Google Apps

I was browsing around the Google Docs blog to see if Google might have anything to say about the possibility of being able to edit Microsoft Word files directly in Google Docs. I was really hoping for some Microsoft Word functionality within Google Docs with the arrival of the Chromebook.  Unfortunately, I did not come across any information about that topic, but I did stumble upon some very neat features that have been added to Google Docs.

The last features that I am really fond of are the ability to now upload entire folders, drag-and-drop files for uploading, and pagination.

With the new Google Docs Android app, you’re now able to take a picture with your phone and have the text in the photo …

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Unfortunately, I still have to do a lot of work in Microsoft Office since I use a lot of custom headers, footers, and tables of contents. However, I still want the ability to always be able to access my documents from anywhere and have them backed up, which is why I store my documents in Google Docs. I previously used the OffiSync plugin to backup and sync my documents in Microsoft Office. The annoying part was not only saving the file to your hard drive but then having to open the tab in Microsoft Office to store a copy in Google Docs.

I always wished that OffiSync would be able to automatically sync my documents. Fortunately, Google Apps recently released the Google Cloud Connect Plugin…

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We’ve been keeping a close eye on when Google Apps users would be able to upgrade their storage in Google Docs. Google Docs storage upgrade has been available for Google Accounts since this past May. However, until today, Google Apps users could not upgrade their Google Docs storage. This was driving me mad because I store tons of PDF documents in Google Docs, essentially using it as my server and I cannot work with 1 GB of storage.

Google announced months ago that extra storage would be available for Google Apps users. For those using their personal accounts, extra storage is affordable — just $5 a year for 20 GB. When Google announced that Google Apps users could upgrade their storage, they tried implementing it …

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This past November Google rolled out a big update for Google Apps users by giving them the ability to use their Google Apps accounts as full-service Google Accounts. It seemed like a silly setup in retrospect. If your organization signed up with Google Apps, users had access to Gmail, Docs, Calendar, etc. However, they did not have access to other Google services such as Picasa, Blogger, and AdWords. If they wanted to use these services with their Google Apps email address, they had to create a personal Google account.

Google realized that this was slightly problematic and that they should open the gamut of all Google products to Google Apps users. Organizations that were already signed up could simply click a button and transition their …

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A lot of Google Apps users have been frustrated by the fact that they cannot upgrade their Google Docs storage from the 1 GB of space that each user is given. For users who use their personal Gmail account for Google Docs, they can upgrade their storage to as much as 16 TB and the prices are very affordable (20 GB is just $5 per year). All that has to be done to upgrade is going into Google Docs then Settings > Documents Settings and clicking Upgrade Storage. However, this feature to upgrade is not be available for Google Apps users, it’s just for personal Google accounts.

All across the Google Apps forums, users have been asking Google when they will be able to upgrade …

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Google Docs revealed its new look to users yesterday. There are some things that I like and some things that I don’t like about it.

The purpose of the move was to improve organization by adding filters. For example, you can now filter documents by selecting just documents, just spreadsheets, just presentations, or just PDF files. That is nice.

Google Docs also added the preview pane. The preview pane is pretty useless for documents since you can’t see anything, but it’s incredibly useful for videos and pictures. It also has a pane where you can see who the document is shared with and which collection it is filed under.

Google is now referring to folders as “Collections” which is a combination of folders and labels …

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I use Google Calendar to schedule all of my appointments and thanks to Google Sync, my phone is automatically updated whenever I add events on my computer and my Google Calendar is automatically updated when I add events on my phone. However, I’ve been late to a meeting before because my calendar notifications weren’t properly setup. I added an appointment and the default notification was set to 10 minutes. Unfortunately, I needed 30 minutes notice to be on time and forgot to change the default.

Google Calendar gives you the option of setting email reminders, pop-up reminders, or both. I use pop-up reminders rather than email reminders because Blackberry will alert me when I have an upcoming appointment. The default reminder is 10 minutes in Google Calendar. That was a …

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When Google Apps was first released, it contained Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, and a few others. What many users wanted was the ability to use other Google services with their Google Apps log-in.

For example, if someone wanted to use Google AdSense, Google Voice, or Google Reader, users would have to use their personal @gmail.com address or sign up for the services individually with their Google Apps email. Google then expanded all of their different applications to Google Apps users.

The additions are available to all new users. Existing users will be migrated over the next few months. Existing users can also upgrade their account in their control panel. Administrators can also set which applications are and are not available to be used in …

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The main benefit of Google Docs was its ability for users to access their documents from any computer simply by logging in with their username. This especially came in handy when you need to access a document on your mobile phone.  However, documents could only be viewed on your phone and couldn’t be edited, until now. Mobile editing will now work with iPhone and Android devices, as well as the iPad.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt is a huge proponent of the mobile-first philosophy. Schmidt has said that Google’s focus will be on the mobile web. In order to follow through with that vision, Google Docs has added mobile editing, which can update documents with collaborators working on the document in real time.

Here is a video …

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Here is our second video using Xtranormal to educate people about the benefits of using Google Apps. I still hear from several people that they’re being attacked with spam emails despite setting up numerous filters and downloading expensive spam elimination software. With Google Apps, you won’t have to worry about spam emails and there is no cost to use it. If you’re getting tons of spam, it’s time to setup Google Apps.

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