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538 'Google Apps' stories May 2011 - July 2014

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Google’s Cube lets aspiring DJs mix up to six music videos at once

Mark Hearn Jul 2 2014 - 7:43 am PT

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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWsKgblN0oA]

You know what’s better than one music video? Six music videos playing at the same time! Google’s Creative Lab has put together an interactive virtual media box called the Cube that lets users mix up to six simultaneous videos while jamming to a single track. Supported by Chrome and most modern Android devices, would-be DJs can use their mouse or finger to cycle through different video sequences while a song plays in the background.

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Google Voice working to improve voicemail transcription, asking users for help

Mark Hearn Jun 30 2014 - 7:52 am PT

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With its hit or miss dependability, Google Voice’s transcription feature for voicemail can manage to make an important message read like the ramblings of a friend drunk dialing you from happy hour. Aware of this, Google is launching a new initiative to improve its service, but the search giant needs your help. Now when you log into Google Voice via the web, you’ll be asked if you wish to anonymously share your voicemail messages to help make transcription better.

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Google Play Movies arrive in 21 new countries

Jordan Kahn Jun 20 2014 - 5:51 am PT

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[tweet https://twitter.com/GooglePlay/status/479994540091531264/]

Google has opened up access to Google Play content in ton of new countries in recent months, but today we get one of the largest expansions yet with Google Play Movies arriving for 21 new countries. The full list of new countries (below), which includes Greece, Poland, Croatia, and Thailand just to name a few, brings the service’s availability up to a total of 90 countries worldwide (via AndroidPolice).

Google’s full list of supported countries for Google Play Books, Movies, Music, and more i s here.

Albania
Argentina
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Croatia
Czech Republic
Estonia
Greece
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Latvia
Lithuania
Moldova
Poland
Slovakia
Tajikistan
Thailand
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan

Google+ premium features expanding to all Google Apps customers

Mark Hearn Jun 17 2014 - 7:09 am PT

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Google recently expanded its Apps services for enterprise users by making its premium communication features available to everyone. Apps customers can now broadcast a 15 person Hangout chat session with HD video quality, a perk previously unavailable to standard subscribers. Furthermore, these new premium features introduce enhanced privacy controls that let admins restrict a Google+ post’s visibility, along with the option to hide employee profiles from external searches.

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Google Maps passes 1 billion downloads on the Play Store

Stephen Hall Jun 14 2014 - 11:00 am PT

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Following the official Gmail app passing the billion download mark last month, Google Maps has now passed that very same milestone (via Android Police). The app, very obviously one of Google’s most-used services, is widely cherished by both iOS and Android users to get them where they need to go (especially when iOS maps doesn’t quite do the trick).

Notably, this billion downloads for the app means that yes, 1 billion separate Play Store accounts have downloaded the app — it’s not counting repeat downloads on one account. What’s even more crazy? The app passed 50 million downloads in 2011 (and was the first to do so). In just 3 short years, Maps took off exponentially to see another 950 million downloads on separate accounts. That number doesn’t even count iOS downloads.

Google leans on Twitter for help with public safety announcements

Mark Hearn Jun 5 2014 - 8:03 am PT

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Google Public Alerts recently incorporated tweets from locations affected by natural disasters. These notifications will be pushed from places like the National Weather Service and will help keep residents informed during times of duress. The idea behind using tweets is to quickly address public concerns like school closures and community evacuations. Google spreads this type of emergency information through several of its platforms, including Google Maps, Google Now and its Public Alerts website.

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Google taking action against websites not properly optimized for mobile

Mark Hearn Jun 5 2014 - 7:17 am PT

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Google has issued a fix for a mobile search bug that would redirect people to a website’s homepage instead of the results displayed. This would occur if a website wasn’t properly optimized to handle requests from smartphones and as a result a user would be redirected to mobile version of a site’s homepage instead. Starting today, Google will provide users with a warning that their search “may open the site’s homepage,” but will still offer a chance to try to visit the results displayed.

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Google Drive experiencing outage, Google investigating

Chance Miller Jun 4 2014 - 8:03 am PT

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Update: Google Drive appears to be back up for most users. Google says it will continue to investigate what caused the issue and provide more updates on the Status Dashboard.

The problem with Google Drive should be resolved. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience and continued support. Please rest assured that system reliability is a top priority at Google, and we are making continuous improvements to make our systems better.

According to a plethora of tweets, Google Drive is experiencing what appears to be a somewhat major outage. Google confirmed that the service is experiencing issues on its Status Dashboard. Google acknowledged the outage at 10:32 AM, though some Twitter reports note that it started a tad earlier.

It shouldn’t take Google long to restore service, but a 30 minute outage is relatively significant for Google. Keep on eye on the Status Dashboard to see when Google Drive goes back up.

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Google launches cloud-based email migration to Google Apps, contacts & calendar on the way

Stephen Hall May 29 2014 - 3:42 pm PT

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Google announced on its Google Apps Updates blog today that cloud-based email migration for Google Apps is being rolled out over the course of the next 2 weeks, making it much easier for businesses to move from their own mail servers to Google’s Gmail servers.

Starting this week, we are making it easier for businesses to migrate email into Google Apps using our cloud-based data migration service. The data migration service can be configured via the Admin console to connect to your mail server and migrate email over to Google’s Gmail servers.

Notably, this means that those wishing to migrate no longer need to download migration tools and install them on local servers, moving the process entirely to the cloud. Google says that currently this service is only for mail, but that support for calendar and contact migration is in the works.

A support page for the service is also now online if you’re looking for more information.

Buy a Sonos product and score six months of Google Play Music All Access

Mark Hearn May 28 2014 - 12:24 pm PT

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If you’re looking to upgrade your home’s audio setup, California-based speaker system maker Sonos has an attractive deal worth checking out. The company is currently running a promo that bundles six months of Google Play Music All Access (about a $60 value) with the purchase of any Sonos product, excluding the outfit’s Bridge system.

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The world’s first Chromecast-equipped Google Learning Space launches in Brazil

Jordan Kahn May 22 2014 - 8:35 am PT

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In a blog post on the Google Enterprise blog, CEO of Foreducation, a company that works with schools to deploy Google products in classrooms, today announced the launch of the world’s first “Google Learning Space.” The space is described as a collaborative learning center that will offer students from the Colégio Mater Dei private school in São Paulo, Brazil the chance to interact with Google technology in a Chromecast, tablet, and Smart TV-equipped environment:
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Google Apps Mobile Management for Android blessed with four new security features

Mark Hearn May 21 2014 - 10:27 am PT

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Bring your own device (BYOD) is more common than ever in the working world and of course Google is looking to capitalize on this opportunity. Today, the company announced four new features for its Google Apps Mobile Management for Android service. First up to bat is inactive account wipe, which clears an inactive user account from a device after a predetermined number of days. An ideal scenario for this feature is a misplaced or stolen smartphone or tablet loaded with sensitive information. Google’s second new feature for people taking their devices into the corporate world is the addition of Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP). This will let your company’s admins distribute CA-based certificates for EAP networks.

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Google offers fully-automated (but basic) digital photo albums & movies

Ben Lovejoy May 20 2014 - 7:41 am PT

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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26A6-RO5MoI]

If you’ve ever been on a trip, taken tons of photos and then done nothing with them afterwards, or shot a bunch of video that is still just sitting on your phone, Google has launched a couple of new services aimed at you: Google+ Stories and Google+ Movies.

No more sifting through photos for your best shots, racking your brain for the sights you saw, or letting your videos collect virtual dust. We’ll just gift you a story after you get home. This way you can relive your favorite moments, share them with others, and remember why you traveled in the first place.

Stories will be available this week on Android and the web, with iOS coming soon …

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Google retiring Gmail Calendar invitation feature in July

Mark Hearn May 19 2014 - 11:54 am PT

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Gmail’s Calendar invitation feature is operating on borrowed time, as Google has plans to remove this option in July. If you’re unfamiliar with this feature, it lets you add event invites directly from within an email without having to open Calendar. It’s unknown why Google is pulling the plug on this feature, however there appears to be a replacement in the works.

“We’ll still be supporting creating invitations, just through different steps, ” a Gmail community manager recently said in a forum post. “The workaround now is to click into calendar and to create an invitation from there.” Whatever these new steps might be remains to be seen, (maybe it’ll be part of the rumored Gmail redesign) but hopefully this will bring about some appreciation for a feature that was most likely under used.

(via Google Operating System)

Google Play Music iPad app hidden inside iPhone version, public release likely soon

Dom Esposito May 11 2014 - 8:45 pm PT

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We’re hearing that Google Play Music for iPad is getting close to release and a tipster has sent in a couple of videos showcasing what he/she claims is a pre-release of the new app. We’ve heard independently that Play Music for iPad was getting close to delivery and our tipster says this is a development build (see update below). The app will function similarly to the iPhone version, but redesigned for iPad.

We are still somewhat skeptical of the screenshots below, but the app’s functionality (shown in the videos) seems to be very similar to the iPhone version and it would make sense for Google to release it for iPad. Though we’re still unsure if the update will arrive as a universal build or if Google will have separate versions available in the App Store.

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Google reportedly testing redesigned desktop version of Gmail

Mark Hearn May 10 2014 - 9:55 am PT

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As we predicted last month, screenshots of a redesigned Gmail Android app loaded with new features hit the web. Not stopping at its mobile mailbox, new images of an overhauled desktop version of Gmail have surfaced and they look very similar to what we saw a few short weeks ago.

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Google Play Music promo offering up to five bestselling albums for $1.99 each

Mark Hearn May 7 2014 - 4:06 pm PT

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Google is currently sending out emails for a Play Music promo that offers up to five bestselling albums for $1.99 a pop. Invitations appear to be hitting random Gmail users, as some of our staff has received the offer and others have not. The offer’s disclosure says it’s only available to new Google Play Music users, however it appears to be rolling out to casual customers as well.

As for the music being offered, there are fairly new full albums from artists like Drake, Blake Shelton, Childish Gambino, Arcade Fire, Rihanna and dozens more. If you’re lucky enough to score an invite to the deal, you’ll have until 11:59pm PST to take advantage of this offer.

Google Street View flood mod shows your city under water

Mark Hearn May 7 2014 - 10:47 am PT

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The impact of climate change is a hot topic and many environmentalists are urging the powers that be to take action. To help spread awareness and promote World Environment Day on June 5th, an eco-friendly crowdfunding outlet by the name of CarbonStory has put together an interactive website called World Under Water. Available exclusively on Chrome, this modified version of Street View paints a dramatic picture of what the world’s cities will look after sea levels have risen.

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Google Classroom helps teachers easily set up their lesson plans (video)

Mark Hearn May 6 2014 - 10:14 am PT

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In celebration of Teacher Appreciation Day, Google has announced a preview of Classroom, a new tool that will help educators arrange curriculum for their classes. This free parts of Google’s Apps for Education will serve as a platform that helps teachers create and organize assignments, provide feedback and communicate with their students. As expected, the software will lean on apps like Docs, Drive and Gmail to carry out these tasks.

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Google Maps for Android updated with lane guidance, improved offline maps, Uber integration

Zac Hall May 6 2014 - 9:22 am PT

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Google announced on its blog today a big update coming to Google Maps on both Android and iOS including integration with Uber.
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Google Now will alert you when nearby shops have products you’ve been searching for

Mark Hearn May 5 2014 - 2:40 pm PT

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If you find yourself constantly searching the web for new toys, you’re really gonna dig Google Now’s newest trick. As a follow up to a recent update that helps you locate stores while cruising the mall, this new software push takes things to another level. Starting today, Google Now will display a product information card whenever you’re near a shop that carries an item that you’ve been searching for online.

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Google Docs updated with image editing tools

Mark Hearn May 5 2014 - 2:02 pm PT

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Today, Google updated Docs with a simple set of editing tools, placing it on a par with the company’s Slides application. Users can now crop, rotate and add borders to images directly from within Docs, so there’s no need to jump into a different app when working on a document loaded with pretty pictures. Google recently added these type of features to Slides and from the look of things, Docs’ tools are identical. Today’s update leaves Sheets as the odd app out in Mountain View’s office software suite, however you’re probably less likely going to find yourself inserting any photos into that data-heavy spreadsheet.

{via Google)

Here’s a look at Google Stars in action (video)

Mark Hearn May 5 2014 - 9:11 am PT

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A couple of weeks ago, an ambitious software developer by the name of Florian Kiersch uncovered an unannounced Google platform known as Stars. From the looks of things, this new product is Google’s next-gen take on bookmarking content from the web. Up until now, we’ve only seen still shots of the forthcoming software, however thanks to a recent Javascript module update, Kiersch was able to gain access to parts of Stars’ web-based UI.

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Google Drive to drop document editing in favor of standalone apps

Mark Hearn May 4 2014 - 12:08 am PT

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Google’s new take on Docs and Sheets might be the first of many changes for the company’s Drive platform. The folks at Android Police managed to get their hands on a new, unreleased version of Drive and it appears to be missing editing functionality for sheets and documents. If you attempt to open a document while in Drive, it’ll display a view-only version of the item and will prompt you to install Google’s new standalone word processing app. We understand that this change might be frustrating for some users, but unbundling these apps lets people pick and choose the software that they want to use. It also gives Google a chance to focus on each app individually, which will hopefully result in a better user experience for each platform. Our fingers are crossed.

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