Category: Google

When we think of Google we often think only of their mobile apps for Android and iOS rather than their desktop apps with the exception being Chrome.  The reality is that the Mountain View company makes some pretty desktop apps that, while often utilitarian in nature, do a great job at what they are designed to do.  A good example of this is the Google Photos desktop app.  Designed for Mac and Windows, the app allows you to upload photos from any folder, drive or even a storage card to your Google Photos account.  Moreover, it gives you complete control of the quality of the uploads (High Quality or Original) so you can decide which will work best for you.  Best of all of course is that the Google Photos desktop app is free as we have come to expect from Google.

Google Photos Desktop App – Free – Download Now

Google Docs for Android has received a nice update today that brings with it several new and important features to the document processing app.  The update is version 1.4.412.07.30 for those keeping score at home and brings things like spellcheck and word count to the app amongst other features and improvements.  The update to the app is rolling out to the Google Play Store now so you should see it as an OTA update any time today or over the next couple of days.

If you have been considering moving from Microsoft Office to Google Docs, I posted a 4-part series on my move over.  It’s not for everyone but with improvements like the ones today, the transition is certainly getting more on par from a feature perspective.

My Migration to Google Docs Part 1 – The Setup

My Migration to Google Docs Part 2 – Google Docs on All The Toys

My Migration to Google Docs Part 3 – Between the Google Sheets

My Migration to Google Docs Part 4 – Sliding to Google Slides

Google has released the Compatibility Definition Document for Android Marshmallow and there are a lot of important elements to it for phone OEMs.  For those who may not be familiar with it, the guide serves as a roadmap of what a device most possess and do in order to be certified by Google as being compatible with Android Marshmallow.  These guides are not new as Google publishes on with each release of Android.  While it is a bit of a technical read, it is still a good read as it will help you understand what a device must have and do in order to get Google’s blessing.

A key tidbit in the Compatibility Definition Document for Android Marshmallow is section 8.3 on Power Saving Modes.  Effectively the rules are simple:  OEMs cannot alter or hide the new Doze feature in Marshmallow.  Why is this important?  Doze could well be the killer feature of Android Marshmallow and it has proven to save a huge amount of battery life when your device sits idle.  By preventing OEMs from altering how Doze works, it means everyone who upgrades to Marshmallow will see the benefits.

And that is a very good thing.

With the shipment of 1st day orders of the Nexus 5X starting today, Google has made a few interesting posts on their various sites today.  First, as you saw earlier, you can now get a zero wait Project Fi invite to try the service out.  Second came the posting of the factory image for the Nexus 5X, codename “bullhead”.  Interesting, Google posted three images for the 5X, all based on Android Marshmallow.  The latest update is MDB08I.

For those who are unfamiliar, the factory images are the full Android images for Nexus devices that you can install on your device instead of waiting for the OTA update.  Generally speaking only developers should need to load these images but Google explains on the site how to install these on your Nexus devices if you chose to do so.

Over the course of the weekend I saw several different news sites posts articles that went along the lines of “Google has been listening to your voice and recording it”.  Here is an example, and another and a third for good measure so you get the idea of what I’m talking about.  I watched in befuddled amazement as I saw link after link to these articles on Twitter, Google+ and even my personal Facebook timeline.

This isn’t news folks and the fact that your voice is recorded for, erm, a voice search should not be a shock to anyone.  In fact Google has made it clear they would be doing for some time and have always given users the ability to listen to their recordings and delete them.  Why this has all of the sudden become a big issue is a surprise to me quite frankly as recordings are both necessary for the service to work and for Google to improve their search algorithms.

[Update] Thanks to Google+ user Luke Hook who pointed out that those of you who have the original Chromecast also have these offers available to you.  This is not just limited to the new Chromecast.  Thanks Luke!

If you have been one of those who have picked up one of the new 2015 Chromecast devices, there are some offers available to you through the Chromecast app that you won’t want to miss out on.  The offers are from a range of content providers, all obviously Chromecast enabled, to bring you TV, movies and music to you.  Two of the offers come from Google themselves:  a free movie rental through the Google Movies & TV app and a 90 trial subscription to Google Play Music Unlimited.

Review of the 2015 Chromecast