According to Google, "[the] new name ... better reflects [their] mission.

The G Suite is a paid version of the tools also available to registered users of Google's free Gmail, including:

• Gmail
• Google Calendar
• Google Docs
• Google Drive
• Google Hangouts

The paid version adds business-specific features such as:

• custom email addresses at your domain (@yourcompany.com)
• at least 30 GB of storage for documents and email (more storage can be purchased)
• 24/7 phone and email support
• administration/management dashboard

The change has no real effect on end-users. We have not seen any changes yet in the functionality of the individual applications in the suite or the administrative dashboard. End-users aren't even seeing the new logo (seen above).

Over it's lifetime, the product has been known by a variety of names, including:

• Google Docs
• Google Apps for Your Domain
• Google Apps 
• Google for Work
• G Suite

(If we've forgotten one, please let us know.) 

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• Google Drive counts 190 million active users over 30 days

• "Drive For Work" offers:
  • Encryption of documents intransit and on-server
  • Enhanced administrative controls
  • Audit and activity APIs to track use of the system
  • Unlimited storage
  • Individual file storage up to 5TB file size
  • all for $10 per user per month
• "Suggested Edits" bring "real" redlining for accepting/declining edits to Google Docs

• Native editing of Microsoft Office documents in "Android for Work" - this includes Words, Excel, and Powerpoint (Docs, Sheets, and Presentations)

Additionally, Google provided some interesting usage statistics about who has "Gone Google" - using its Google Apps productivity suite, including:

• 67% of the top 100 startups
• 58% of the Fortune 500
• 72% of the top 100 universities

The post Google Announces Google Apps News at I/O Conference appeared first on Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) in California, MCLE Los Angeles, CLE Orange County, Irvine & San Francisco.

Today, Google has given us the ability to drag-and-drop the icons for those databases and Apps so that we can rearrange them into an order that more suits our personal priorities for accessing them. The capability is not yet available in all accounts and appears to be rolling out to free Gmail users first - before paid Google Apps customers.

It also appears however, that you are limited to the database/Apps icon set already in the launcher. It does not appear that you can promote services Google has relegated to the "even more form Google" screen (like Google Scholar) to the main screen.

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Since then, Google has expanded the features of its Apps products. One of those newer features is the Google Drive application for Windows and Mac OS computers. The Google Drive application allows you to have the documents stored in your Google Apps account appear in a folder on your computer - as if they were stored locally. This is similar to other cloud storage services like Dropbox.

Cloud Connect can no longer be used to access, edit, or save documents stored in Google Apps. In order to use Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, or Excel to access, edit, or save documents stored in Google Apps users must now install the Google Drive application for Windows or Mac OS.

Google Apps Administrators must enable their users to use use the Google Drive application on their computers.

If you have Cloud Connect installed, you should uninstall it from your computers:
    •    Click Start and navigate to your Control Panel.
    •    Go to Programs and Features.
    •    Then, select Uninstall or change program.
    •    Choose to uninstall Google Cloud Connect.
 

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Written by nationally acclaimed authors and speakers Carole Levitt and Mark Rosch, Google Gmail and Calendar in One Hour for Lawyers is designed as a step-by-step guide for lawyers to learn what features and functions are available in the Business versions of Gmail and Google Calendar, as well as related services such as Google Chat, Google Talk, Google Hangout, and Call Phone. Millions of corporations, small businesses, solo lawyers, large and small law firms, and government agencies have moved from hosting their own e-mail servers ‑ and in some cases, calendars and documents ‑ to using Google Apps for Business.

Google Gmail and Calendar in One Hour for Lawyers illustrates how lawyers are relying on Google Apps for Business for routine functions. Through this book, readers will learn how to:

• Create Google Apps for Business accounts;
• Get started with Gmail as the e-mail service provider;
• Use labels and customized settings to manage e-mail;
• Stay organized with Contacts and Task Manager;
• Access Gmail messages and Calendar offline;
• Communicate with Google Chat, Google Talk and Google Hangout;
• Use Gmail to make phone calls;
• Add, edit, search and print Calendar events;
• Download Google Apps marketplace add-ons and Google Chrome plug-ins to further customize the online experience; and
• Understand security, confidentiality and ethics concerns related to Google Apps.

The book includes anecdotes from lawyers and law firm IT professionals explaining how they use Google Apps for Business at their firms and the value and increased productivity they have derived from the products.

Levitt and Rosch have co-authored several other books, including The Cybersleuth's Guide to the Internet, Google for Lawyers, and Find Info Like a Pro, Volumes 1 and 2. The authors present continuing legal education seminars on these topics throughout the country.

Google Gmail and Calendar in One Hour for Lawyers is published by the American Bar Association's  Law Practice Management Section, a professional membership organization providing resources for lawyers and other legal professionals in the core areas of the business of practicing law — marketing, management, technology, and finance — through its award-winning magazine, webzines, educational CLE programs, website, and publishing division. For more than 30 years, LPM has established itself as a leader within the legal profession by producing ABA TECHSHOW, the world’s premier legal technology conference and expo, and through its publishing arm, which has more than 90 titles in print.

With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is one of the world’s largest voluntary professional membership organizations. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.

The post New Google Gmail and Calendar in One Hour for Lawyers Book Helps Lawyers (from Solos to Large Firms) Use the Business Version of These Google Apps to Transform Their Practice appeared first on Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) in California, MCLE Los Angeles, CLE Orange County, Irvine & San Francisco.

Google provides a chart to check the status of any of its Apps.

Color coded dots indicate the current status of each service.

• Green indicates "no issues."
• Yellow indicates a "service disruption."
• Red indicates a "service outage."

Clicking a yellow or red dot takes you to a "Service Details" page that outlines the issues surrounding the disruption or outage.

Links are also included on the "Service Details" page to "Incident Reports" containing more detailed information abaout the disruption or outage.

Apps tracked on the chart include:

• Google Mail
• Google Calendar
• Google Talk
• Google Docs List
• Google Documents
• Google Spreadsheets
• Google Presentations
• Google Drawings
• Google Sites
• Google Video for business
• Google Groups Admin control panel / API
• Postini Services

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UPDATED 7/21/11 2:30 PDST: Google has increased the maximum storage space size for files that can be stored for free within Google Docs from 1GB to 10GB.  There has been no increase in amount of storage that accompanies the Google Docs accounts however - that amount remains at 1GB. The increased file storage limit is only applicable to users who purchase additional storage space from Google. The change was first reported by Google Docs Product Manager Scott Johnston in a Google Plus post.

In addition to creating documents online, Google Docs allows users to upload word processing documents, spreadsheets, and presentations from their own computers that can be converted to the Google Docs format for online editing and sharing. Users can also upload other filetypes (e.g., PDF, WMV, EPS, mp3).

Google offers a pre-set amount of free storage space for each of its services as follows:

• Gmail provides over 7GB for messages.
• Docs provides 1 GB for uploaded files (documents created in Google Docs and converted files don't count towards this limit).
• Picasa Web provides 1 GB for photos and videos. (However, Google+ provides unlimited storage for photos. Videos up to 15 minutes in length can also be stored in the Google+ accounts.)

Free storage from one product cannot be used by or transferred to another product. Additional purchased storage space can be shared among Google services.

Google has not yet updated its Help Pages to reflect the increase.

It is unclear if the size limits that have applied to individual filetypes still apply.

Portions of this post are excerpted from:

"Google For Lawyers: Essential Search Tips and Productivity Tools" is a hands-on guide to the Google tools, tips, and tricks that can help you work smarter...not harder.

The post Google Increases File Size Limit In Google Docs appeared first on Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) in California, MCLE Los Angeles, CLE Orange County, Irvine & San Francisco.

Back in March 2010, Google acquired DocVerse and that company's technology to allow online collaboration on documents using the familiar tools of Microsoft Office. In November 2010, Google announced that it had (re) launched a beta test of the technology to a limited group of testers under the new name Google Cloud Connect. Today, Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office is available to all Windows users.

By adding, "simultaneous collaboration, revision history, cloud sync, unique URLs and simple sharing to the Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint applications," Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office allows people to continue using the desktop productivity tools they're familiar with to create and edit documents, but gain the advantages cloud-based collaboration.

Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office is available as a free plug-in to Office 2003, 2007, and 2010 for Windows. Cloud Connect is not yet available for Mac operating systems.

"Google For Lawyers: Essential Search Tips and Productivity Tools" is a hands-on guide to the Google tools, tips, and tricks that can help you work smarter...not harder.

The post Google Cloud Connect Bridges the Gap Between the Desktop and the Cloud appeared first on Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) in California, MCLE Los Angeles, CLE Orange County, Irvine & San Francisco.

Google has added the ability to insert images in Google Docs Documents by dragging and dropping an image from your computer.

Google Docs users could already add images to their documents using the "Insert" menu to select images from their hard drives, by URL, or via a Google Image search to include. (And this method continues to be available.)

Currently, the feature works only with the latest version of the Chrome, Firefox, and Safari Web browsers. (Sorry Internet Explorer - although google promises to "enable it on other browsers as soon as they support the feature.")

The post Google Docs Now Features Drag and Drop Insertion of Images in Documents appeared first on Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) in California, MCLE Los Angeles, CLE Orange County, Irvine & San Francisco.