Chrome OS Just Keeps Getting Better

Google's Chromebook's work just like the Chrome web browser, fast, safe and always update. This automatic update feature is the opposite of what many people are used to with updates from Microsoft. These are more often than not security updates and always seem to require a restart of your PC, just when you need to finish what you are working on! Google's Chrome browser updates in the background and launches as the new version next time you open the browser. So without even realising it, and without user intervention, everyone keeps up to date.

Chrome OS works in the same way, keeping your Chromebook up to date. Chrome OS's "desktop" inspired UI tweak, which was reported on in April 2012, has arrived. This update features some UI styling which can be found on Chrome for Android (Ice Cream Sandwich) and the reported on desktop style UI.

With increasingly quick machines being launched running Chrome OS task's such as multiple tab browsing, YouTube video playback and online games are running smoother than ever. And with the recent release of Google Drive it is even easier to manage your documents and files accross Chromebook's and PC's, Mac's and Linux distro's.

For a guided tour of the improved Chrome experience see the YouTube video below. And for more details check out Google's Chromebook webpage.



Do you use a Chromebook? How do you find it being always "on the cloud"? Send us your thoughts by commenting below or getting in touch on Google+.

The Google Experience

The Google experience used to be a fast, reliable search of the whole internet on google.com.

Then they added loads of services. Now they are all integrated with Google+, to bring your contacts with you, and Google Drive to store, share and collaborate on your content.

Wether is family holidays, business idea's or university projects, there's one easy way to collaborate. And the reason it's so universal? It's in the web browser. All of it. You don't need expensive software, or worry about file types / versions / compatibility. It's just in the browser, all from that same old google.com.

And for a speedy browser experience, the way to go in Google Chrome.

450 New Fonts for Google Docs

Google Doc's is fast becoming the best online word processing service with its continual evolution and improvements. The latest offerings to the Google Doc's user is 60 new templates for documents and a raft of 450 new fonts.

The online web browser began with only small number of standard fonts, which did little to rival the customisation and fonts on desktop applications such as Microsoft Word, Open Office and Apple's Pages. But with latest changes, including Google Drive integration, Google Doc's is in prime position to be a valuable rival to the office staple: the word processor.

Other advantages include the ease of collaboration. Not only can you share access to other Google users, but they can edit the document live, in real time while you are still in the document. No waiting to email each other different versions. The collaboration works great in a team situation too, there is even a text chat box right within the document editing user interface.

All this comes from a website, through your web browser. No cost, no software download, just online collaboration through the browser. It's compatible with almost any computer with an Internet connection too.

Does Microsoft Office Live, the Microsoft online office suite, stand a chance? The advantage is limited to the user familiarity with the desktop application. But they may have shot themselves in the foot because many users still aren't over keen on the ribbon UI.

To try Google Docs head to http://docs.google.com

Let us know what you think of Google Doc's by commenting below!

Google Drive vs Dropbox vs SkyDrive

So here's a quick round up of each of these cloud services so you can get the most for your money (or free!).

Google Drive
Drive is Google's new product and brings the cloud storage of Google Doc's to all file types and sync's with your desktop using applications. Google is a late entrant into the cloud file storage market, but have been a leader for other cloud services, such as web mail, for a long time. Their Google Doc's is also pretty handy as you can edit documents from within a browser, with no need to download, edit and then upload. It just cuts out the hassle.

Dropbox
Dropbox is the most popular cloud storage system with 45 million users according to lockergnome.com. The service allows you to access your files through the slick web based UI or apps for computers and mobile devices. You can increase your free allocation of the storage space by simply completing the tutorial and then spreading the word with your friends, family and colleagues. Each sign up gets you both an extra 500MB of space!

SkyDrive
Microsoft's offering is fully integrated with their Office Web Apps system, which is like Google Doc's but actually Word, Excel etc. The system also features the app's for syncing and viewing content on various platforms. It also works with the Hotmail web mail service to help users transfer large files with attaching them to emails.

Comparison
The file storage options are compared below.

Google Drive

Google Drive is here... yes really! Google admit on their blogpost that Google Drive is about as rumoured as the Loch Ness monster, but it is finally here! With 5GB free storage, and up to 16GB with subscriptions, Google Drive is everything it was rumoured to be. It is fully integrated into Google Docs and works cross platform on all your devices.

Until now Microsoft's SkyDrive, Dropbox and Box.net have had the home and business markets covered for cloud storage, with many other companies offering increasing amounts of storage at various costs. The integration with existing accounts make it easy to apply for, although it's not quite available for everyone just yet. Google Drive will work with GMail in a similar way to SkyDrive and Hotmail.

Here is Google's video, explaining more.



To access Google Drive, click here.