Tag: google

You Can Now Edit Microsoft Office Documents Directly from Your Gmail Inbox

Google has recently added another feature to the web-version of its popular email service, Gmail. Now, Gmail inbox allows users to edit Microsoft Office documents sent as email attachments. With Microsoft increasing its popularity in cloud space, Google has taken a right step forward.

This doesn’t seem like a major update, however, the new feature is a part of Google’s strategy to make its cloud service more universal and make it a one-stop from enterprise workspace. The new feature adds a Google Drive edit icon to Gmail attachments that says ‘Edit with Google Docs’. By clicking on this, the Office files get automatically converted into Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides.

Clicking this ‘edit’ option on an Office file attachment will convert the file to the preferred Google format, saving it in Google Drive to allow for continuous editing and sharing. Google has also increased the amount of Office file formats so as it can be imported to Docs to make the process easier. The list now includes 15 less-used Office formats including .pps and .ppsx.

The formats will be converted into Google formats according to their extensions such as dot, dotx, dotm*, docm* will convert into Google Docs; xlt, xltx, xltm*, xlsm* into Google Sheets and pot, potx, potm*, pptm*, pps, ppsx, ppsm* into Google Slides.

If you don’t want to change your file type, Google has a solution for that too. Google suggests you to use its Office Editing Chrome extension. It is also promising ‘improved charts, images, and tables support for these file formats, but didn’t go into detail.

December 3, 2014
Google Glass to Make a Comeback in 2015 With Intel Chips

A new report by The Wall Street Journal has revealed that 2015 will see the launch a new version Google Glass which will be powered by an Intel Chip and will offer longer battery life than the present Explorer Edition. Intel has joined hands with Google as a part of their strategy to push their market in the wearable segment.

Google Glass has already gone through some minor changes since its launch, one to add compatibility with prescription lenses and another to double the RAM; however, entirely new chipset could mean some serious changes. The Intel chips will replace a processor from Texas Instruments Inc. included in the first version of the Google Glass.

According to the WSJ, Intel plans to promote the Glass to hospital networks and manufacturers. Google launched the web-connected eyewear in 2012, but it carried a hefty price and was regarded as something that only nerds would wear. Limited battery life and an impractical four-figure price tag worked against the Glass’ widespread adoption up until now. With a more modern processor and a refreshed design, it might see consumer interest rekindled.

Intel chips are mostly used in personal computers and servers in data centres, but the company has targeted the tablet and wearable markets for new power-efficient versions of its x86-based processors. It competes with rivals such as ARM and Texas Instruments. At CES 2014, it showed off smart earbuds that can measure a runner’s heart rate. In March, Intel purchased the high-end health tracker maker Basis Science. The chip maker’s XMM6321 3G cellular radio was incorporated into MICA, a fashion bracelet that was unveiled in September.

Google has been pushing Glass as a workplace-computing device. Recently, through a program called Glass at Work, Google is working with software developers including Augmedix and APX Labs to encourage use of Glass in industries such as health care, construction and manufacturing where employees work with their hands but need information.

December 1, 2014
Bing and Yahoo Eyeing to Replace Google Search on Safari

Of course, Google is the ultimate king of internet search engines and there is no doubt in it. With almost all popular browsers using Google Search as their default search engine, the American internet giant enjoys a monopoly in the social-networking arena. However, Yahoo is trying to revive its lost glory and has been taking major steps to challenge the supremacy of Google over internet search.

Last week, Firefox announced that it will use Yahoo as its default search engine in the United States on mobile as well as on desktop. And now, according to a report from The Information, Google may also lose the privilege of being the default search provider in Apple’s Safari browser next year.

According to the report, the latest extension of a deal that made Google Search the default search engine for iPhone owners since 2007 is set to expire in 2015, and the arch-rivals, Microsoft and Yahoo, are already pitching a case for change with Apple’s leadership. Each company has pitched Apple’s Senior Vice President Eddy Cue on the idea of replacing Google as the default iOS search provider; Microsoft wants Bing to be the default option out of the box, and Yahoo is also trying its hands.

Bing is already in contract with Apple as a default search provider used by Siri. And on the desktop, OS X Yosemite and Apple’s Spotlight search also show Bing results — without any way for users to replace them with any other search provider.

According to The Information, Apple has been trying to separate itself from Google’s services for several years now. One of the most noticeable change was the removal of YouTube as a pre-loaded app on iPhones and iPads. The rivalry has been going on for years, but Apple has always said that it puts users first. Hence, if you consider this, the American multinational giant might not risk losing such huge user base, however, nothing is official now.

November 26, 2014
Google Rethinking its Sales Strategy for Android One in India

Google’s Android One initiative has been struggling to get hold of the Indian market since its release. However, the budget segment is so crowded with some amazing smartphones like Moto E, Zenfone 5, Redmi 1S and more that there is simply no space for any other device with same specs.

Android One’s first and foremost advantage was the Google’s direct involvement, which meant speedy software updates. However, that also seems to go down the drain as Android One devices still haven’t got the Lollipop update. The company launched the Android One in September, but it has faced some challenges in the market.

Offline retailers have been complaining about low margins for the device. Another big issue was related to its constrained supply. But despite these challenges, around 5 lakh Android One devices have been sold by Micromax, Karbonn and Spice by October-end, according to reports.

Sandeep Menon, Director of Marketing at Google India, commented on the issue, “We continue to get strong consumer demand. We track things like average number of people walking into stores and asking for Android One devices. From that perspective we are extremely happy. Pricing and margins for retailers are in the hands of the OEM partners but we are constantly engaged with them. Our engineers are working with new suppliers in China to benefit OEM partners in terms of choice and availability.”

Even though Menon seemed confident about the sales, the recent reports have shown that Android One devices have been struggling to break into the market and haven’t been able to reach sales goal that the company expected. In order to hook more offline consumers, Google is working on creating awareness about Android One’s features through 30,000 brand ambassadors deployed at various retail outlets.

According to concerned officials, the demand for Android One has increased further after making the product available in the offline channel. Google is trying to make the device a successful initiative as the global rollout of Android One depends on how the device has performed in India.

But that’s not a situation Google has to confront for now. “Our global rollout of Android One is as per the original schedule. There’s no change in that,” said Menon, promising that there would be new announcements on Android One over the next few months.

November 25, 2014
Google Adds New Security Feature to Track Devices Using Your Account

Well, do you remember from how many devices you have accessed your Google account; obviously, no. With the growing number of devices, it is common to see people accessing their Google accounts from multiple devices and later forgetting them. Google’s new Security dashboard will help you keep a track of the devices that still have access, and also will let you cut down the list right from your browser.

Google has added this feature to improve the security measures in ‘Google for Work’, the company’s suite of enterprise business services. However, this feature is available for every account be it a personal one or the business one. The new feature called ‘Devices and Activity dashboard‘ can be seen within the Google Account’s Security settings and it gives you a full rundown of every single device that has had access to your Google Account for the last 28 days.

From the dashboard, you can manually revoke access to any device or just leave it if everything looks fine to you. The details include the last time the account was accessed, location from where it was accessed, as well as the web browser that was used to open the account. Users are also given a single-click option to revoke a device’s access from their account.

If you click on the device, it will show you a list of browsers, the device model, and the account access type. If there’s no Google Account activity in the past 28 days for a given device, Google recommends removing its account access. However, Google no longer displays certain information, like IP addresses and browser versions.

Google has also added a new Security Wizard which guides Google users through steps they can take to turn on or adjust security features. These can range from providing contact info for account recovery (if the domain security policy allows it) to reviewing recent account activity and permissions. Google claims that running the wizard ‘only takes minutes’ and is meant as a way to encourage users to update their settings.

November 25, 2014
Google Maps 9.1 Update Adds Destination Info, Alternate Routes and More

A month ago, Google Map received the Material Design makeover and revamped the in-app restaurant reservations for good measure (only in the US). Now, a new version is rolling out with much-needed new navigation tools.

Earlier, the update to Google Play services was rolled out by the company. This update brought Play services to version 6.5 and added improvements to Google Maps, Google Wallet, Google Drive and Google Fit. The majority of the update was aimed at Maps, bringing additional features which allowed third-party apps to take advantage of a more seamless integration with Maps.

Google maps has always been ahead of the game.

Now, in addition to letting you know exactly how much time that alternate route will save, the app will display estimated time, weather and a smattering of facts about your destination. Google has also added the ability to show and hide traffic with a simple voice command. Of course, there are also some features hiding under the surface and to know that, you have to juggle with the app yourself.

Google Maps 9.1 will also offer improved rerouting options, telling users how much time can be saved by rerouting, and offering ‘route-around’ alerts for closed roads. The application will also offer transit schedule changes for early or late arrivals.

If Google Maps is your go-to app for checking out hotels, restaurants, or scanning other cool stuff, then these new features could save a couple of steps by putting them all in one app. Google is working to make Maps the all-in-one travel and destination tool so that you don’t have to check out competitors like Yelp for information.

The 9.1 version will be rolling out soon to your device, however, the apk for the new version is available here.

November 22, 2014
Google is Offering $240 Worth Cloud Data Free With Chromebooks

Chromebooks are basically Cloud-driven netbooks, which according to most industry watchers is the future of computing in both consumer and enterprise ecosystem. Even though, we have seen a serious price cut on the Cloud data this year, there’s nothing better than free.

Google, wooing customers this holiday season, is offering new Chromebook buyers 1 TB of Google Drive storage to go along with their purchase for two years. To take advantage of the deal, you just have to buy any new Chromebook between now and 1st January, 2015.

Chromebooks run Chrome OS, an operating system based on the Chrome web browser. Everything you want to do on your Chromebook, you have to do on the web. So, instead of saving your Microsoft Word document on your desktop, you use Google Drive to store your docs, spreadsheets, slides etc. in the Cloud. And for that reason, the free data is a sweet deal. That amount of space would usually cost you almost $240.

Google said, “Chromebooks make day-to-day computing fast, simple and secure, whether you’re searching for a great pumpkin pie recipe or sharing a family photo from Google Drive. And now, as a bonus for the holiday season, new Chromebook buyers can get 1 TB of Google Drive storage for two years – a $240 value – absolutely free. That’s enough space to keep more than 100,000 awkward holiday sweater pics safe and shareable in Drive. With that much free storage, you can use your Chromebook for work, play and pretty much everything else you’ll do this holiday season.”

Chromebooks like Acer’s C720 start at $199, though you’d do well to spend more money and get more than 2 GB of RAM. If the Cloud model doesn’t work for you, a new class of cheap Windows laptops like HP’s Stream have been creeping down into the $200 price category lately.

November 22, 2014
Google’s New Contributor Service Lets You Pay to Make Ads Disappear

Well, ads irritate each one of us when we browse through the internet. However, in exchange for free content, you have to view some ads that will compensate the cost of creating the content for you people. It’s a clash that has become a major pain point for news websites and other publishers. The rise of ad blockers, which let people surf the web without these annoying ads, is also blocking their revenue. Anyhow, Google has found a way out to this problem, Google Contributor.

The trial is in the US only, and like many of Google’s new undertakings, Contributor is invitation only for now. The contribution, which is handled through a user’s Google account using whatever payment method they have chosen for the service, doesn’t go to all of the participating websites, but is only triggered when that user visits a specific site. That way, as a Google spokesperson said, readers or users can support only the websites and publishers whose sites they visit frequently.

Google has experimented with similar methods in recent months. In June, it announced Fan Funding for YouTube, which lets viewers make donations up to $US500 to the video channels they enjoy the most. Currently in beta, channels must enable the service first, and fans need a Google Wallet account in order to make a donation. Meanwhile, it’s only available for Australian, US, Mexican and Japanese residents.

November 21, 2014
Come January End, Android One Devices Will Get Their Lollipop

The latest Android mobile OS Lollipop has already hit the devices such as Google’s Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 tablet. However, it was uncertain till now that when will Android One devices get the new update.

According to recent reports, the Lollipop update for the Android One phones is ready and consumers may start seeing it on their phones as early as the middle of December. This means that starting next month, you can expect your Android One to get an update via OTA.

Although Google has remained quiet about the update to Android One devices, Spice, the company which made Dream Uno phone for Android One programme, has stated that the Lollipop update to its users will be rolled out by the end of January. “We plan to provide Lollipop in our Android One devices around January 2015 and the update will be available for all Dream Uno users in India,” stated Prashant Bindal, CEO, Spice Mobility.

The Android One initiative was taken by Google to boost the smartphone adoption rate in emerging markets. Google launched Android One handsets with great promises not just by the company, but also by the homegrown players that collaborated with the search giant and came out with inexpensive handsets. Though, the Android One smartphones, which are priced at Rs. 6,399 onwards, have been advertised more than any other handset launched by the three companies, they failed to get the desired response.

India is the first country where the California-based firm’s Android One devices have been launched. Roll out across other markets like Indonesia, Philippines, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka will follow in coming months.

November 20, 2014
Yahoo Steps Into the Shoes of Google as Default Search Engine on Firefox

Of course, Google is the ultimate king of internet search engines and there is no doubt in it. With almost all the popular browsers using Google Search as their default search engine, the American internet giant enjoys a monopoly in the social-networking arena.

Well, Yahoo is trying to revive its lost glory and has taken a major step to challenge the supremacy of Google over internet search. Starting in December, Firefox will use Yahoo as its default search engine in the United States on mobile and desktop.

“I’m thrilled to announce that we’ve entered into a five-year partnership with Mozilla to make Yahoo the default search experience on Firefox across mobile and desktop,” Yahoo Chief Executive Marissa Mayer wrote in a Wednesday blog post. “This is the most significant partnership for Yahoo in five years.”

It is estimated that Google has been paying Mozilla around $100 million for the privilege of being the default search engine used in the Firefox browser. That deal, last renewed for a three-year period in 2011, has come to an end and will not be renewed as Yahoo has grabbed the contract for the next five years.

“Our teams worked closely with Mozilla to build a clean, modern, and immersive search experience that will launch first to Firefox’s U.S. users in December and then to all Yahoo users in early 2015. The interactive and integrated experience also better leverages our world-class content and personalization technologies.” Mayer wrote. She further talked about the company’s vision saying, “At Yahoo, we believe deeply in search – it’s an area of investment and opportunity for us.”

Market leader Google accounts for 67% of searches from US desktop computers. That compares to about 20% for Microsoft and 10% for Yahoo, according to research firm comScore. Let’s see how much popularity this American multinational giant gains with this deal.

November 20, 2014
Flipkart Tempts Buyers with a Rs.10,000 Off on the New Nexus 6

We reported earlier today that the new Motorola-build Google Nexus 6 has gone up for pre-orders at the popular e-commerce website Flipkart, with an interesting proposition of Rs. 10,000 cashback if you replace it with the new iPhone 6 or 6 Plus. However, the device is still appearing with a ‘Coming Soon’ tag on the ‘Device’ section of the Google Play Store.

Google had already confirmed the pricing of the Nexus 6 for India through the Google Play Store listing. According to the listing, Nexus 6 32GB version will retail for Rs. 44,000, while the 64 GB version is priced at Rs. 49,000. The phone will be released in two colour options in the country – midnight blue and cloud white. Last month, Google launched the new smartphone Nexus 6 in the country, along with Nexus 9 tablet, Nexus Player and Android 5.0.

Flipkart’s pricing for the 32 GB and 64 GB variants are the same as the official Google Play prices of the Nexus 6, at Rs. 44,000 and Rs. 49,000 respectively.

The company has introduced an exchange offer under which customers will be given a cashback of Rs. 10,000 on both the versions of the Nexus 6 smartphone. Interestingly, Flipkart is offering Rs. 10,000 cash back if you exchange your iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus with the new Nexus 6. If anyone is rethinking their recent purchase of Apple’s latest flagship, they can opt for this offer.

Along with that, there are other offers as well like a free three-month subscription to Flipkart First, a cashback of Rs. 1,500 on the purchase of various monthly EMI’s via HDFC/ICICI bank and free pre-selected eBooks worth Rs. 2,100.

The phone has the same metal structure as of the Moto X and also presumably will have the same strength. The button locations are the same, and thanks to the minimal bezel design, the Nexus 6 looks a lot less big.

The smartphone features a 5.96-inch Quad-HD AMOLED display, 2.7 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor, 3 GB of RAM, 32/64 GB of internal storage and 3220 mAh battery with wireless charging support.

November 18, 2014
Top 5 Android Lollipop Features That Will Change the Way You Use Your Smartphone

Google’s new Android platform Lollipop 5.0 has already got rave reviews. The OS has begun rolling out to select Nexus and Motorola handsets and tablets. You must be preparing yourself for your Android Lollipop update, or you’re just getting the grip of the OS on your new tablet or smartphone. Let us tell you, the new update makes you feel like you own a new device altogether.

We are listing top 5 features of Android 5.0 Lollipop that will change the way you use your smartphone.

1. Project Volta

Android smartphones have a bad reputation for short battery life. The amount of juice sucked by the apps and screen has forced Android phone makers to fit larger batteries than iPhone and other rivals to get through the day, but all that may change, thanks to ‘Project Volta’. At its core, Volta represents a concerted effort by Google to address one of the biggest problems affecting smartphones today: battery life. Project Volta is Google’s new initiative for improving battery life. It’s weaved deep into the Lollipop coding. It reorganises background app activity into batches to save unnecessary battery drain. It also automatically detects when you are in an area of weak or no signal to stop the continual network data requests, which is a major source through which your phone’s battery churns out.

2. Interactive Notification

With the new Material Design, notifications do look different. But, the change is not just a cosmetic accessing your updates and interacting with alerts from emails, your social feeds have become more intuitive. It also brings notifications to the lock screen and lets you use them right there, so you can perform tasks without even unlocking your phone. And if you don’t want some of them to bother you every second, you can just put them to your ‘redacted’ list of private notifications. Alerts not only offer quick actions and quick access to settings, but they are incredibly dynamic. They can be expanded or contracted to see more or less information, individually muted for a specific period (e.g. stop Facebook Messages, but not SMS) and prioritised according to your privacy requests.

3. Super Easy Multi-tasking

With the new update, multi-tasking feature in Android has gone some fundamental changes. Mostly, the new changes catch up with the trends set by iOS. However, this time around, Google has actually stepped ahead of Apple. Now, instead of just switching between apps, your phone can now switch between operations within the same app. This means you can now switch between two different documents you were working on and also between different browser tabs in Chrome. This basically changes the fundamentals how you use your Android device.

4. Pin Apps

If your phone is borrowed several times a day by friends and family, then this feature will be your favourite one. Pin Apps mode is a simple and very useful addition to Android Lollipop that lets you add an extra layer of security to your phone when somebody borrows it. When enabled, you can lock down your device so that the person using it only has access to one app. Undoubtedly, a convenient feature for those who often offer a device to a child to play games or a friend to check his or her e-mails. Once the app is pinned, the user can navigate anywhere within the app, but he or she can’t leave it. So if you pin Chrome, the user will be able to browse the Internet, but that’s it. Exiting a pinned app requires you to touch and hold the back and overview buttons at the same time. After a couple of seconds, your device will switch to the overview screen.

5. Faster App Response – ART

Earlier, Android used the Dalvik engine to run third-party and core Google applications. Now, the company has switched to ART with Android Lollipop. ART provides larger install footprint and can, as Google says, operate in an ‘always ready’ mode. So when you select it, the application will spring into life faster than it would with the old engine. According to the company, ART is 4x faster than Dalvik and will improve the performance of any Android handset it runs on.

November 17, 2014
Google Celebrates Children’s Day with Pune Girl’s Winning Doodle

A girl from Pune has bagged this year’s Doodle4Google contest and Google announced it will feature the winning doodle, titled ‘Natural and Cultural Paradise – Assam’ by Vaidehi Reddy, (Army Public School, Pune) on the Google India homepage. As per the declaration, the doodle appears on their homepage today, November 14, which is celebrated as Children’s Day in India. Google’s Doodle4Google contest is held annually and was launched back in 2009. Students from class 1 to 10 are invited to draw the Google Doodle to celebrate Children’s Day in India.

This year’s theme for the contest was ‘A place in India I wish to visit’ and it saw an overwhelming 1 million entries from more than 1,700 schools across 50 cities in India. Out of million entries, Google shortlisted 12 doodles that were put up for online voting.

The winner was eventually chosen by Google’s National Jury that had Political Cartoonist Ajit Ninan, Art Director Children’s Publishing at ACK Media Savio Mascarenhas, and Google Doodle team lead Ryan Gerick.

“Doodle4Google is the perfect platform for the youth of India to showcase their talent on an international platform. It allows youngsters from not only the metros but from Tier II, III and even IV cities to participate, which is evident from the entries seen this year. The response of over 1 million entries is indeed overwhelming and the talent which has surfaced through the entries is remarkable”, said Rajan Anandan, Vice President and Managing Director, Google India.

November 13, 2014
Google App Gets Styled with Material Design Update, Features In-App Search Option

Google’s Material Design is making its way to all the company’s services to make sure its apps look consistent once the new Android Lollipop 5.0 rolls out to the larger public. Well, recently, Google’s search for Android or Google Now has got its makeover, Material Design style.

However, the new update doesn’t only come with a new design, but also with the ability to search within apps installed on your phone. That means if you want to play a track from your Spotify’s playlist, Google Now will do it for you. In case, you need to check the dates of your next flight, you just need to say ‘Ok Google’.

Of course, this won’t be working with all your apps right away, developers need to tweak their apps to enable the functionality first. Apart from this, the new update gives the app better voice search and also, the app will now prompt you regarding the plans you make on your mails and Hangout. This way, it will remind you that you have to meet a friend for a coffee on Sunday morning.

Confirming your choice will at last add the event to your Google Calendar, something we have been expecting. Interestingly,Google has added another option for when you can’t decide to go or not, Google Now will decide it for you too.

November 13, 2014
Nexus 6 Officially Listed on Google Play Store for Rs. 44,000

Google’s latest smartphone Nexus 6 is now listed on the Google Play store in India. While the smartphone still appears with a ‘Coming Soon’ tag according to the listing, the final price has been revealed on the Google’s official store.

Earlier, we surfaced the news that the 32 GB variant will be available at a price of Rs. 42,999. But now, according to the listing, Nexus 6 32GB version will retail for Rs. 44,000, while the 64 GB version is priced at Rs. 49,000. The phone is expected to release in two colour options in the country – midnight blue and cloud white.

Anyhow, there is no word on the official release date of the handset. However, it is said that the smartphone is more likely to go on sale during the first week of December. Last month, Google launched the new smartphone Nexus 6 in the country, along with Nexus 9 tablet, Nexus Player and Android 5.0.

Nexus 6 features a 5.96-inch Quad-HD AMOLED display, 2.7 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor, 3 GB of RAM, 32/64 GB of internal storage and 3220 mAh battery with wireless charging support. Nexus 9 which is also listed as ‘coming soon’ on the Play store powers Android 5.0 Lollipop, 64-bit NVIDIA Tegra K1 Dual Denver processor clocked at 2.3 GHz.

While, the Nexus 9 comes with 2 GB RAM and is available in 16 GB and 32 GB storage variants. The device has an 8.9-inch IPS LCD display with 4:3 aspect ratio. It has a resolution of 2048×1536p and is covered in Gorillla Glass 3. The 16 GB variant is priced at Rs. 28,900 and the 32 GB one will cost you Rs. 44,900.

November 7, 2014