Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office available to all

Many of you already use Google Docs for editing your documents, but there are still many people that are tied to desktop applications and haven’t experienced the numerous benefits cloud applications to bring. To help bring more people to the cloud and take advantage of features that result, we’re happy to announce that Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office is now available to everyone. Google Cloud Connect is a free plugin that improves Microsoft Office 2003, 2007 and 2010 on Windows PCs. It adds simultaneous collaboration, revision history, cloud sync, unique URLs and simple sharing to the Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint applications:

Take it for a spin on your Windows PC by downloading the plugin.

To learn more about how Google Cloud Connect can help businesses, check out the more detailed post on the Google Enterprise Blog.

Posted by: Shan Sinha, Google Apps Product Manager

Update: Many of you have also asked about availability for Macs. Unfortunately due to the lack of support for open APIs on Microsoft Office for Mac, we are unable to make Google Cloud Connect available on Macs at this time. We look forward to when that time comes so we can provide this feature to our Mac customers as well.

Apple and Intel unveil Thunderbolt I/O technology

thunderboltSo it’s perhaps not the most original moniker that Apple and Intel could have chosen, but it’s here just the same. After years of waiting Apple has launched its implementation of Intel’s Light Peak standard and it’s called Thunderbolt. It’s making its appearance on new MacBook Pro models and it’s promising 10Gb/second transfer rates. That’s dual-channel, too so you’ll get 10Gb/sec both to and from your devices. Apple suggests this will be useful for external RAID arrays, Gigabit Ethernet adapters, and also mentions support for “FireWire and USB consumer devices” along with HDMI, DVI, and VGA over DisplayPort. Apple expects that Thunderbolt will be “widely adopted as a new standard for high performance I/O,” but we think the USB 3.0 crew might have a thing or two to say about that. Full PR is embedded below.

Update: Intel has thrown up its page on the technology, and it looks like the Light Peak name is officially no more. Intel indicates this speed will be enough to transfer a full-length HD movie (roughly 10 – 20GB in size) in less than 30 seconds. Intel also reinforces that this is compatible with existing DisplayPort devices and it also uses the PCI Express protocol for enhanced compatibility. Daisy-chaining will be possible, along with bus-powered devices, and cables can be made using either optical or electrical construction.

Continue reading Apple and Intel unveil Thunderbolt I/O technology

Apple and Intel unveil Thunderbolt I/O technology originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 09:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Should You Delete Windows 7 Service Pack Backup Files to Save Space?

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After you install the Windows 7 Service Pack 1 that we mentioned yesterday, you might be wondering how to reclaim some of the lost drive space—which we’ll show you how today—but should you actually do it?

Note: If you haven’t installed the new SP1 release yet, be sure to read our post explaining what it entails before you do. Spoiler: it’s mostly bugfixes.

Latest Features How-To Geek ETC

Should You Delete Windows 7 Service Pack Backup Files to Save Space?

image

After you install the Windows 7 Service Pack 1 that we mentioned yesterday, you might be wondering how to reclaim some of the lost drive space—which we’ll show you how today—but should you actually do it?

Note: If you haven’t installed the new SP1 release yet, be sure to read our post explaining what it entails before you do. Spoiler: it’s mostly bugfixes.

Latest Features How-To Geek ETC

Josh stops by Jimmy Fallon with the Xoom, Pre 3, Veer, and TouchPad (video)

Josh stops by Jimmy Fallon with the Xoom, Pre 3, Veer, and TouchPad

Want to get your hands on the HP Pre 3, Veer, and the TouchPad? Sadly you can’t at this point, but you can see them doing their respective things in the video below. Our editor-in-chief Joshua Topolsky made another visit to Jimmy Fallon last night with a all of HP’s upcoming toys, as well as the Motorola Atrix and the Xoom tablet too. It’s all embedded below, so make with the clicking.

Continue reading Josh stops by Jimmy Fallon with the Xoom, Pre 3, Veer, and TouchPad (video)

Josh stops by Jimmy Fallon with the Xoom, Pre 3, Veer, and TouchPad (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 08:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Visualized: Android activations mapped geographically, chronologically, breathtakingly (video)

Do you ever wish for an easier way to show your uninitiated friends what you mean when you say Android is growing? Well, here’s the video for you: a Google-produced map of the world that throbs with Android activations over time, highlighted by some truly eye-opening flourishes in the immediate aftermath of marquee handset launches. The Google guys have even given us handy countdown timers — “Droid launch in 3, 2, 1…” — and broken things down by continent for easier viewing. Only thing missing is a soundtrack, so just have your Tron: Legacy OST loaded up and ready before jumping past the break.

[Thanks, Leo Z.]

Continue reading Visualized: Android activations mapped geographically, chronologically, breathtakingly (video)

Visualized: Android activations mapped geographically, chronologically, breathtakingly (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 04:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Xoom now available for purchase straight from Verizon, no data activation required (updated)

Oh yes, the world’s first Android Honeycomb tablet really is here now. As Verizon announced earlier, you can snag a Motorola Xoom for $599.99 with a two-year contract, or splash out $799.99 for just the LTE-ready device. Alas, the WiFi-only version is nowhere to be seen just yet, but maybe some will show up in the stores later if not tomorrow, so hold on to your personal hotspot devices and keep believing. Either way, in case you’re still indecisive over this 10-inch goodness, maybe our review will help.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Update: Verizon’s been in touch to inform us of a policy change: customers who purchase the off-contract Xoom will now no longer need to be on a month to month plan. That said, we still see “Month to Month” as a compulsory option at the time of updating this post.

Motorola Xoom now available for purchase straight from Verizon, no data activation required (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ZDbox for Android Controls Everything on Your Phone [Apps]

ZDbox for Android is an “all-in-one” toolbox app that makes it easy to find out what’s going on in your phone and gives you full control of different tasks. Those who geek out to numbers, fret not, ZDbox gives the exact battery percentage and traffic usage (with alerts!). If you want to set a do not disturb time range, lock some apps (like Gmail or messaging) or batch uninstall others, you can do that too. The interface is simple enough where you won’t have to learn new things to do new things. It’s still in beta, but has been working pretty well for me. [XDA Developers via Mobiputing] More »







Motorola Xoom review

As we put rubber to road on our Motorola Xoom review, it’s important to note that it was only a matter of time before the Android army delivered a proper iPad competitor. Moto’s partnership with Google (and use of the 3.0 version of its mobile operating system, Honeycomb), has made that assumed inevitability a very serious reality. There can be little question that the Xoom is certainly a contender for the hearts and minds of potential tablet buyers in the market. Besides boasting that fancy new software (a completely redesigned experience masterminded by the man behind webOS, Matias Duarte), the Xoom is equipped with formidable hardware. The 1GHz, NVIDIA Tegra 2-based slate boasts a sizable 1GB of DDR2 RAM, 32GB of internal storage, a 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800 capacitive display, 3G connectivity (Verizon on our review unit), along with front and rear facing cameras, HD video capability, and loads of wireless options. Not only is the Xoom clearly competitive (and frankly, more stacked) than most of its competition, Motorola has attempted to futureproof the device by offering a free hardware upgrade down the road which will give the tablet access to Big Red’s 4G LTE network. Of course, all this power comes with a cost… literally. With a list price off contract of $799, the Xoom is quite a pricey piece of technology to own. Still, with all that’s packed inside — and more importantly with what Google has done on the software side — the Xoom could represent the next stage of tablet evolution. Is it time to take the plunge? Read on for our definitive answer in the full Engadget review!

Continue reading Motorola Xoom review

Motorola Xoom review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jolicloud 1.1 now bringing old and dusty computers back to life

Okay, so that doesn’t quite look like the oldest PC in the world, but it is running Jolicloud 1.1. And now so can many 10+ year old computers. The good guys at Jolicloud have updated the latest version of its Linux / Chromium-based operating system to support all sorts of old computer hardware, including legacy NVIDIA cards like TNT, TNT2, Quadro and early GeForce. Of course, you’ll still need at least 384MB of RAM to make it purr and you’ll want to make sure that you can connect to the net to take advantage of all the cloud-based applications. Oh, you’re still here? Dig out that old Gateway 2000 and start installing!

Jolicloud 1.1 now bringing old and dusty computers back to life originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 20:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Beyond The Looking Glass Of Corning

Since their earliest days, Corning Incorporated has been a world leader in specialty glass and ceramics. Corningware ring a bell?  Corning also develops innovative glass for a variety of applications including, industrial, automotive, and commercial. Combining materials, science and process they look forward and imagine the possibilities with breakthroughs into reality. Watching this vide, which shows us how Corning envisions the future of glass, left me amazed. Here are just a few innovations:


Architectural surface glass – tough, thermally durable, display enabling

Appliance veneer glass – electronics enabling, scratch resistant.

Handheld display glass – thin lightweight, tough, touch sensitive

Automotive display glass – advanced interactive technology

Work surface display glass – application enabling

Impressive to say the least, I just wonder how much more effective and efficient it will make our day.  I am sure it will take longer to brush our teeth and cook eggs if we are interacting with the glass all the time.  But perhaps we already do that with our smart phones.  In either case I am looking forward to seeing beyond the looking glass.

Watch A Day Made Of Glass By Corning for more.

Have an infinitely modern day!