, Google unveiled a new email solution called Inbox, which looks like a marriage between Gmail and Google Now. Currently available by invitation only, this new app takes bits from your email like purchase invoices and bank statements and groups them together for fast access. Like Google Now, Inbox adapts to the way you operate, highlighting key pieces of emails like flight plans, photos, documents and upcoming event information.


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Google Play Music updated with Songza-style curated music stations

Play Music Songza Update

Google announced as part of its acquisition of Songza in July that it would bring some of the music streaming service’s features that users love to Google Play Music. Three months later, the company has followed through with those plans by integrating Songza’s “Concierge” feature with Play Music, enabling users to create contextual expert-curated playlists for an improved listening experience across all platforms.
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Hangouts isn’t going anywhere, Google explains Android’s new Messenger app

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Google announced a plethora of goodies today and while we’ve been seeing several shots the company’s latest hardware, we keep noticing unfamiliar software icons hanging out on Mountain View’s new devices. Pictured above is a shot of Google’s new Messenger app that will be shipping with the Nexus 6 as part of Android 5.0 Lollipop.


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Google Apps for Work updated with new and improved support features

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Today, Google announced some new support changes to its Google for Work services that are designed to improve how the company interacts with its customers when they need help with a product or service. After testing a chat support feature with a limited group of Google Apps administrators, Mountain View is now making this service option available to English language app admins globally.


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Google Sheet’s new Smart Autofill Add-on can be used to predict missing spreadsheet values

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Google Sheets received a bit of an IQ boost today, with the release of a new Smart Autofill Add-on that predicts missing values for empty columns in a spreadsheet. Not to be confused with the application’s stock feature that fills in simple information such as dates and days of the weeks — Smart Autofill uses Google’s Prediction API tool to analyze existing spreadsheet data.


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Sprint targeting business customers with new Google Apps for Work tools

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Today, Sprint announced that it’s now offering a mobile-focused variant of Google Apps for Work that will feature cloud-based single sign-on powered by Ping Industries. This collaboration will help give the carrier’s enterprise customers the ability to sign on to all of their business applications with a single username and password while maintaining high security standards.


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Google launches Primer mobile app to help startups with their marketing needs

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Primer-Android

Today, Google launched a new mobile app for startups called Primer, an interactive tool that helps companies with their marketing needs. Available now on iOS, the software cranks out five minute lesson plans for subjects like Content Marketing, PR & Media and Search Advertising. A simplified experience, Primer is packed with case studies, insider tips and quizzes designed to make marketing easier.


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Chromecast now supports news, weather, & Google+ photos as a backdrop

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(<a href="http://chrome.blogspot.ca/2014/10/turn-your-tv-screen-into-beautiful.html" target="_blank">via Chrome blog</a>)

Google today updated the Chromecast app for Android users adding a feature announced earlier this year at Google I/O called Backdrop. When the Chromecast HDMI streaming stick isn’t playing content like Netflix or Pandora Radio through your TV, it already displays the current time and featured photos as a screen saver, but now Chromecast users can display additional content like weather conditions and news headlines on Chromecast-connected TVs. Chromecast also now supports using your own photos from Google+ albums as the backdrop.
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Google brings its ‘News & Weather’ app to iOS

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Google today brought its ‘Google News & Weather‘ app that presents local news and weather as well as headlines from a variety of categories and sources in one app to iPhone and iPad users. Categories for headlines can be added or removed from within the app for customizing the news you want to follow.

The app joins a huge list of existing Google apps including Gmail, which was just updated for the new iPhone 6 display sizes yesterday, and Google News & Weather is already optimized for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

Full description below:
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Switch.co launches new enterprise phone system built around Google Apps for Work

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A group of ex-Googlers led by former Google Voice product manager Craig Walker have teamed up to create Switch.co, a cloud-based business phone system that stretches across multiple platforms such as desktop, mobile and landlines. Built with Google Apps for Work in mind, users can also view messages from Gmail, access their Calendar, Drive documents and even start a Hangout directly from a phone call.


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Google launches Drive for Education with free unlimited storage and file encryption

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Today, Google announced Drive for Education, a new part of its Apps for Education platform that will offer unlimited storage. Similar to Drive for Work, Drive for Education supports individual file sizes of up to 5TB, along with automatic encryption. “Every file uploaded to Google Drive is encrypted, not only from your device to Google and in transit between Google data centers, but also at rest on Google servers,” wrote 


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European Union tells Google combining user data across services without opt-out is illegal

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privacy

Google has come under fire from European Union officials on a number of fronts already. It’s been accused of unfair search results, been criticized for the way it has implemented the controversial ‘right to be forgotten‘ ruling and asked to stop describing apps which offer in-app purchases as ‘free.’

Reuters now reports that the EU believes Google is breaking the law in combining user data across unrelated services like Gmail, YouTube and Google Maps without offering users an opt-out, and the way in which it has consolidated 60 separate privacy policies into one … 
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Google updates Play Store DDA with changes to customer support requirements, Google-handled VAT

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Google has updated the Play Store Developer Distribution Agreement (DDA) with a few notable changes that developers will likely want to pay attention to (via Android Police). First on the list, developers are now required to respond to customer service requests for paid apps and in-app purchases within 3 days.

For paid Products or in-app transactions, you must respond to customer support inquiries within three (3) business days, and within 24 hours to any support or Product concerns stated to be urgent by Google. Failure to provide adequate information or support for your Products may result in low Product ratings, less prominent product exposure, low sales, billing disputes, or removal from the Store.

Secondly, a huge change to how European VAT is handled is definitely going to make developers’ lives much easier. While developers have long been expected to handle the VAT tax for EU sales, Google is going to take over this task as of January 1st, 2015. Determining, charging, and remitting this tax is going to all be up to the fine folks in Mountain View.

Where Google, the Payment Processor or the Authorized Carrier is required by applicable (local) legislation to determine, apply and pay the applicable tax rate, Google, the Payment Processor or the Authorized Carrier (and not Developer) will be responsible for applying and collecting and remitting the taxes to the appropriate taxing authority. If Google collects and remits value added taxes on customer payments (where required of Google by applicable local law) and this remittance fulfils the applicable requirements for value added taxes on those customer payments, such taxes will not be passed on to Developer by Google. Where Google is required to collect and remit taxes as described in this section, Developer and Google will recognise a supply from Developer to Google for tax purposes, and developer will comply with the relevant tax obligations arising from this additional supply.

Google Docs, Slides and Drawings now equipped with automated list formatting

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Today, Google announced a couple of updates for its office software suite that should increase productivity for frequent users. The search giant has added a new formatting feature to Docs, Slides and Drawings that automatically creates bullet points or numbered lists after typing an applicable character at the beginning of a paragraph. For example, if you type an asterisk followed by the spacebar, Docs will automatically add a bullet point to that particular segment.


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Google’s new iOS Sync features for Google Apps users are now available

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After announcing its new iOS Sync feature for Google Apps customers last week, the new iOS Mobile Device Management solution is now available to users:

The advantages of iOS Sync for users and administrators include:
  • Manage Google Apps: Set a policy that prompts employees to enroll their device when they log into Google Apps such as Google Drive and Gmail.
  • Configure WiFi networks: Distribute WiFi passwords and certificates to employees so they can easily connect to trusted networks.
  • Support for existing policies: Manage password requirements, data encryption and camera policies, as well as actions like remotely wiping a device, activation approvals and blocking devices.

The feature is available starting today for Google Apps for Work, Google Apps for Education and Google Apps for Government users. Admins can access the new features from the Admin console now: Admins should access the Device management function in the Admin console to establish an Apple push notification certificate and begin enabling these new functions.