Google has been working to catch up to OpenAI since the release of ChatGPT, which took the generative AI industry by storm. After the underwhelming response to its first attempt at a conversational bot, Bard AI, Google has announced a new approach: adding AI features to all of its Workspace products, much like it did with social features during the Google+ era. These features will allow users to draft, reply, summarize, prioritize emails, brainstorm, proofread, write, and rewrite text documents, autogenerate images and even video with Slides, have Sheets create formulas autonomously, automate transcription notes in Meet, and enable workflows in Chat. For example, users can type the subject of their assignment into Docs and Google’s generative AI suite will quickly generate additional text. The Rewrite function can also rework existing content, even if it’s just bullet points. The new “I’m feeling lucky” option in Gmail is another addition to the suite.

Following the Bard debacle, Google has doubled down on its commitment to ensuring that its AIs are not like Microsoft‘s. The company is building its products within the bounds of its AI Principles, which are legally binding like its old “Don’t be evil” motto. Johanna Voolich Wright, VP of Product at Google Workspace, emphasized that “AI is no replacement for the ingenuity, creativity, and smarts of real people,” and that the company’s AI-enabled Workspace suite requires guidance to function correctly. The suite is expected to roll out to English language users in the US by the end of the month, with additional languages and regions arriving in the near future.

However, some concerns have been raised about the implications of Google’s new approach. Critics worry that the over-reliance on AI could lead to a decrease in the quality of work, with users becoming overly dependent on AI-generated content. Others argue that the company’s AI Principles are not enough to ensure that AI is used ethically and responsibly. Regardless, it is clear that Google is betting big on AI, and the company’s new approach could have significant implications for the future of work and productivity.

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Google has started to roll out the new Material Design 3 user interface (UI) for its Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides applications. The update aims to simplify the UI, reduce clutter, and enhance collaboration.

The redesigned UI for Google Drive features a white container with rounded corners displaying lists and grids of files. The section headers are more prominent, and line separators have been removed. The new design also includes filters for file types, last modified, and people. The left sidebar features a pill-shaped indicator highlighting the section being viewed, while the elevated “New” button appears just above. Google has added functionality that enables users to hover over a file in the list view to reveal shortcuts to share, download, rename, and open the menu.

The UI of Google Docs, Sheets and Slides now features a pill-shaped toolbar with a light blue background. The suggestions button and comments feature a light blue background, and the top bar features a blue sharing pill and buttons without containers at the right.

The new design rollout will occur over the next 15 days, with all users expected to receive it by March 25th. The update will be available for all Workspace and personal users, as well as for those on the legacy G Suite Basic and Business plans. Google says the redesign will offer a simpler, more streamlined UI emphasizing the most loved tools within the products, helping users work more efficiently with the tools they know and love.

The Material Design 3 UI for Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides is similar to Gmail’s new look, reflecting Google’s efforts to streamline core collaboration journeys across its products. With this update, Google aims to make it easier for users to collaborate and work more efficiently while maintaining a familiar and easy-to-use interface.

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In what was seen as a temporary setback for millions of users of Google services worldwide, Google today experienced service disruptions which affected several of its premium products and services in different parts of the world. Among the apps that suffered significant outages were Gmail and YouTube, as users complained of their inability to access the service. These problems have now been confirmed in some parts of the world including the United Kingdom, parts of Europe, and the Indian sub-continent.

The rumors started swirling on Twitter about reported downtimes of the various services today including YouTube, Gmail, Drive, Docs, and several other services. The feeds that were monitored showed that the outages were much reported in parts of Europe and a sprinkling in every other continent of the world. The Monitoring app, Downdetector, revealed the magnitude of the problem with a spike in reported problems on YouTube between 1100 hours GMT and 1300 hours GMT.

The Downdetector report showed that about 46% of the reported problems were in relation to the website, while about 44% were problems relating to difficulty in watching YouTube videos. The remaining issue that was reported was log-in problems encountered by users within the specified two-hour time frame.

The reported problems were also in relation to difficulties and disruptions encountered in using Google’s apps both on mobile platforms as well as on desktop. Some users reported that using incognito mode or accessing services without being signed in seemed to work in some instances, so the problems could be related to the Google accounts.

Some recent reports have confirmed that YouTube services have been restored back to some extent in the UK and Germany, as well as other Google’s services like Photos, Docs, Drive, and the rest of them. A similar confirmation of the restoration of normal service has also been gotten from India.

Hence, it could be seen that things are gradually returning back to normal today, after the reported glitches in some parts of the world. A peek into the Google Workspace dashboard showed that all the apps are now showing the green icon- this means that there are no issues among all the apps in the Google suite.

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Google is known for more than its search engine. One of the most used services by the internet giant is Google Docs. It is a cloud-based word processor that comes free with every Google account. Now, the Android app for this service has hit 1 billion installs on the Play Store.

The Google Docs Android app was released in 2014. This app is not part of the mandatory GMS package and therefore, it took 6 years to reach 1 billion downloads on the Google Play Store. 

The application crossed 500 million downloads in October 2018 after 4 years from its launch, however, it achieved to surpass the next 500 million just within 2 years. As Android Police suggests, this could be mostly because people around the world have been working and continuing their education at home since the beginning of 2020.

As Google Docs is a free-to-use service, it is the most preferred word processor. Mostly because of its cloud-based features. Also, there are numerous institutions and enterprises that use Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) which includes Google Docs.

All of these above-mentioned factors could have made people download this app on your Android smartphones, tablets, and Chromebooks.

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Microsoft has introduced a new all-in-one Office beta app, including Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and other tools. It is another attempt by Microsoft to bring the professional editing tools in a single package on the Android platform. Microsoft already hosts separate apps on Android for its office tools such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, etc.

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The new Microsoft Office beta will let the users create, edit, and share different documents on the cloud or your Android smartphone. Multiple users are allowed to collaborate on a single project like Google Docs. Moreover, the Sticky Notes integration helps the users to dwell notes without using Sticky Notes App. The inbuilt conversion feature will efficiently convert photos, Word, Excel, photoshop, or Powerpoint file to PDFs. Another excellent feature is to sign the document and convert the file to the desired format.

The Office beta app consists of some powerful features like converting a document picture into an editable Word file on a single tap, transforming the table picture into a spreadsheet file, and allowing the powerpoint to create presentations by selecting photos from the phone automatically. It can even let you create a scanned image by enhancing the digital photos of whiteboards.

Microsoft Office beta even enhances the file sharing between your phone and computer or nearby mobile devices. The inbuilt capability to scan QR codes for opening files and links quickly is another striking feature.

It is not the first time that Microsoft tested an all-in-one Office app on the mobile platform. They tried on Windows Phone with the Office Hub app. It comprised of all the Office tools, including Excel, Word, powerpoint, and OneNote support.

The new app is currently in the beta stage, and for sure, it will have some bugs and issues.

Update: It appears Microsoft has pulled down the app from the Play Store. We have attached the source link of the app from the third-party website below.

(source, via)

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