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Posts with tag Google-Apps

Filed under: Windows, Freeware, Browsers

FoxGLove is Firefox for Google addicts

FoxGLove
You would think that Google Chrome would be the perfect web browser for people who spend most of their day using Google applications like Gmail, Google Calendar, and GTalk. But Chrome lacks some of the features that draw many people to browsers like Firefox. So one Firefox user who uses a ton of Google services decided to mash the two together and create an alternate browser he calls FoxGLove, which you can download from Lifehacker.

The browser is based on the portable version of Firefox, which means you can run it without messing up your normal Firefox settings. You can also run it from a USB flash drive. At first glance, the browser looks a lot like Google Chrome, thanks to the ChromiFox theme. The home pages have been set to Gmail, Google Reader, and Google Docs, and there are bookmarklets that will open GTalk, Google Calendar, or Google Notes in your sidebar. But that's just the start.

FoxGLove also comes preloaded with a ton of Firefox addons that provide enhancements for Google applications. It also replaces the Firefox search bar with the Google Toolbar. And the developer even figured out how to make Google Gears portable so you can have online/offline access to web pages and applications that support Gears.

Filed under: Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Web services, Google, Freeware, web 2.0

GMDesk: Desktop client for Gmail, Google Docs, Google Reader, etc

GMDesk
Some of the applications I use most often aren't desktop apps, they're web apps that I access through a web browser. Gmail, Google Reader, and Google Docs, for example. GMDesk is an Adobe AIR-based client for these and other Google-based services. It's based on the idea that you shouldn't have to fire up a web browser just to check your email.

The concept is sound, but the execution leaves a bit to be desired. We've seen other attempts at taking web apps away from the browser. Bubbles and Mozilla Prism are two examples. But as with those programs, GMDesk just doesn't seem to offer much functionality that you couldn't get from a browser. What's more, while Prism and Bubbles offer stripped-down browser-style windows that tend to be a little lighter on your computer's RAM usage than Firefox or Internet Explorer, GMDesk eats 100+ MB of RAM as soon as you launch it.

There are two other factors that make GMDesk a bit limiting. First, the fonts in Gmail are kind of small and awkward to read. And second, you can only have one window open at a time. So if you like to keep both Gmail and Google Reader open throughout the day, you're going to want to fire up a web browser.

That isn't to say that GMDesk is useless. If the developer can reduce the RAM usage, and/or allow you to open multiple windows or multiple tabs, it would be nice for Gmail addicts to keep a window open all day while resisting the temptation to do some web surfing when they should be working.

[via CyberNet]

Filed under: Business, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, E-mail, Office, Productivity, Web services, Google, Commercial, Freeware, How-Tos

How to get "new" Gmail in your Google Apps account

Google Apps New Features
While many people using Google Apps are already happy users of the "new" version of Gmail (apparently Google doesn't want to call it Gmail 2.0), there are still many users of Google Apps that are stuck on the older version. If you're frustrated at seeing the cool new things you can do in the new Gmail and you're still stuck on the old version, there may be something that you can do.

If you are the administrator for your Google Apps account, or can talk to that person, there is an option under Domain Settings (General tab) in the Control Panel section called "Turn on new application features to my domain before they are rolled out to all Google Apps customers." A week after we checked that box on our Google Apps account, Gmail magically transformed to the new version. Good luck!

Filed under: Internet, Office, Productivity, Web services, Google, web 2.0

Google Apps Team Edition makes collaboration easier


While Google's online office suite might not have all the features of Microsoft Office, one area where Google's word processor, spreadsheet, calendar, and IM client excel is in letting you easily collaborate with other users. Want to share a Word document or spreadsheet with other users, just click the share button.

But that only works if the people you want to share with have already registered for Google Apps accounts. Now Google has launched a new version of Google Apps that makes it a whole lot easier to get a group of people registered quickly.

Google Apps Team Edition packs all the basic features like Google Docs, Google Calendar, and Google Talk. But when you sign up for Team Edition, Google Apps will automatically recognize your company or school email address and locate other users affiliated with the same organization and add them to your contact list. Now when you want to share a document or send a message, you should have a list of all the other people who have registered for Google Apps with email addresses from the same domain.

For example, if your email address is address@domain.com, you can share documents with any other uses who has a @domain.com address. Alternately, you can choose to share your documents with everyone that has a @domain.com address. While Google Apps Team Edition doesn't offer any features that you can't get with a basic account, the move should help Google grow its user base by making signup much easier.

That said, we've tried to sign up several times today, and we keep getting a server error message from Google. Hopefully that problem will be fixed soon.

Filed under: Internet, Google

iGoogleBar Firefox add-on supercharges Google apps bar

igooglebar
When you're using a Google service like Gmail or Google Docs & Spreadsheets, you'll notice a little menu bar at the top of your screen with links to other Google services. This is kind of handy if you can't remember the URLs for each service, but otherwise it's not particularly useful.

iGoogleBar is a Firefox add-on that adds a little oomph to that menu bar by showing previews for each Google app. For example, if you're using Google Docs & Spreadsheets, you can tell at a glance how many unread items you have in Google Reader or Gmail. Or you can click on the icons for a preview of your latest messages.

The toolbar only shows up when you're visiting a Google page, and it doesn't work with all Google services. For example, while you can preview your Google Notebook contents, when you're actually on the Google Notebook page the toolbar doesn't show up. It also takes a moment for the toolbar to load, so you might not notice it at first.

[via Googlified

Filed under: Business, Internet, Productivity, Google

Google has big plans for JotSpot in 2008

JotSpot
It's been about a year since Google acquired Wiki/page creation/collaboration/calendar/etc site JotSpot. And for most of that year, there's been a message at JotSpot.com saying that you can't sign up for a new account because Google is still integrating the service.

Blogger Andrew Miller reports that Google may be preparing to launch some new JotSpot-based services starting next year. Miller attended a presentation with Google's Scott Johnston, where Johnston outlined a bit of Google's strategy for integrating JotSpot tools with Google Apps.

First up, Google will launch Google Sites, an expanded version of Google Page Creator. The service will let businesses set up intranets, manage packages, and build custom sites.

Google is also beefing up its online office suite and has plans to let users edit documents, spreadsheets and presentations while offline using Google Gears. There will also be offline support for Google Calendar and Gmail. Google also plans to integrate GrandCentral, another recent purchase, with Google Apps.

[via TechCrunch]

Filed under: Business, Design, News, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Office, Productivity, Web services, Google, Microsoft, Freeware, Social Software, Beta

Google Presentation - Google's PowerPoint app goes live

Google Presentation
Google's long-rumored and eagerly anticipated PowerPoint clone has finally shipped. Although we've only had a chance to have a first look, here are some impressions:

What it does have or do
  • Importing PowerPoint files
  • Exporting HTML file
  • 15 built-in themes
  • Text formatting
  • Basic image manipulation functionality (adding, resizing)
  • Versioning
  • Collaboration
  • Online presentation sharing

What it doesn't have or do
  • Animations of any kind
  • Advanced image manipulation
  • Advanced text formatting
  • Sound
  • Video
  • Exporting PowerPoint files

Google has done a very good job of making this new Presentation application (based on code from Zenter) fit in with Docs and Spreadsheets. It looks right at home, and the functionality is about what you would expect from another Google App. File versioning and collaboration functions work exactly like they do for Docs and Spreadsheets, which is to say just fine.

Read more →

Featured Time Waster

Forumwarz - a potentially offensive time waster

I pwn UAfter spending the better part of an hour on Forumwarz I still can't decide if it's just sick or if it's kind of fun. It's a bit like a car wreck on the highway. I know I shouldn't be looking but I can't quite turn away.

It's sick, it's twisted, it's the internet on it's worst level and darn it, it's kind of fun. At least for a little while.

Forumwarz is a parody role-playing game that takes place on the internet - or at least the Forumwarz version of it. Your goal is to complete missions that are given to you through a mock up of GoogleTalk called Sentrillion.

Your first "friend" is ShallowEsophagus who begins giving you missions to pwn various forums by being a troll. Depending on the character type you are assigned at start up, you have tools like drooling on the keyboard or bashing your head on the keyboard that you can use to destroy forum threads and eventually, pwn a forum.

Future missions involve buying illegal software from the Russians, pwning more difficult forums and other internet oddness.

Completing missions gives you cash, called Flezz in game, and items that you can pawn or use in other missions. The game is NOT for those easily offended. It's crass, coarse and there are frequent f-bombs in the fake chat sessions.

This is also a game for a more mature audience as it requires you to shop at the Drugs R Fun store to get various concoctions to improve your playing, engage in certain cyber activities to get more Flezz and just generally use a more adult perspective.

If you can get past that, here are the more enjoyable and time-wasting aspects.

View more Time Wasters

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