Google Drive

Google has long had Optical Character Recognition features in Google Drive, allowing scanned paper document uploaded to Drive to be indexed and edited. Now, Google just recently expanded the feature to more than 200 languages and 25 writing styles.

To make this possible, engineering teams across Google pursued an approach to OCR focused on broad language coverage, with a goal of designing an architecture that could potentially work with all existing languages and writing systems. We do this in part by using Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) to make sense of the input as a whole sequence, rather than first trying to break it apart into pieces. This is similar to how modern speech recognition systems recognize audio input…

Once you scan a document and upload it to Drive, you just need to right-click on it and select ‘Open with’ -> ‘Google Docs’.

Google adds that you don’t even need to set your language preference, Drive will automatically detect it when uploading a document.

You can access the OCR features both on the web and through the Google Drive app for Android.

Google Drive Android app is about to make sharing files easier

Ben Lovejoy Apr 16 2015 - 7:18 am PT

If you’ve ever uploaded a file to Google Drive specifically to share it, Google is about to make the process easier: it’s adding a share button to the upload confirmation. As soon as a file is uploaded, just hit the Share Link button.

The updated version of the app will be rolling out over the next week, with a few other improvements thrown in.

Ability to access a contact’s extended information from the sharing section of the details pane of a file in Drive

Ability to remove a parent of a file from the details pane when a file is multi-parented

Support for 23 new languages (Afrikaans, Amharic, Armenian, Basque, Bengali, Chinese (Hong Kong), Estonian, French (Canada), Galician, Georgian, Icelandic, Kannada, Khmer, Lao, Malayalam, Marathi, Mongolian, Nepali, Sinhala, Swahili, Tamil, Telugu, Zulu)

PDF viewer improvements (better scrolling and handling of multi-layout PDFs)

Performance and UI improvements

Google Drive is a free download from Google Play. The company recently enabled Drive users to access their Google+ photos directly.

Google Drive for Work and Apps for Education getting plethora of new security features

Stephen Hall Mar 31 2015 - 10:46 am PT

Google has today announced that it’s bringing new sharing controls, alerts and “audit events” to both Google Drive for Work and Google for Education over the coming weeks. Security is one of the biggest concerns that companies have about moving their data to the cloud, and Google hopes these new features will help make the transition just a little bit easier…

Google Drive now gives access to your photos as Google+ dismantling begins

Stephen Hall Mar 30 2015 - 12:33 pm PT

Sundar Pichai recently said in a Forbes interview that Google was going to start focusing on the core parts of Google+ (namely, Hangouts, photos, and the Google+ stream) as being three independent areas of interest. One of the first big steps towards this goal, positioning “Photos” as being its own standalone product accessible across Google services, has finally started happening today: You can now view your Google+ photos under a new “Google Photos” section in Google Drive…
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Latest Drive for Android update hints at automatic photo/video back-up and Chromecast support

Chance Miller Mar 6 2015 - 6:18 pm PT

Google rolled out an update to the Drive Android app earlier this week, and as usual, what it touted in the change log wasn’t all that changed. Android Police has dug deeper into the APK update file and noticed some changes that hint at major new features coming to the app. First off, it appears that Google Drive will take over the task of backing up photos and videos for users, a responsibility that has been held by Google+ since its inception.

Google Drive for Android updated w/ drag & drop file support, interface tweaks

Chance Miller Mar 4 2015 - 4:43 pm PT

In honor of Update Wednesday, Google this evening has started rolling out a new version of the Drive Android app. The update bumps the app to version 2.2 and focuses on improving navigation and usability throughout the interface.

Take 30 seconds to check your Google account security, get 2GB extra on Google Drive

Ben Lovejoy Feb 10 2015 - 6:04 am PT

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Google wants you to check your account security, and its willing to bribe you to do it. In return for taking 30 seconds or so to complete a security checkup by February 17th, Google will add 2GB to your Google Drive storage allowance around the end of the month.

This Safer Internet Day, we’re reminded how important online safety is and hope you’ll use this as an opportunity to take 2 minutes to complete a simple Security Checkup […] As our way of saying thanks for completing the checkup by 17 February 2015, we’ll give you a permanent 2 gigabyte bump in your Google Drive storage plan.

The check makes sure you have up-to-date account recovery information, that recent activity looks legit, and that only the right apps and devices have permission to access your account. You can complete the check here.

Google rolling out updated Drive app for Mac and PC w/ new status menu & bandwidth control

Stephen Hall Jan 14 2015 - 1:20 pm PT

Google is rolling out an updated version of its Google Drive app for Mac and PC this week with a few handy new features. First, you’ll find (as you can see above) that Google has updated the status menu to show much more information than before. Now, you can see the files that are being synced up to the cloud as well as a check mark next to them that will appear as they do so. The app will also make it clear which files are currently syncing and which files are yet to be synced. Additionally, hovering over an item will let you share it straight from the menu.

Google Drive adds ability to convert Office file attachments from Gmail

Chance Miller Dec 2 2014 - 1:06 pm PT

In a post on the official Drive Google+ account, Google today announced that Gmail web users can now easily open and edit Microsoft Office attachments. Google previously introduced the ability to edit Office files in Drive, but today’s update makes the process considerably easier for Gmail users. Now when a user receives a Microsoft Office file in an attachment, they can simply click the “edit with Google Docs” pencil icon to instantly open and edit the file.

Google Docs updated w/ new image editing options, ability to merge cells

Chance Miller Dec 1 2014 - 3:01 pm PT

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Google this evening has announced a trio of updates to its Drive suite of apps. First off, Google Docs has been updated to add the ability to merge the cells of a table. In order to merge cells in Docs, simply highlight the cells to be merged, then right-click and choose the “Merge cells” option from the pop-up menu.

Best Cyber Monday discounts on Google products and accessories

Mark Hearn Dec 1 2014 - 9:19 am PT

Our friends at 9to5Toys are busy excavating the Internet to find the latest Cyber Monday deals for any and everything and to help make things easier for you guys we’ve singled out some of the best Google deals that you’ll find on the web. Here’s a look at some of our favorite items currently on sale during this web-based holiday.

Best Black Friday Google Deals: Chromecasts $24, 13″ Chromebooks: $150, Nest, Wear Watches and lots of Android

Seth Weintraub Nov 27 2014 - 5:00 pm PT

9to5Toys is rustling up the best deals around the web for Black Friday and there are a lot of nice bargains for Google fans. Google Play’s Store deals are now live but they are matched and often surpassed by retailers such as Amazon and eBay…

First up, you need to make sure every HDTV in your love ones house has a Chromecast. Currently $24 at Amazon and ~~$23 at NewEgg,~~ you can venture into a Staples and get one for $25 ~~then use with a 25% off printable coupon to get it to $18.~~ Costco will also give you a $10 Google Play card and charge you $25. You’ll get 2 months of Hulu and 3 months of Google Play with every Chromecast purchased.

Next, you’ll want to make sure you have yourself a Chromebook and Google is hooking up all new Chromebook users with 1TB of Storage for 2 years ($240 value)

Adorama’s ebay store has the below Asus 13-inch Chromebook with Gigabit wifi for $150. Specs:

10 Hours Incredible Battery Life.
Gigabit Dual-Band 802.11AC ultra-fast Wi-Fi.
Intel Dual-Core 2.16 GHz Processor with 2 GB RAM.
13.3″ HD LED Display. HD Webcam.
USB 3.0, USB 2.0, HDMI, SD Card Reader, & Bluetooth 4.0.
16 GB local flash storage, 100 GB Google Drive storage for 2 years.

Amazon has the Haswell Acer Chromebook C720 for $149.99 shipped at Amazon or at Best Buy. That is the best price we’ve seen on a new Chromebook.

Amazon also has an HP Chromebook for $149.99 shipped. This one comes with a USB charging and a nice slim design and a screen that gets great reviews. Specs:

Samsung Exynos 5 Processor 1.7 GHz
2 GB DDR3L SDRAM 16 GB Solid-State Drive
11.6-Inch Screen, Chrome OS, 6.25-hour battery life

Need something bigger?

Acer’s new 13-inch Chromebooks are just $169.99 (an impressive $80 or 32% off). Available in 3 colors.

Need a Wear Watch? It will be hard to beat LG’s G Watch dropping down to $99 but all Google Play watches will get a $50 Google Play Credit when purchased from the Play Store today.

Android and Nest deals are below:

Google bundling 1TB of Drive storage with the purchase of select Chromebooks

Mark Hearn Nov 21 2014 - 10:17 am PT

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Chromebook’s are becoming a viable option for people with simple computing needs, and while the laptop alternative typically ships with limited local storage, Google often tosses in 100GB of cloud space from Google Drive for two years. But to sweeten the pot this holiday season, the search giant is turning the dial up quite a few notches and tossing in 1TB of Drive storage with the purchase of an eligible Chromebook.

Google rolling out Chrome OS update w/ Chromecast support in Google Drive and more

Chance Miller Nov 20 2014 - 4:39 pm PT

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Google has started rolling out an update to the stable channel of Chrome OS with a handful of notable enhancements. The biggest feature for Chrome OS users is the addition of Chromecast support for media files stored in Google Drive. This means that when viewing a media file in Google Drive, a Chromecast icon will appear, allowing users to easily and quickly beam that content to their TV.

Google Drive’s new design is now enabled by default, but users can still revert back for now

9to5 Staff Nov 7 2014 - 1:17 pm PT

Google announced on Friday that the new user interface for Google Drive, introduced in June as an opt-in experience, is now the default design for the cloud storage platform. Google Drive users can revert back to the old design through the Settings dropdown for the foreseeable future, although Google will eventually remove this option.

Following the change, users are now prompted with a “welcome to the new Google Drive” pop-up message upon loading the web-based service. The dismissible message provides a walkthrough of a number of Google Drive’s new features, including the ability to view and manage versions for non-Google file formats and add caption files or transcript files to videos.

Google Drive now lets you open files in compatible Mac & PC apps w/ new Chrome extension

Jordan Kahn Nov 5 2014 - 9:34 am PT

Google announced today that it’s releasing a new Chrome extension called Application Launcher for Drive that allows users to open files directly from its Google Drive service in compatible apps on a Mac or PC. The extension adds an “Open With” option that will let users launch files in apps like, for example, Mac OS X’s Preview app or third-party editing apps like those from Adobe and Microsoft.
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Google Drive and related apps experiencing outage for some users (update)

Zac Hall Oct 27 2014 - 9:03 am PT

Google Drive and some related services are currently experiencing issues for some users, according to Google.

We’re investigating reports of an issue with Google Drive. We will provide more information shortly.
Affected users will notice 500 errors and latency.

The same service issues apply to Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides, which each have the same error message from Google. The notice was first posted at 8:20 AM PST.

Update 9:20 AM PST: We are continuing to investigate this issue. We will provide an update by 10/27/14 1:30 PM detailing when we expect to resolve the problem.

Update 11:18 AM PST: Our team is continuing to investigate this issue. We will provide an update by 10/27/14 3:30 PM with more information about this problem. Thank you for your patience.

Update: Google says the issue has been resolved and has released the following statement on the matter:

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.

Google brings extra functionality to Forms w/ Add-ons support

Jordan Kahn Oct 23 2014 - 12:56 pm PT

Google previously allowed developers to make add-ons that bring extra functionality to its Google Docs and Sheets web apps, and now Google is bringing the same feature to its Forms app. Google gives a few examples of add-ons that might be handy for Forms. Imagine, for example,“setting a survey end date, sending custom emails based on responses, storing lists of choices that you frequently add to questions, and more.”

Over the last few months, Forms has been getting a bunch of updates to help you make good looking surveys, like new theme choices and the ability to create your own personalized themes. To give you even more flexibility and options, we’re introducing add-ons for Forms—new tools, created by developer partners, that deliver even more features to your surveys (just like add-ons for Docs and Sheets).

Google highlighted a few add-ons that are already available:

formLimiter: Close your survey automatically, after a maximum number of responses is reached, or at a date and time of your choosing.
Ultradox Trigger: Create custom emails, reports, invoices, newsletters, etc., based on information that people enter into your form.
Form Values: Store and pull from lists that you use regularly in Forms, like a list of staff, students, rooms, resources or anything you want.

Add-ons for Forms are accessible from a new “Add-ons” menu in the app or this link. Developers interested in learning more about developing add-ons can do so here.

Google is investigating a Drive service disruption this morning

Jordan Kahn Oct 14 2014 - 8:30 am PT

Update: Resolved.

Google Drive is currently experiencing a service disruption for many users. Google first confirmed the problem earlier this morning noting that it’s “investigating reports of an issue with Google Drive.” Users trying to access various Google Drive services might receive a “500 errors and latency,” according to Google’s App Status Dashboard.

Google’s latest update on the outage through its Google Apps status website said the company is continuing to investigate and will provide an update later today with more information on the issue.

The service isn’t down for everyone, but we’ll update here when Google resolves the problem or provides any further updates. You can check the status of Google Apps through its Apps Status Dashboard here.

Google Drive adds new image editing options for Slides

Jordan Kahn Oct 6 2014 - 11:34 am PT

After previously announcing image editing features including cropping and borders for Docs, Slides and other Google Drive apps, Google today announced new options for images in Slides. Now, in addition to cropping and adding borders to images, you can now access recolor, transparency, brightness, and contract settings.

You can now select “Image options…” from the toolbar, format menu, or right-click menu, where you can adjust the opacity, brightness, and contrast of an image, or recolor it to match the theme of your presentation.

Google provided the examples above and below showing off some of the new image editing options. We imagine it wont be long before these features make their way to Docs and the other Google Drive apps that support images.

Squarespace releases two new Android apps for note taking, blog management

Chance Miller Oct 2 2014 - 5:02 pm PT

The online blogging and content creation platform Squarespace launched two new apps for Android this afternoon. Starting today, Squarespace Note and Squarespace Note are both available on the Play Store. For those unfamiliar, Squarespace is a service that features website building, hosting, and blogging capabilities for a monthly fee.

Google Forms adds short URLs, randomized questions, more

Chance Miller Sep 29 2014 - 1:12 pm PT

Earlier this month, Google made a handful of changes to its Forms service, allowing users to choose custom themes and survey designs. The company, this afternoon, is continuing its beefing up of Forms, rolling out a few more ways to customize surveys you create.

Google Drive mobile web app redesign rolling out now

Jordan Kahn Sep 25 2014 - 10:30 am PT

Google announced today that it’s rolling out an updated version of its Google Drive interface on the web for mobile devices. That means if you visit Google Drive from a browser on your device (instead of using the native Google Drive apps), you’ll now arrive at a refreshed user interface specifically optimized for the web on smartphones and tablets. Google still recommends you go with its native Drive apps, but if you have to visit the mobile version, you’ll now have a much improved experience.

Starting today, you’ll find a much improved mobile web version of Drive that’s faster and easier to use. The apps are still the most optimized experience, but if you find that isn’t an option, the mobile web will do the job better than ever.

The new UI is rolling out starting today and should become available to all in the coming days at http://drive.google.com.

PSA: Google is investigating an issue with Google Drive sharing

Jordan Kahn Sep 25 2014 - 10:17 am PT