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You can now use Chromecast to share your Google Drive Presentation
Google's inexpensive dongle can do a lot of things. Whether it be streaming music or a variety of video programming, the Chromecast is capable of handling it all -- and don't forget live TV is coming soon, too. But while having these entertainment options is nice, sometimes you have to be, you know, productive. Thankfully, it looks like you can start using the $35 dongle to send some of your work to a separate screen near you.
Google Hangouts outage brings chatting to a halt (update: service restored)
If you've been having trouble with Google Hangouts today, you're not alone. The chat service has been experiencing issues, and the folks in Mountain View have confirmed the "service disruption." According to the Apps Status Dashboard, Google Talk and Sheets (spreadsheets) are having down time of their own, but there's no confirmation on the latter two applications. We're keeping an eye on things, and we'll be sure to update when more details become available.
Google Drive's reduced rates make cloud storage even more affordable
Google Drive has been the cloud repository of choice for many people since it launched back in 2012, and now the company is dropping prices to make it even more attractive. While users will still get 15GB for free, the 100GB package now costs $1.99 a month, down from $4.99. What's more, the 1TB option has received more than a 50 percent price cut: it now costs $9.99 per month, a big drop from its previous rate of $49.99. Need even more room? 10TB+ plans start at $100 a month. Best of all, if you're already paying for Drive storage, you'll automatically be converted to a better plan at no additional cost and the storage still spans Drive, Gmail and Google+ Photos.
ZipShare from WinZip lets you manage all your cloud storage from one place
WinZip's long been the go-to .zip file manager for many PC users, but no longer is it just a tool for freeing up some hard drive space. The desktop client embraced cloud storage around the same time it tiptoed into mobile, and now it has a new service based entirely on the web. ZipShare, currently in beta, is a portal for managing data you keep in the cloud on platforms like Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, OneDrive and others. Through the ZipShare site, files uploaded to cloud services are automatically compressed, and can be password protected. They can then be shared by means of an URL, which you can publish straight to social networks, and downloads of that file can subsequently be tracked. Being able to access all your files also means you can easily manage and move them between different storage providers. It's not the best it can be on mobile devices just yet, but should be when it drops the beta tag within the next few months. Go check it out for yourself before that happens, though: all advanced features are currently free, but could cost up to $10 per month when the service launches for real.
StreamNation copies all your cloud media into a central hub
Joining multiple cloud services is great for maxing out your storage, but keeping on top of all them can be a chore. StreamNation's latest update may help you untangle all that by allowing you to copy your media from Dropbox, Flickr, Instagram, Google Drive and others into its own app. Content can be directly uploaded from those programs straight through their respective APIs without tying up your connection. Once copied over, you can then stream or share them with anyone who's also signed up to the service and even lend them out. To fit all of those files in, StreamNation will give you 5GB of storage for free, or more if you're willing to invite your friends or flood your social feeds with endorsements. Otherwise, plans start at $4 a month for 100GB, and go up to $19 month for unlimited storage. We tried the iOS and web versions of StreamNation ourselves, and found it a breeze to add local files or media from services like Google+ or Dropbox. However, since it creates a second copy of your cloud files, you may need as much space on StreamNation as all your other services combined. Still, if the convenience of being able to share any file from a central location outweighs those drawbacks, you can now sign up at the source.
Google Drive dev tools promise better and more powerful apps (video)
If you're an Android user, there's little doubt that you're familiar with Google Drive, Mountain View's preferred cloud storage service that competes with the Dropboxes, SkyDrives and iClouds of the world. Of course, Drive can also be used by developers to build better apps, and today Google has rolled out a new Drive Android API to make devs' jobs even easier -- and provide us all with better app experiences. The main attraction is a feature called transparent offline syncing, which, for users, means that cloud storage is treated the same way as local storage.
Google Drive's new activity stream tracks changes to shared files
Tracking changes in those shared docs on Google Drive just got a lot easier. The folks in Mountain View have added an activity stream to the cloud-based file repository for keeping tabs on collaborative efforts. Once you're inside Drive, clicking the 'i' button at the top right will make the new list appear. Inside, you'll find the flurry of recent activity like moving/removing files, renaming, uploading, sharing/unsharing, editing and commenting. You can also select individual files or folders to view updates for only those items. Google says that the activity stream in Drive will be rolling out to users during the next week.
Google Drive iOS app finally lets you sort items and find and replace in documents
Google Drive has a fantastic iOS app that has had one glaring, nearly unforgivable, missing feature since it launched: the inability to sort your files in any meaningful way. The absence of a sorting function made finding anything in a folder with lots of files a pain. But the time for rejoicing has arrived fellow Drive fans. A new update has been released, finally bringing our much-needed sorting, along with a new editing feature. Version 2.2.0 adds the ability to sort files a number of ways -- last edited by me, last modified, last opened by me and title. For people who share folders with other users, the ability to differentiate between the last folders you and another person have edited is incredibly useful. On the editing front, users now have the ability to find and replace in documents, making on-the-go corrections and proofing easier than ever on the app. You can find the update and the app for free in the iTunes store.
Moto G review: an affordable smartphone, done right
Since Motorola was acquired by a certain tech giant last year, its new owner hasn't had a particularly strong impact on the way it does business. Not too long ago, in fact, Motorola dealt another brag-hand of Droids, but there was something distinct about the Moto X that followed them. The first evidence of a change in direction, perhaps. In the same vein, the recently announced Moto G feels very much like a Google phone, and it makes a ton of sense. If the Nexus 5 is for smartphone aficionados, and the Moto X is for upgraders who can't resist the offer of a custom handset, then the Moto G is for those who want a functional device at a reasonable price. At $179 or £135 unlocked, the Moto G slots into the low-cost niche Samsung and others have been steadily cashing in on. That price tag, however, includes an unwritten disclaimer: Sacrifices were made. It's certainly true with the Moto G, but with expectations in check, it's hard to not be impressed with what Motorola has managed to achieve.
Google Drive for Android now lets you find and replace text
Mobile writers just got a little more control over their masterpieces. An upgrade to Google Drive for Android now lets users find and replace text; they can also insert tables and named styles. A few file management tweaks are in store as well, such as a new two-column view on tablets and an option to rename scanned documents before they reach the cloud. Those eager to edit with the new Drive tools should receive the app update within the next few days.
Google Drive updates for iOS with multiple-account support and cloud printing
Google Drive has released a minor update for their iOS app that brings along some big features. The biggest addition is the arrival of Multiple Account Support. Finally you'll be able to switch between personal, work and other Google accounts with ease. Google Drive is also introducing Single Sign In, automatically signing you into other Google apps like YouTube, Google Maps and Chrome simply by signing into Google Drive. Finally, Drive now supports Google Cloud Print and AirPrint, as well as support for iOS 7. You can find the update now in the iTunes Store.
Google Drive for iOS now supports multiple accounts, AirPrint and CloudPrint capability
Not super thrilled with the prospect of using iCloud for your web storage needs? Google Drive presents an ever-improving alternative to Apple's in-house solution, and today's iOS app update brings a couple of new features into the fold. The app now supports multiple accounts, so you can access your personal, work, or alter ego GDrive files with ease. And, for those luddites who prefer holding an actual piece of paper instead of an iPad to do their document review, iOS users can now print as they please using either Apple's AirPrint or Google's CloudPrint protocol. Got it? Go get it.
Plex Cloud Sync beta stores your media across multiple online services
As good as Plex Sync may be at keeping media libraries in harmony, it's not very helpful to mobile Plex users who can't always store or stream large files on their devices. After today, they won't have to worry. The company has just launched a beta version of Cloud Sync, which saves streaming-friendly content in third-party cloud storage services like Box, Dropbox and Google Drive. Any metadata carries over, and users can even spread their media across multiple providers; they can reserve one host for movies and another for photos, for instance. Cloud Sync is only available to PlexPass subscribers, but the required (and much faster) new Media Server release is available to everyone.
HTC One gets bonus Google Drive storage as Sense 5.5 update rolls out abroad
Google is taking a page out of Dropbox's book and offering free extra storage for certain HTC One handsets. The HTC One Max got 50GB of storage space out of the box, but we've been tipped that those with the handset's smaller sibling will net an additional 25GB of room in the cloud, all thanks to the international Sense 5.5 (and Android 4.3) update that readers have already started receiving in Europe. These expansions are in addition to the complimentary 15GB of Drive space available to all Google users, bringing the allotted storage totals to 65GB and 40GB for the One Max and One, respectively. There are a few caveats, though. According to Mountain View, the HTC One Developer Edition isn't eligible for this due to its unlocked bootloader. Furthermore, you can only activate this promo once per Google account, which rules out gaming the offer to get even more space. Got all that? Good -- there's a quiz later. [Thanks, Jakub]
Google Drive updates Slides with custom themes, widescreen presentations
Users of Google Drive will be happy to know that today brings a handful of improvements to Slides, though the update is relatively minor. As you can see in the image above, slides will now be set to widescreen by default, giving you ample room to add text or images to your heart's content. Admittedly, not all displays are widescreen-friendly, so the settings can still be toggled to suit your needs on the page setup screen. Additionally, theme presets can now be tweaked to customize the look of your presentation by simply editing the master slide. And if you're a free spirit who wants to create slide layouts for themes from scratch, you can do that too. For more information, check out the Google Drive team's blog post at the source link below.
Google Docs gets a subtle facelift, shifts the focus to content
You can't say that the Google Drive crew isn't looking out for you. Following the transition of QuickOffice for Android and iOS into a freebie, the team is now blessing Google Docs with a slightly more attractive interface. First and foremost, you'll now find a familiar, colorful product icon in the upper left part of the web app, which links back to Drive. This refinement applies to Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms and Apps Script, and it could very well help users of another office suite feel more at home. Additionally, the headers within each of the editors are now more compressed, which Google hopes will allow users to focus more easily on their content. Naturally, these aren't the most dramatic visual changes, but then again, do you really want a card-based UI for your document editor?
Google makes its Quickoffice app free for both Android and iOS users
Less than two weeks after Apple decided to make iWork free for new iOS devices, Google went and did us one better: it's offering its Quickoffice suite for free, to both Android and iOS users. If you recall, the apps have actually already been free to Google Apps subscribers, specifically, but now the offer applies to anyone, regardless of when they activated their device or what OS version they're using. As an added incentive, if you sign in to your Google Account from the Quickoffice app by September 26, 2013, you get 10 gigs of extra storage space for two years. And that's all there is to it. Hit up the source link for more details, if you need them, or else find the app on Google Play or the App Store.
Zoho Docs for desktop syncs files on your PC with the cloud, brings offline editing
You've likely been taking advantage of Zoho's mobile apps and the service's Google Drive integration if you use its office suite. Well, now the company has also released a Zoho Docs for desktop client that syncs files saved on its cloud with a Mac, Windows or Linux computer. It also works in reverse, so files saved on your PC will sync with the cloud -- even documents edited offline, now that the feature's been added, will sync once you connect to the internet. While you can cherry-pick folders to synchronize, it's also possible to set up the client to update all your Zoho documents in all connected devices simultaneously. That includes workspaces you share with teammates, which instantly reflect the changes anyone in the group makes. We're sure faithful Google Drive users won't even bat an eyelash at this update, but those who still use Zoho Docs extensively can click the source link to download the client for free.
Google Keep code hints at future Drive and video integration
Google Keep stores its content in Drive, but it doesn't pull content from Drive. That may change, however, as Google Operating System has spotted some unused Drive integration code within the Android app. They suggest that users could attach Drive files to their notes and either view them directly or open them in third-party software. Media hounds wouldn't have to upload video, though -- there's mention of embedding YouTube clips. The code doesn't guarantee that Keep will be file-savvy in the near future, but it does show that Google is at least considering such an upgrade.
Google Drive for Android update simplifies uploading, creating and scanning files
Google's been making the Drive app on Android better and better with every update since its debut on the platform -- and lest we forget its iOS counterpart, too. Today's new features might not be as flashy as the ones we saw with the introduction of the card UI, with Google placing emphasis on core functionality and making it easier to create, scan and upload files. Drive users will now see buttons for said functions near the bottom of the application, which then allows them to be quickly triggered with a simple tap. Google also points out that the app's theme now sports a lighter color, with the idea being to make "content easier on the eyes." If anything, the cupcakes shown on the sample screenshot are definitely making our mouths watery.
