5 Tips on Using Google Apps for Meetings

As technology continues to change how we work, one of the main holdovers refuses to go away. While meetings undoubtably serve a very important purpose, many people find themselves wasting time and desperately searching for alternatives. Fortunately for you, Google Apps provides a ton of options for improving the meeting experience from the planning / scheduling phase to the follow-up. Check out 5 of our favorite tips designed to save you time and let us know in the comments what you do to save time in meetings!

 We know how busy your days can be – with daily standups, appointments, conference calls, and other meetings cluttering your schedules at work. Your Google Calendar probably looks like a multi-colored palette of all the day’s happenings, and you’re struggling to find ‘white space’! Have no fear – your savior is here. With the “Find a time” feature on Google Calendar, you can easily schedule a meeting time that accommodates all your co-workers’ schedules, too.

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OK Google to expand across Android OS: Report

NEW DELHI: The 'Ok Google' voice command that launches the Google Search app from the homescreen on phones with the Google Now launcher and from the Google Now screen on other smartphones, will reportedly be extended to core Android apps. 

According to Android Police, users will be able to perform certain actions through the voice command 'Ok Google,' inside core Android apps like Photos and Gmail. For instance, they'll be able to share images through voice commands within the Photos app or reply to emails inside the Gmail app by simply saying 'Ok Google.' Apps that support the feature may sport a red coloured round button with the letter 'g' in lower case denoting the functionality. 

The report doesn't mention the source of the information but claims that the project is being actively worked on. The feature may be available only on Google experience devices like Nexus 5 and Nexus 7. The website has also posted mock-ups of the activation screen of "Ok Google" everywhere.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE from timesofindia.com

Google Now and Cortana are the future, not Siri

Now that our gadgets are plenty fast and powerful, and most software is easy enough for babies to use, everyone is searching for the Next Big Thing in tech.

Based on the investments Big Tech companies are making, the next tech wave will likely be powered by contextual and predictive technologies.

In plain terms, contextual and predictive technologies are designed to get our devices to do exactly what we want without us having to ask over and over again.

Microsoft's (MSFT, Fortune 500) new Cortanafeature for Windows Phone can dive into a handful of apps and anticipate when and where you'll need certain bits of critical information. For example, Cortana can offer up your flight info and boarding pass as you travel to the airport. It can then prominently present that information to you without you doing anything. In some cases, it could even automatically relay information to another app.

What's particularly interesting about Cortana is how much attention Microsoft has given it. Cortana was the star of the show at this year's Microsoft Build developers conference, overshadowing substantial Windows and Windows Phone updates.

Microsoft is not alone, either.

Google (GOOGL) offers a similar service called "Google Now" for Android devices. Earlier this year, Yahoo! (YHOO, Fortune 500)paid a cool $80 million for Aviate, an Android app that changes the look of users' homescreens based on where they are, what time of day it is, and what they're doing. Nest's thermostats learn your habits and the most efficient way to manage the temperature in your house. 

READ MORE about Google Now from 

How to add a Google Drive folder to Google Sites

Google Sites are great because they are easy to set up and can be used in a variety of different ways. Embedding a Google Drive folder on a Google Sites page  is one of our favorite features, and it has a number of different use cases for a variety of different users.

>READ MORE from ASK THEGOORU

Google Trends Debuts Email Notifications For Search Topics, Hot Searches And More

Google Trends, the informative resource that shows you what’s currently popular around the web right now in and in the recent past, now offers email subscriptions, Google announcedthis morning. The new feature will allow you to subscribe to any search topic, plus Hot Searches for any country, or any U.S. monthly Top Chart, says Google via a blog post detailing the feature.

However, though Google Trends itself is a real-time data provider, letting you see what people are searching for at this very moment, the subscriptions feature is not always a real-time alerting service. Instead, when you go to create your first subscription for a topic you specify, after selecting the search term and country, you can then set your emails to arrive either “about once a week” or “about once a month.” (The company notes that the “how often” designation is only a rough estimate, and will vary between topics and over time.)

In other words, that feature is designed more for keeping up on news you’re interested in, by allowing you to more passively receive updates on a fairly regular schedule, but not necessarily getting the information the minute it arrives.

> READ ALL DETAILS ON HOW TO USE GOOGLE TRENDS from 

Essential Tips For Saving Time In Google Search And The Chrome Browser

Have you ever gotten frustrated after combing through search results that aren’t even related to what you’re seeking?

Or how about having to repeatedly press the back button in Google Chrome to find that website you saw about eight pages ago?

Google is loaded with tips and tricks that make it easier to search for content and navigate websites.

Even if you’ve read dozens of tip articles and claim you’re a Google expert, chances are there are a few hidden gems you’ve yet to uncover.

Here are a few hacks that will help you zip around Google Search and Google Chrome like a pro.

> SEE THE TIPS from InternationalBusiness Insider International

11 Quick Tricks To Become A Chrome Omnibox Power User

Do you want to become an Omnibox power user and save plenty of time and keystrokes? All you need are a few good extensions and a little knowledge of how to tweak the search settings.

The Omnibox in Google Chrome is useful for more than just searching with Google or visiting a link quickly. Omni literally means ‘universal’ and the Omnibox can be used for almost every task on the Web or otherwise, be it searching a site, setting a timer or sending a tweet.

> LEARN ALL THE TIPS from