Google's Quickoffice apps for iOS and Android, that let users view and edit Microsoft Office files, are now free to anyone with a Google account.


Google is trying to make it easier for everyone to work together, even those who "haven't gone Google yet."
The company on Thursday announced that its Quickoffice mobile app, for viewing and editing Microsoft Office files, is now free to anyone with a Google account. Previously, the app was only free to Google Apps for Business subscribers -- everyone else had to shell out $14.99 for the pro version or $19.99 for the pro HD version.
As a bonus, Google is offering an extra 10GB of Google Drive storage for the next two years to anyone who signs up their Google account for the new Quickoffice app by September 26.



Quickoffice for iOS and Android lets users create, view, and edit Microsoft Office Excel, Word, and PowerPoint files on their mobile devices. The app is also integrated with Google Drive so files can be stored and accessed across devices.
Google added a few new features to the app as well, including the ability to create ZIP folders and view charts in PowerPoint and Excel. Google said people already using Quickoffice for Google Apps for Business can update to the new app.
Google acquired Quickoffice in June 2012 and has been expanding its availability ever since. While the company is clearly investing resources in the software, its long-term goals still appear aimed at transitioning people to using its Web-based productivity tools.
"Converting old files to Google Docs, Sheets and Slides is still the easiest way to share and work together, and we're working every day to make the files you convert look better," Alan Warren, engineering VP of Google Drive, wrote in a blog post.

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Google has bought ne'er-do-well mobile app Bump in a bizarre move worth $40m.Bump The File Sharing app is similar with bluetooth and GPS.

The concept seemed sound enough - bump two phones together to pass data from one phone to another. Sound familiar? It should, because it's the same concept behind near field communications (NFC) in mobile handsets. However, the forerunner of NFC technology used by Bump works on a mixture of Bluetooth and GPS, meaning that best results are achieved if the following criteria are met:

1. Both parties have the app and have it configured.
2. Both parties have Bluetooth on, or better still have previously paired handsets.
3. Both parties have GPS on and clear line of sight to GPS satellites.
4. The wind is blowing the right way.
5. There is an "R" in the month.

 

 That wasn't surprising, as despite attracting corporate investment Bump never really caught on, meaning that finding another Bump user at the appropriate time was nearly impossible.
So what does Google plan to do with the Bump technology? Well, nothing initially, and service is expected to carry on as usual for the moment.
Clues might be found in the blog post announcement of Google's acquisition from Bump co-founder and MD David Lieb, who said, "We strive to create experiences that feel like magic, enabled behind the scene with innovations in math, data processing, and algorithms." Or then again, maybe not.

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Android updates For multiple profile for Google +

Android users no longer have to log out and back in when using the Google+ app with more than one account. Thank you, Google!
For those of us with more than one Google+ account, the recent update to the Android app was welcome news.
Prior to the update, the workflow to manage multiple accounts in the Google+ app required you to log out of one account, then relaunch the Google+ app and select the account you'd like log back in to. It was a pain. Not only that, but alerts would not come through for the logged out account.
Now with the update, you're able to add multiple accounts, say for a business page you manage and your personal account, and still receive alerts for all accounts involved.

• To manage more than one Google+ account, you first need to make sure you're using the latest version. You can grab it from the Play Store.

 

• After updating, launch the app and head to the Settings menu. Under Account Settings you'll see the account you're currently logged in to, with an option to Add Account just below it. Touch this button and select the account you'd like to add, assuming it's already added to your device's accounts settings, or add a new account altogether.

 

• The next time you want to switch accounts, you have two options. The first is to come back to the same settings page and tap on the account you'd like to use (too many steps if you ask me). The second -- much quicker option -- is the slide out the menu drawer and tap on the arrow located next to your name. Doing so will reveal the accounts you have added, with the ability to switch between accounts just by tapping on the name.

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Key Lime pie appears in nexus device

 

Android 4.3 might not be included with much advancement in it.but Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie is likely closer than you think.

Google may have rolled out Android 4.3 Jelly Bean a few weeks back, but that doesn't seem to have stopped the search engine giant from testing the next OS version.The Nexus 7 and the Nexus 4 have been spotted with a build , suggesting Google might already be testing the next Android version.
Both the devices have been spotted at the Chromium Bug tracker,  who also notes that it's time to start looking for the next version of Android which can be expected to be announced in October along with the successors to Google Nexus 4 and Nexus 10.
Following the usual alphabetical order for Android updates and naming them after desserts, the successor to Android Jelly Bean is widely believed to be dubbed as Key Lime Pie, though nothing has been confirmed by Google.

The possible changes that the new Android version may bring is a refined user interface, probably some more features as well as improved NFC capabilities.
It seems that the Android 4.X Jelly Bean has run its course and now Android 5.X Key Lime Pie is ready to take the rounds as the new Android version in the near future. Nothing has been confirmed by Google yet but it will be interesting to see the changes in the next Android OS.

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Apple users have long been able to use iOS’s built-in device locator and remote wiping features, but Android users had to resort to third-party applications. That’s changing soon. Google  announced that it’ll launch a new Android Device Manager later this month that will allow you to locate and ring your misplaced (or stolen) device and perform a remote wipe so your data doesn’t end up in the wrong hands.

The service, Google says, will be available on devices running Android 2.2 or up and judging from today’s announcement, the Android Device Manager site will feature a dedicated area for pinging your lost device. It’s not clear what else users will be able to do on the new Device Manager site, however.

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Overall, of course, this new service looks a lot like Apple’s Find My iPhone feature. You’ll be able to make your phone ring at maximum volume (just in case it’s stuck between your couch cushions), for example. The locator feature will highlight your phone’s location on a map (no surprise there) and remote wiping just takes a few clicks. Unlike on Apple’s platform, though, it doesn’t look like users will be able to send messages to their lost phones or use something akin to Apple’s remote lock tool.

There is nothing really new here, of course, and some OEMs already offered some of these features on their Android phone, but Android users will sure be happy to hear that Google is finally making its own tool available to its users.

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Google launched a community site called Views, allowing users to easily share 360-degree panoramic photos to Google Maps, on Tuesday.
The images, which Google calls "photo spheres" are plotted on Maps and geotagged, according to a blog post written by product manager Evan Rapoport. Photo spheres can be created with the camera on an Android phone running version 4.2 (Jelly Bean) or higher.

Procedure For adding Your own

                   To add your own, you’ll need to sign into the Views site with your Google+ profile. Next, click the blue camera button on the top right of the page and import your existing photo spheres from your Google+ photos, or tap “Share” in Android’s Gallery app and select Google Maps.
On Views, you get your own page which shows all your photo spheres and lets you add descriptions about the place you’ve visited. You can also explore your uploads on a map.

 Understandably, there isn’t that much content on Views yet, so Google has added the Street View Gallery to compensate: it features panoramas of the company’s most popular Street View collections. You can access it on any Views page by hitting the “Explore” button at the top.

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Do you plan to create photo spheres, and participate in Google's new Views community? Tell us in the comments, below.

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