Special Characters Search Engine in Google Drive

Google's Drive desktop apps have an updated dialog for <a href="https://support.google.com/docs/answer/3371015">inserting special characters</a>. If you open a document, spreadsheet or presentation, go to the Insert menu and click "Special characters", you have many ways to find a special character: use categories, search by keyword (example: arrow), enter the Unicode code point (example: 2195) or draw the character.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLsKn-W64jUZ6D3x0fNcHb7ll5eK2mmHu40fNjOtU08TAg3bszT2gZlA1yjqspF7_hYtKdLZvyOwFZJP1MsjZXHYU2QYm_Ud7W-LZ8wpIuGnIVlvBZJvUOSL3pn1Ia60sGDbpsez9Dxkt/s1600/google-docs-special-characters.png" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGG9jCbE0kqlbh5oYWcXud_RhSjYPQjmHiD4VS77nWl4MX1sKEpJvbgxwb406rpo7MqTERMdUrPiYy1-vLxZ6sy8rRk_9n81Mdy7FMD9AIag_Jlj95gyMS6F4C2KALdrui53aBSHpPDXZA/s1600/google-docs-special-characters-2.png" /></div><br />"We have launched a new version of the special character picker in Google Docs, Slides, and Drawings, making it easier for people to find characters and symbols — like arrows, shapes, or non-Latin characters — to insert into their content. The new picker now supports keyword search as well as free form input, so editors can draw the symbol that they have in mind and the picker will return available characters that resemble the drawing," <a href="http://googleappsupdates.blogspot.com/2014/08/quickly-find-and-insert-special.html">informs Google</a>.<br /><br />Here's another example from <a href="https://plus.google.com/112893701314508522131/posts/UH9t5aUqTf6">Google Drive's Google+ page</a>:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD5vvo4IqLljqIdIfZ7mGt6NGdpe65ckxTeWGsfbKuUsIZl904DUwF6a3ea2OvSUMPImb7h5ebZcessVRycRBQ65EFlY0FPkFGfst59vB2vqqPcz8VFWI_0vum2NAT2PxukRUhyphenhyphenBYlJCec/s1600/docs-characters.gif" /></div>

Special Characters Search Engine in Google Drive

Google's Drive desktop apps have an updated dialog for inserting special characters . If you open a document, spreadsheet or presentatio...

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Edit Office Files in Docs, Sheets and Slides for iOS

Google released the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/app/id879478102">Slides app for iOS</a> and added native Office file editing to <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/app/id842842640">Docs</a>, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/app/id842849113">Sheets</a> and Slides for iOS.<br /><br />"You can truly get stuff done from any device — your iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, laptop or desktop computer. Any change you make on any of these devices is saved automatically, so you can pick up right where you left off any time, anywhere that you can sign in. The Docs, Sheets and Slides apps come with offline editing built right in. Just make the files you want to edit available offline. Any changes you make offline get automatically synced when you reconnect, just like when you make offline edits from your computer. And while converting Office files to Docs, Sheets and Slides is a cinch, the new iPhone/iPad apps also let you edit Office files directly - just like on the Android apps and the web," <a href="http://googledrive.blogspot.com/2014/08/docssheetsslidesios.html">informs Google</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnVMeko_zBpsE9lmrNrx9UeEl6uBo2qm4R29EvQR1kNtAWAOx1ivGmv1A6-TfzcbznLIts3Qu2wVwrBhHu5q1z76mFMrqGIBRCAp2CMi3f70eK-rED5X__lgThyphenhyphenv60mtPajsOMmceo1y5/s1600/drive-ios.png" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQuviO5v5VKUlkkkzlzSvzWZT-9qyEaLORXjy0qw6gA9mRwgl4RAIHVwJKGcmHmKqubVf0WvG2EfMdW905zCkhk0iDDXDqI3z6JrnrIxWLzF6ikKgD7cydXObgeCh0I-nR3XjA5E-74c59/s1600/slides-ios.png" /></div><br />Native Office editing using the Office Compatibility Mode is a great feature and now Google's productivity apps for iOS are more powerful and can better compete with Microsoft Office.

Edit Office Files in Docs, Sheets and Slides for iOS

Google released the Slides app for iOS and added native Office file editing to Docs , Sheets and Slides for iOS. "You can truly get s...

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Google Drive Viewer Changes

I've mentioned a few weeks ago that there's <a href="http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2014/06/new-interface-for-gmail-and-google.html">a new interface</a> for Google Drive previews and Gmail attachment previews. There's more space for content, the toolbar disappears when you're not using it, you can click "open" to open the file using the default app.<br /><br />If you use <a href="http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2014/06/new-google-drive-interface.html">the new Google Drive UI</a>, Google Drive Viewer is no longer available in the "open" menu and you need to click the "pop-out" icon next to the "x" icon to open Google Drive Viewer. Most of its functionality is available from the preview interface, but there are some missing features. For example, adding comments.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifcjyTMpRWYdF5FTmuyKPXhKy-ZNPYeOuHCtuRsE8C8cb0j3-NZ59HccVQ1dDKp4-iUeQXSmo21sAKVVjCjSgNwZBcMo0tVIRCSJL8BFF-xT-AVy_aZXgjbejvkIyzDGZ8XR4wuZajTkof/s1600/google-drive-viewer-new-ui.png" /></div><br /><a href="http://googleappsupdates.blogspot.com/2014/07/new-version-of-google-drive-viewer.html">The Google Apps blog</a> mentions that "as part of this change we will remove support for adding file-level commenting of non-Google file formats. This change doesn't impact comments in Google Docs, Sheets and Slides, and existing comments on non-Google formats will be retained and available to view." The commenting feature is still available for me in the "Edit" menu when opening a PDF file or other non-Google file types:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGFk98cqkOHfw7iBFX1yfyWCoKo-mpGI5DPUJgPrjJGug7m3-Qhx2DqHtv24j9VkYlJ3mNmR_bcUlDgcXGcD9dOy_5wsU5XKf9ZlOjHWiLkCKRtSRFnX_ANvEtxuLiiW8MkNyKixAfKEB/s1600/google-drive-comment.png" /></div><br />

Google Drive Viewer Changes

I've mentioned a few weeks ago that there's a new interface for Google Drive previews and Gmail attachment previews. There's mo...

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Google Drive's Quota Page

<a href="http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-new-google-drive-for-desktop.html">The new Google Drive interface</a> has a cool feature: it shows all the files you've uploaded, sorted by file size. Mouse over the storage stats at the bottom of the page ("X GB of Y GB used"), click "Drive" and you'll get to <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/#quota">this page</a> that shows the quota used by your files, so you can quickly delete some of the files you no longer need. Interestingly, the URL: <a href="https://drive.google.com/#quota">https://drive.google.com/#quota</a> also works in the old Google Drive interface.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1PoZSFJ5LV0qf1vOSXcCzD7VIsvwyaijNcgWCStu1ixDk0XN8i2DlR1Ph3UNG3IGC4I-xrFdGSyunetT4Y14XnFsLsdnie7rro035XNI3e9tg6Q4NyudiJgZVg6pXlc2QIn-lM4DdXz0w/s1600/drive-quota.png" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTalcGuORgniGi2j8zgu2_AIRfKSR_mta74nmUnZZv8YNdpmJT8G1ANrqxiXZCzzgTgdwB-DgZFC2HMGVSfvNf3wb6TjwCLdmHfNO598dZttiWFdqJcrDoPDIa95GSsrB-WVoCXo-RQPD/s1600/drive-quota-2.png" /></div><br />The page doesn't include the documents, spreadsheets, forms, presentations, drawings created with Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings or converted to the Google formats.<br /><br />The old Google Drive interface also had this feature. You had to click an arrow icon next to "owner", pick "quota used" and sort by quota. Google Drive only displayed the files from the current folder, so you had to use this URL: <a href="https://drive.google.com/#all">https://drive.google.com/#all</a> to see all your files. The new quota page is more convenient, but the new Google Drive interface no longer lets you sort folders by quota used.

Google Drive's Quota Page

The new Google Drive interface has a cool feature: it shows all the files you've uploaded, sorted by file size. Mouse over the storage ...

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New URL for Google Docs

If you go to <a href="http://docs.google.com/">docs.google.com</a>, you might see this message: "Soon, docs.google.com will start taking you to the Google Docs application, not Google Drive. You can always get to Google Drive by using drive.google.com." Until now, docs.google.com redirected to drive.google.com without displaying this message.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5TP39sdFtHyf7RHSmXLpL7IPTOsVERyiIahqNf1AceVvoNt9-rzSfvgM0STorhI6omt5xMg9jHR7MKXLxZyXTMqQsRCW_qQb5Atov1KGhJocPm7V1Ok75sXVKX02ES2_SYzVOK4iM9zsa/s1600/google-docs-redirect.png" /></div><br />"You may be using docs.google.com to access Google Drive. With the launch of the <a href="http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2014/07/desktop-home-screens-for-docs-sheets.html">new Google Docs editors home screens</a>, docs.google.com will redirect to the Docs home screen, where you'll find all of your Google Docs and Word files," <a href="https://support.google.com/drive/answer/4722414?hl=en">explains Google</a>.<br /><br />Some useful URLs:<br /><br />* <a href="http://docs.google.com/">docs.google.com</a>, <a href="http://www.google.com/docs">google.com/docs</a> - Google Docs (the first URL still redirects to Drive for now)<br />* <a href="http://sheets.google.com/">sheets.google.com</a>, <a href="http://www.google.com/sheets">google.com/sheets</a> - Google Sheets<br />* <a href="http://slides.google.com/">slides.google.com</a>, <a href="http://www.google.com/slides">google.com/slides</a> - Google Slides

New URL for Google Docs

If you go to docs.google.com , you might see this message: "Soon, docs.google.com will start taking you to the Google Docs application,...

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The New Google Drive for Desktop

I just got the <a href="http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2014/06/new-google-drive-interface.html">new Google Drive desktop interface</a>. Google shows a small box that asks you to try the new Drive. You need to go to the Settings drop-down and click "Experience the new Drive".<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5egqu5FK-BYHSmcylcXNnL0fQPMOGnHtuDvXbLAchr7mYkKQr_KiGV2LpNPzA5YlKUxpHq2ZrzTgZiSACFx3pGNs9gLOMlkjf-vkxeVJ0qlwe-pzAyy5NINHcHtwZqmkP5vHug3W8kqQ0/s1600/new-drive-1.png" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgt8GnRidP7gKE7CXeKB5O1Lp4zMmaASaX9fxtnqcf4J6UEloHYEX8kVRZuit_NGt1McLy5H-XcoZMk3HQLsyEJgEINVA_NmcIAkLOJq9i_5YYHOtrowE6vbJO3tB-MzmOBOb16vvDl30t/s1600/new-drive-2.png" /></div><br />Here's the welcome page with a small accessibility icon:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2WvpeL8OvLuMECKbQQGqZYilXo7SUn1JCeOn_qkSZKxGIu1E_NEsyiLAYG12sOJY_1y29zLSjmaYXEMqWEsLh0HeJt4Knp7WU2_Dm_OG1cBtbAy1GP1KVuyEKzugWx2mnee6Tw4lZ1YA4/s1600/new-drive-3.png" /></div><br />The new interface has a lot in common with the <a href="http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2014/07/desktop-home-screens-for-docs-sheets.html">new desktop home screens</a> for Docs, Slides and Sheets. All of them use the new Material Design.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOqc6pbqf0eferW2_f0ECKxrC874ZZLNl9aztSebFHmgDcu5X7V71YeNo5LItzvFkjZcKE5HzFXjui6xdk_5X2lit_C08KMWwmh7vnbQYXXytmWgs4SoA-l5DEcc-Fu8pRwjnRkseJZoAx/s1600/new-drive-4.png" /></div><br />Here's the contextual menu:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYoyE7Qzi4b0r-8MIevX5Oc-7KOp0wse9pL1T2d_-naR8Is9X_4AM7Hdl6ssDESvozUdwkMcn-F5gVYuAXKpbTUm3PhiY2JI381DtZtz54J3rq2Y-HKYWtDG1uFvhYQmJa_N627NC_TLC/s1600/new-drive-5.png" /></div><br />When you click a file, it's selected and the info pane shows more information about the file. There are no more checkboxes: click to select, double click to open.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Yu_8IbhZ1CAANJPPJgHDUA_Rty_Y68vjhrYuHCqcUlh161LqFpuFMAY6eUDeCWQgNZp-Yx2ZhlYfpk6uDomJeGMSt59ROY4Wg2d5b3UHaHVi7YimQn4Ejjk7aAYr7_KZ4AMJevKIxVuj/s1600/new-drive-6.png" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-D2yMzQTnHl-5Y78n7SO7FqU7SjyyU5tC9T07BGXvzUgu8Lb78JUq59YxbOTiysppStCiKA469AKcvsAXKtHtF-QunqEV0Js-KQsyxu_xdkB0ZCcAV4Q9MkonGGdm1JZU-ZeyK0_0C8_o/s1600/new-drive-7.png" /></div><br />There's an updated "new" button that lets you upload files and files, but also create new documents.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2UrS8fWf6Z42gVmmMp_KYizvhhM-uhySXCqTfZguB2cZZlQbFheOT-209giRjvynhCOMyfJSlFlAQDnnXhDxnf3DYNG19QgDYgi-b9dztLXLt8KPnbMX8RZVet5Vt9Uz80hjX3UV2INI0/s1600/new-drive-8.png" /></div><br />You can now resize the sidebar:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheqUoIzhR-dC52eCxsHN1Yp77lBAHyom7rptV6woMtKOe9usfEmFrKrB-tN_YMkdf0RwMHx8tz9ZcQvOENgkthE8go26Z2Kr7QIgSjFC75H1D6G3fu2VBQjaU6xQ9FUFCQp5re3ljN34Jk/s1600/new-drive-9.png" /></div><br />It's easier to select files: click and drag your mouse over several files or press Shift to select a range of files or press Ctrl to select non-consecutive files.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxDB0sb7qCbnRiJQFlCEEFQQ4aWpDUYJd3UjmnYbs-4RlfsTWQFVdGyq2x8cYVba6f4pgIYUHwozM0Q0ayEnO5Tyg9ylhiQIVJ24KKZX1RGQhjylz68Wve-A9c6JfZCAj7y6dkiWiuUCB7/s1600/new-drive-10.png" /></div>

The New Google Drive for Desktop

I just got the new Google Drive desktop interface . Google shows a small box that asks you to try the new Drive. You need to go to the Setti...

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Google Docs' Identity Problem

Google's office suite has always had an identity problem. Google changed product names multiple times and didn't manage to differentiate its products.<br /><br />Back in 2006, Google acquired Writely (an online document editor) and XL2Web, which later became Google Spreadsheets. The two products merged and the resulting service <a href="http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2006/10/google-docs-spreadsheets.html">was called Google Docs & Spreadsheets</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7506/607/1600/google-docs.gif" /></div><br />That worked well until 2007, when <a href="http://googlepress.blogspot.com/2007/04/google-has-acquired-tonic-systems.html">Google acquired Tonic Systems</a> and launched a service for editing presentations. Google Docs & Spreadsheets <a href="http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2007/09/google-presentations-finally-launched.html">was rebranded as Google Docs</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsty0-0QoU41H-Hkx61mUWNTK9_9Dqx_4NqNoaulov4XwQrjOPTzWOkiH6bTfWQji37MjmvwFSXEj_frobsLnY9amf7BNGaeUckJmFs1Z5wEhFhtOnkUHO6sVauD86GwzzccWhHYfy91A/s1600/google-docs-with-presentations.png" /></div><br />Back then, the document manager was called Google Docs List. The name was changed to <a href="http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2012/04/google-drive-google-docs-meets-dropbox.html">Google Drive</a> in 2012 and Google positioned it as an online storage service. Even though Google offered 1GB of free storage before Google Drive's launch, Google Docs was mainly perceived as a Microsoft Office alternative, not as a Dropbox alternative.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-cSW13t6HZA6G6U4gf8xMQmf35-DMJBZDoOG3d_w1oxx-2mxr2enogl7dP5ocx17iXT5-9IpxHNiHpHjADQLmqoyxizSqk5tUTVe1rkNqg1Zq95v9Oo61o9DDSxiGChgX969IbmJ5fhp/s640/gdrive-goggles.jpg" /></div><br />Google Drive added support for third-party apps and Google's online editors finally got names: <a href="http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2012/10/docs-sheets-slides-short-names-for.html">Docs, Sheets, Slides</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaEKmmYhqHljqP9KCDQyY1vCaJ6NYxm0LiuXfFWpbC_DPOA0FkWIbWVIC55s1ugXbvmJgymviji2JWRXFleTe3x4P-olVieXWQ9UdZCjGheAZqU2fB-Q6ysW0DZDYo6ZD0A6qT0HeYFRct/s1600/google-docs-apps-in-chrome.png" /></div><br />Two months ago, Google Drive's mobile app for Android and iOS was <a href="http://googledrive.blogspot.com/2014/04/docssheetsapps.html">split into 3 apps</a>: Google Drive (file manager, file viewer), Google Docs and Google Sheets. Google Slides for Android was released last week and the iOS version will be released in a few weeks. Desktop apps will have <a href="http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2014/06/new-google-drive-interface.html">custom URLs</a> and their own dashboards.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3jvpe_AWulZAiI50R-g9IBwHfghDB0Pt_rUM_fXLfarc5qKUF2H8ufgVjij82QUVolDAMEH_gQcE-g8BN5ibKJGOJMGpH1ZUZoqqJk6x2cN-WFuSPDfsj6TOE4WX4WGTtLMuub4IuDJ0/s1600/google-drive-apps-web.png" /></div><br />Why create so many separate apps? Google's online editors have always been distinct applications. They came from different acquisitions and didn't have a lot in common when they were released. Their best feature was collaboration, but business users kept complaining about Microsoft Office compatibility, so Google bought QuickOffice and added support for native Office editing without conversion using a Chrome extension and the new mobile apps.<br /><br />To show that Google Drive/Docs still have an identity problem, let's read the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Docs">Wikipedia page for Google Docs</a>: "Google Docs is a free, web-based office suite offered by Google within its Google Drive service. It was formerly a storage service as well, but has since been replaced by Google Drive." Actually Google Docs is no longer an office suite, it's just an app for editing documents. It's not Google's Office, it's only Google's Words.<br /><br />Maybe the new mobile apps and the new dashboards for the desktop apps will make it more obvious that Docs, Sheets and Slides are separate apps and have their own identity.

Google Docs' Identity Problem

Google's office suite has always had an identity problem. Google changed product names multiple times and didn't manage to different...

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QuickOffice Will Be Discontinued

2 years ago, <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/google-quickoffice-get-more-done.html">Google bought Quickoffice</a>, one of the best mobile apps for editing Office files. At that time, Google explained that "Quickoffice has an established track record of enabling seamless interoperability with popular file formats, and we'll be working on bringing their powerful technology to our Apps product suite".<br /><br />Since then, Google made Quickoffice free (first for business users, <a href="http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2013/09/free-quickoffice-for-android-and-ios.html">then for everyone</a>), removed integration with other services than Google Drive, improved Quickoffice's interface, created <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/office-editing-for-docs-s/gbkeegbaiigmenfmjfclcdgdpimamgkj?hl=en">a Chrome extension</a> for editing Office files and <a href="http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2014/06/new-google-drive-interface.html">added native Office editing</a> to the new mobile apps for Docs, Slides and Sheets.<br /><br />Now Quickoffice will be discontinued and the mobile apps will be removed from <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.quickoffice.android">Play Store</a> and <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/quickoffice-edit-office-documents/id578386521?mt=8">App Store</a>. "With the integration of Quickoffice into the Google Docs, Sheets and Slides apps, the Quickoffice app will be unpublished from Google Play and the App Store in the coming weeks. Existing users with the app can continue to use it, but no features will be added and new users will not be able to install the app," <a href="http://googleappsupdates.blogspot.com/2014/06/removal-of-quickoffice-from-google-play.html">informs Google</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH7TbImid3W4_NU0CdD8cWwjFg6eDlGJkG_blDsnIMxPAR2Uiajb6dOxR6SEtUYsGOum6-QeMxqube8a_0B9pQr9CZ48J9SpZEWbCbxaH-WsN6VCb9-NsjnLKmHPy9UIxc0qOjVWf1fHLj/s1600/quickoffice-play-store.png" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjskx-gyRsKBIEg6fGRq7OwFwWXV934a3YI352THtZcCeE4SXbmLwSSfCITZ5IgB0nfblPEQ7AaN9edmqpsONqC00GFed4DGeIHSVj36vgyo8_gOZpcld4jB4RKhTkAHx11vrMNVM2HUjbD/s1600/quickoffice-ipad.png" /></div>

QuickOffice Will Be Discontinued

2 years ago, Google bought Quickoffice , one of the best mobile apps for editing Office files. At that time, Google explained that "Qui...

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New Interface for Gmail and Google Drive File Previews

When you use Google Drive and click on a file that can't be edited, you get a preview interface that lets you quickly check your files, navigate between your files and more. The same file preview UI is also used for Gmail attachments.<br /><br />Google updated the file previewer to give more focus to the content. The toolbar is now at the top of the page, it has an improved "zoom" feature and it disappears when you're not using it. Documents and images are displayed in a wider frame and take the center stage.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbv3BbnzXcY7zu-EIx2pWvgrlnsUMFEKaX2gyz0Bypnv3k3bCxhumJ2gOAvxyNB5xJXr2pUHqzYAXh59Iu44JLVVx-OzpvPrBR83S70B5kRUQGnN9-nP5xxREthJhRcBfNUbP7ODYwOExg/s1600/new-google-docs-preview.png" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrpLjB-iqeLYKGAYVgWe_IGZGfJRZz646c8kWvLaMV-NeRIMKBGfEjTTN0jDMGbwuMeI1b_jf_YnXTA9iXWoPjzpF03kKMReKOFkHUHesJ8hwgzzs1aStuhlNn_kmCW9wQv2vti-aP8uL3/s1600/new-google-drive-preview.png" /></div><br />{ via <a href="http://googleappsupdates.blogspot.com/2014/06/better-document-and-image-viewing.html">Google Apps blog</a> }

New Interface for Gmail and Google Drive File Previews

When you use Google Drive and click on a file that can't be edited, you get a preview interface that lets you quickly check your files, ...

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Password Lock in Google Drive for iOS

<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-drive-free-online-storage/id507874739?mt=8">Google Drive for iOS</a> added a few weeks ago a feature that lets you <a href="https://support.google.com/drive/answer/4574198?hl=en">set a 4-digit passcode code</a> for the app so that others can't access your files while using your iPhone or iPad. Just go to the settings, tap "passcode lock", enable the feature, enter a passcode for Drive and decide if you want to enter the passcode even when you return to the app.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMrP_rptefzkKet7pGS5RRMoAZCHoSyv1IBoLN5prUWWUdCIcOpqsjJfbGGYJNhVNx3qVZN5H7vbMPjhHvaa511XfLkkcLUPfgvMIlHyqyZUhsbqiJsDWtuTxCY4Yolo3wNSB2_IK-SZ_S/s1600/gdrive-password-lock.png" /></div><br />The passcode is only for the phone or tablet you are using and for the account that's currently logged in.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqubEF0GTB0fTo6N60TU2r5dbwbHHYORgzaFeJu_qBXJ54Zit6cKUJG-yqbclfTc326yKPmPn9rFmL_3Zo1H1aSoODN0Fw_3-GnVheBG_nIE4gLOYpigNYJk4wR6Tt29eiyihSJoi407N2/s1600/gdrive-password-lock-2.png" /></div><br />"To always require a passcode when returning to Drive, choose the Always Lock option from the passcode settings screen. Without Always Lock enabled, you will be prompted for the passcode only after 15 minutes or more of inactivity. If you have multiple accounts linked to your Drive app and want to switch between them, you'll only be required to enter passcodes for accounts with codes that have already been created," <a href="https://support.google.com/drive/answer/4574198?hl=en">informs Google</a>.<br /><br />"If you have forgotten the passcode for your Drive app and have entered the wrong code 5 times, a menu will appear allowing you to remove your account from the app without a passcode. You can then re-add the account to the app without a passcode. After entering the wrong passcode 20 times, you will be prompted to remove your account from the app and will no longer have the option of trying again to enter the passcode."

Password Lock in Google Drive for iOS

Google Drive for iOS added a few weeks ago a feature that lets you set a 4-digit passcode code for the app so that others can't access...

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New Google Drive Interface

There are <a href="http://googledrive.blogspot.com/2014/06/meet-new-google-drive_25.html">a lot of changes</a> in Google Drive for both the web apps and the mobile apps. Google Drive has a new desktop interface that will roll out in the coming weeks. The updated UI includes a unified "New" button for both creating new documents and uploading files, a streamlined grid view, a list of recently used folders, an incoming view that shows the files that have been shared with you, a simplified toolbar, better ways to select files, a new look for the "details and activity" sidebar and more. The new Google Drive is faster and more consistent with the mobile apps. It's also "much more accessible for blind and visually impaired users. The new Drive includes improved keyboard accessibility, support for zooming and high contrast mode, and better compatibility with screen readers."<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaIGD7BNiMl7quoN1eN1v8oDj7QoTpCvLDvM3Etbvj0vzNaz7zD1QLybIF1wQbMLzxTKrbeGinv7GKc80fmHMSNngDU-79yMPgp2eIE01GavjZTzBxiLC12RAVCJ44CErSsHd6bcKxNnbs/s1600/google-drive-new-ui-june-2014.png" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYgsY4p87Hdl6a8FQ9tv5Rcb99yKMmpcV8aPrnlU-lTpiJX3Zf2q9iR9B99H4r8mDDEcAZBlM49dfTln5clbZVKUI6oU-owtYRtagqVFJCdIX59Aa1k_A84kMQWo3C7lOnZ49m2Se0Sxl3/s1600/google-drive-new-ui-june-2014-2.png" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ha5BsxnsasR2fEJ5XP2xvE0IyCNrMBeQzgjxAunTKQ8JvpTYYrJa-ERuRNkN_4wl1EeZ8oXdDz60nQjltP0n2bv8kCvKo6KZ_KJ-lCzGtDLMOONgvZb3nnYiPLg3DH3OJRIRE20yfgGi/s1600/google-drive-new-ui-june-2014-3.png" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0uiK0Djd9GqBfeEfwGPydQGIKPyo0vp1ydvvpmZt82aZaKJtZa_s1EOhUTxFVR94uX4ERXsOyC_98Tg2LRVUZLf82xgr5OZrBS1LD9v6xL32WOidSuYGbeDV0vjnT9qqPL0grwb_Wbis/s1600/google-drive-new-ui-june-2014-4.png" /></div><br />Google Drive's mobile apps will also get some of the new features: the info box includes recent activity and more information about files, there's an incoming view, background syncing is faster, you can set files or folders so anyone with a link can view, comment or edit.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-Un9dF4d0c03ACr-Tq_M-rWy5VxtzU7uwE2qiXxdbS7Gqdj9HpiIITq_OapGdqiO38FoHG7r_d4Op-Lp3npRFbTZvX8eG4aVlkp_FV8OnG8kF0e548__Y1ITpGDtCD8SvRCSj0nSc3V7/s1600/google-drive-new-ui-june-2014-mobile-2.png" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxmj5DTIuT9jOuBXtkSqCuws0zMZpuX8AWm-se8XkvLMJRJHlAwpOfF0Trrzm6ct6EdGMpixIi__KcXXoZ25Xqmy-20wT_VfxhyqrhTEeZReqgAQtoMbJxoKm4eRhL5asqtJG8xxLxtddW/s1600/google-drive-new-ui-june-2014-mobile.png" /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/jWvKAYKlnnM" width="560"></iframe></div><br />Google launched <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.docs.editors.slides">an Android app for Google Slides</a> and the corresponding iOS app will be released in the coming weeks.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vN0pk41GLGCD6siFFtS_PVZpPsShyphenhyphenwfkdw-c3235NdjLrso5vgKt-cNOhGWsrNkGtXwuo777soWQKR4LDrVstqMThyphenhyphenFp184K5bXj_nKDUuOLRAVJytUKe8uJJxhHSd4mNRdynyPzm1z_/s1600/google-slides-android.png" /></div><br />Docs, Sheets, and Slides will let you <a href="https://support.google.com/docs/answer/6049100?p=ocm_intro&rd=1">edit Microsoft Office files</a> without converting them first: the mobile apps will support this feature natively, while for the desktop you'll need the new Google Drive interface and <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/office-editing-for-docs-s/gbkeegbaiigmenfmjfclcdgdpimamgkj">this Chrome extension</a> (if you don't use Chrome, native Office editing is not available). "Once the extension is installed, Office files that you drag into Chrome, open in Gmail, Google Drive, and more, will be opened in Docs, Sheets, and Slides for viewing and editing." This feature is called Office Compatibility Mode and it's powered by Quickoffice, a software acquired by Google in 2012.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSI-56EwQ8YQQMn27N7_TSgWOAgrN937TxVtI5OEpBgd32VoEi3pKnSUOKF8tgJTlAbZh9Sn7QhLMhqsLicE1BKyA7Strt6061uInChp6TNuzI62vdxuXTcTcd1MJ-7uSlygOP6-3GzlJ7/s1600/native-office-editing.png" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghwtpaJRvgnF63maJpd09FBmpeu2WjGI5yqKiZsL2x1xWYjcm8g_xl3pQPVFdMm8WXwciALd8bKV9cfaLFM6D-UbZOZRZHKM5vuj4bfz_KW-T85o_NVYIPA-C8tmEF1v_8udW6HAZWyVNF/s1600/native-office-editing-2.png" /></div><br />Google Docs includes a new collaborate: suggested edits. If you're allowed to comment on a document, you can now "<a href="https://support.google.com/docs/answer/6033474?p=suggest_changes_help&rd=1">suggest edits</a> to the owner without affecting the original text. Your suggestions won't change the original text until the document owner approves them."<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqMrh9xylf9mHmz5z7UfDQ-yLPe72LxjNdpkyFv9QzUPdL2Xhs0b_QHvFCf9Wa3pHdbolN1lOqfGiXB5vW6a3RXP0bmGlqzUgNIViH1tEtcqzG1CUJ3ZF_Z3QttxXeHM2aEW0KOZMhBZV/s1600/google-docs-suggested-edits.png" /></div><br />In the coming weeks, the desktop web apps for Docs, Sheets and Slides will have their own home screens, just like the mobile apps. You'll go to google.com/docs, google.com/sheets, google.com/slides and quickly access your documents, spreadsheets and presentations. "Your most recently edited documents are available right at the top, you can quickly create something new with a click on the + button, edit Office files by installing the new Chrome extension, and once you enable offline editing, everything on your home screen is editable even when you're not connected to the Internet," <a href="https://plus.google.com/112893701314508522131/posts/PPEQLd8huvn">informs Google</a>. For now, the URLs create new files.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3jvpe_AWulZAiI50R-g9IBwHfghDB0Pt_rUM_fXLfarc5qKUF2H8ufgVjij82QUVolDAMEH_gQcE-g8BN5ibKJGOJMGpH1ZUZoqqJk6x2cN-WFuSPDfsj6TOE4WX4WGTtLMuub4IuDJ0/s1600/google-drive-apps-web.png" /></div>

New Google Drive Interface

There are a lot of changes in Google Drive for both the web apps and the mobile apps. Google Drive has a new desktop interface that will ro...

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Delete Google Drive Files From the Editor

You can now delete Google Drive files without leaving the editor. Open a document, spreadsheet, form, presentation or drawing, go to the File menu and click "Move to trash". <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3nYoF8dS18K5j3GCyj_N9dvTQ8_eWAgdYrhRRSohf4Ajj-l9n1cethHhEVd2KFeZFxaGY2s1IJaRKL_fLEMaalhXQ3INNjrgvnTgBvvWDKGWqVZGkRQU9RjODSOyOgzP_YtaQ2U42T9m/s1600/google-docs-delete.png" /></div><br />You'll see this dialog: "<i>File has been moved to trash. </i><i> To access this file, take it out of the trash.</i><i> Otherwise, it could be permanently deleted.</i>" Click "Back to Drive" to go back to the list of files or click "Take out of trash" to cancel file deletion. I think it would make more sense to automatically go back to the Google Drive list and to display a small message like: "Your document has been moved to trash. Undo," just like in Gmail.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYQW9Hj7RhqHoHVYvqVQ06hRXN4TBPP8sSXq8OR1l_4FpyHV_KXUVSNbut1gRuSovNR9MTzxuCIAc5Q7RVQq13_uZXPCLO1UvhReTWwYPN0C5vZqe05FDu0VibuAt7iBx4yINP5s2WC1t/s1600/google-docs-delete-2.png" /></div><br />Google doesn't use consistent terminology. While the document editor uses "Move to trash" and "Move to folder", the file manager uses "Remove" and "Move to".<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj40k-h9ZxIfgF4x8liG2h7aAjkpGIqlL90yoiK44FVF6v7cu88_O2aEcgwdfI-GVPx5Rol3Cbux0F-tYVuXL9TPmBPn89FKDJd1DP_DaNZV-IjyPJA5R7c6jd4_9ilwnsoiOsZjvn2oVhk/s1600/google-docs-delete-3.png" /></div><br />{ via <a href="https://plus.google.com/+GoogleDrive/posts/MUpivmprNXG">+Google Drive</a> }

Delete Google Drive Files From the Editor

You can now delete Google Drive files without leaving the editor. Open a document, spreadsheet, form, presentation or drawing, go to the Fil...

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Crop Images in Google Slides and Google Drawings

Google Slides and Google Drawings now let you <a href="http://googledrive.blogspot.com/2014/03/edit-images-right-in-google-slides-and.html">crop images</a>. You can even crop them to fit a shape like a donut, a smiley face, a star, an arrow and more. This is called a mask and you can choose various shapes, arrows, callouts or equations.<br /><br />Just select an image and click the "crop" button from the toolbar to crop an image. "Drag and drop the the blue handles until the image has been cropped the way you want. A shadow of the original image will be present to help you see how much you are cropping. Click Enter on your keyboard or click back onto your slide to save the cropped image," <a href="https://support.google.com/drive/answer/4600160?p=crop_images&rd=1">explains Google</a>. To fit the image into a specific shape, select it, click the arrow next to the crop button and choose a shape.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt0RAI4p82hmNQqwEgYBCMx3sRzlGmH1TvqK-5egymkExtEGpk1jQw3UW8PPlytcAUP4qwL2KmoOdGhnOFktxcAvFthvMyyWAn_qOzWJwL7aW2uxW8syAVRLq_WyXmSvJtcizJKJj6g-68/s1600/google-slides-mask-image.png" /></div><br />You can also add a border to your image: click the line weight icon and change the line color.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZAdbTXIcWj51XY9MVzWnp3OGiULwCkWs_7wKpZpa0hmpGC3WDksxB1e3yQehBJQrSf2-Py392opZU7zyTugOxfHrHVgKhUmNsTZHFXiNL456lWktEZN1RBe0Km5E9zup-RN2yb0ShP7p/s1600/google-slides-mask-image-2.png" /></div><br />Here's an example from Google Drawings that uses the double brace mask:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwlALL2dR6hYE8Fl1qLym04YkFIC8J1sjOG-30pE9Zj22hffCzFAGrehMFUTPKQbZeIQwJFNXcHy-ong0fttMC6wtSB1p5YZVrqge4t7OtAp0YV9U5EUs8wPa1Xu6wwZFHg8wmG80IS27R/s1600/google-drawings-mask.png" /></div>

Crop Images in Google Slides and Google Drawings

Google Slides and Google Drawings now let you crop images . You can even crop them to fit a shape like a donut, a smiley face, a star, an ar...

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Google Drive Add-ons

Google Docs and the <a href="http://googledrive.blogspot.com/2013/12/newsheets.html">new version</a> of Google Sheets now support add-ons. Just click the new Add-ons menu, select "Get add-ons" and install some of them. They're not browser extensions, they're just ways to add new features to Google Docs and Sheets. Some of them are developed by Google, while others are developed by third-parties.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQG4IYR0D3RcXuI16LUV2AvSwLzRKFm5a7t1m519Whpa0k3_5gxU-0rbvOV82wKO-J27zE7HH4YK52l7-c5_fRClxfjEgC3S-Lg9Kw2ytfNvFq9ZrHuLERnahWTXsK4ciU60RhkLVTybV7/s1600/google-docs-addons.png" /></div><br />"Once you install an add-on it will become available across all of your documents or spreadsheets and you can start using it right away," <a href="http://googledrive.blogspot.com/2014/03/add-ons.html">informs Google</a>. You can always find them in the Add-ons menu.<br /><br />There are add-ons that translate the selected text, find synonyms, create a table of contents, insert maps, create charts from spreadsheets, generate bibliography, check your writing for consistency, add mail merge to Google Docs, print address labels, remove duplicates, import Google Analytics data and more.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuyB9otOwy-tAMn-oQsK3nHb0_uW0-RmB6xhXpFCf2Tzl9VLx1pCQc5xePdo9BS13wCzJ2HYpkgvZl3ep1TVL_WpTrnR4TK0Bkb6a7KSHEHsVjWXtgQScMXqPHGKLEwup8CDHJJWtD9dz9/s1600/google-docs-addons-2.png" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHuyzE3zpPU83IrFln8Tw2hTrntiHGaSIhsYbukOfsJOZ7Jf_V7_mMxu-2zMAxVCdznHIj3F_l6dbJofK-QtJHdjAi9U2UfCkR0ew2_HQByiKPqTmFTDF8gmbfH_D9u0luexZKB2aZdVl/s1600/google-docs-addons-4.png" /></div><br />Here's the Translate add-on in action. Select some text, go to the Add-ons menu, click Translate and Start. You can select the destination language in the sidebar that shows up. For some reason, only a few destination languages are supported.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtX-R3Jb5xCiDsb0A_RIrpr12ETIKwxoi-z6W8lAl23npE1PIZJKHTYy4AetO71ExD79p3UeKg7x4NndLbLaleV_n8ipVX0vvy5Z4dQfOhbe7fdBNmxU1RyBsSMR3a8K93V3kfo_JpUDGw/s1600/google-docs-addons-3.png" /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="320" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/lZqX6ocwHWU" width="580"></iframe></div>

Google Drive Add-ons

Google Docs and the new version of Google Sheets now support add-ons. Just click the new Add-ons menu, select "Get add-ons" and i...

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