05/23, 7:30pm
Main, Gmail searches pull results from other Google apps
Google has released a beta version of Chrome 28 for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android. The most significant change is in the Windows release, where a native notification center for apps and extensions has been turned on. These can include not only text and images, but optional actions such as making a phone call or sending email. Notifications can appear even when Chrome is closed. Google is promising Mac notifications "soon."
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12/14, 8:31pm
Calendar, Google Sync, Issue Tracker losing features
Google's continuing effort to narrow the focus of its services continues apace, as the search giant revealed today that it would be removing less popular features from its Google Calendar product and doing away with a number of other services. On January 14, 2013, Google will remove the ability to create reservable times through Appointment slots in Calendar. The company will also be discontinuing Smart Rescheduler and Add gadget by URL.
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10/15, 6:51pm
New search feature in beta, shows other Google products
Google announced today an expansion of the search capabilities built into Gmail and its standard search, giving users more access to other Google products. The feature is now in field trial mode, but Gmail and Google users will soon be able to view relevant files from Google Drive and Google Calendar entries alongside Gmail items when they search from within the email application. The field trial is currently only available for @gmail.com addresses, and only accessible in English.
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09/27, 4:05pm
Should sync contacts to apps like iOS Contacts
Google has announced that Gmail and Google Calendar are now capable of contact sync via CardDAV. CardDAV is an open format, and should make it easier to sync Google contacts to third-party clients, such as the native Contacts app in iOS. Previously people sometimes had to go through harder workarounds, such as Exchange.
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10/27, 4:40pm
Apple said to be aware of trouble
People are still finding themselves unable to access iCloud calendars through Google Calendar, complaints indicate. Users should be able to share iCloud calendars through a URL; trying to open the link with Google Calendar's "Add by URL" function, however, currently generates an error message: "Could not fetch the url because robots.txt prevents us from crawling the url." Apple has allegedly been aware of the problem since at least October 17th.
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06/30, 11:00pm
New layouts now available to preview
Google has introduced redesigned interfaces for its web-based Gmail and Calendar utilities. The revamped layouts, which are currently available for users to preview, offer a modernized appearance with functional improvements alongside aesthetic tweaks. The Gmail interface brings a red, black and white color scheme, closely resembling the new Google Plus presentation.
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06/24, 5:40pm
Calendars manages Google Calendar data
eBay has announced the acquisition of RedLaser, the barcode scanning app for the iPhone. The company plans to integrate the technology into its own apps, including eBay Marketplace, eBay Selling, StubHub and Shopping.com. Users will be able to quickly create eBay listings by accessing pricing trends and product details for items in the company's catalog. An independent version of RedLaser should remain in the App Store as a free download.
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08/04, 11:20am
SyncEm supports Google
Derman Enterprises released an update to its sync software, Sync'Em 1.33. The latest version adds support for basic Google calendar events and contact fields, while handling of FileAs/FileAsMapping fields in Exchange has been improved. The company also revamped the user interface and fixed several syncing bugs.
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07/28, 4:20pm
Google Calendar & iCal
Google's web-based Calendar application should now support iCal integration, the company has announced. The feature comes by way of support for the CalDAV protocol, which in turn allows access to a calendar via WebDAV. Users of the Google app should now be able to edit a calendar in iCal and have it sync with their online schedule, as well as vice versa. Changes are applied whenever iCal is able to go online, or a person signs into Calendar.
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