1 844.742.7448

Email Us

Remote Support

Contact

Posts tagged "Docs"

  1. Home
  2. Posts tagged Docs

Google’s new AI tool can help organize your messy Google Docs files
  • No Comments

Google is launching yet another large language model (LLM) with the purpose of helping people organize their messy Google Docs accounts.

Say you’re a college student who typed in a series of notes into a Google Docs file for class, but you didn’t put a lot of thought into the page’s structure. It’s all one big mess of randomly organized ideas. Now, you can ask the new NotebookLM tool to generate a short summary to read so you have a better idea of what you wrote. The original file will still be there for reference. It’s not going anywhere. The generative AI will even throw in some “key topics and questions” based on the summarized information to help users gain “a better understanding of the material.” What’s more, you are not limited to a single document. Notebook LM is able to pull from multiple sources for its content.

Directing the AI

Like Bard, Google’s other generative AI, you can ask NotebookLM questions to better direct its response if you want to know something in particular. In an example given, a student can upload an “article about neuroscience” and then tell the AI to construct a list of “key terms related to dopamine” from that particular piece.

NotebookLM isn’t only for summarizing your school notes. It can, according to Google, generate ideas, too. Google states a content creator can give the LLM their idea for a new video and then instruct it to write up a rough draft for a script or help a businessperson come up with questions to ask at an investors’ meeting.

As helpful as it may sound, there is one major problem. Believe it or not, NotebookLM can still hallucinate. Even though the main source is your own personal Google Docs account, there's still the possibility it could create false information. The company recommends double-checking the generated responses “against your original source material” just to be safe. If the AI is grabbing from multiple sources, Google states each response will have citations so you’ll know exactly where everything is coming from. 

Future release

NotebookLM is currently seeing a limited release as it is still experimental technology. If you want to try it out yourself, head on over to the Google Labs website and sign up for the waitlist. Once a spot opens up, Google will shoot over an email letting you know. The company is asking the lucky few who gain access to please provide feedback so it can improve the AI.

NotebookLM actually made its world debut during Google I/O 2023 when it was originally known as Project Tailwind. The event saw the tech giant tease a lot of upcoming devices and software; most of which have been released with a few stragglers remaining. Universal Translator, for example, is still missing in action. If you don’t recall, it’s an “AI video dubbing service” that has the ability to translate speech in real-time. There also isn’t a lot of information out there regarding the Sidekick panel, a Google Docs feature that can create text prompts while writing.

We asked Google if it could provide any insight on the missing I/O 2023 tech plus when it will release the final version of NotebookLM. This story will be updated at a later time.

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

Read More

Google Docs is finally fixing one of its most annoying pain points
  • No Comments

Google has revealed it is adding a new update for its office software that will make customizing and moving tables in Google Docs much more intuitive and easier to do.

A new post in the Google Workspace update blog outlines how the software is introducing “improved table positioning options” for documents.

Google says the update will add more flexibility and control over the layout of text with tables in Docs, letting you craft your documents just how you like.

Google Docs tables

While Google Workspace includes its own spreadsheet software in Sheets, many people prefer to use Docs to add inline tables to their documents.

The new changes will primarily allow users to drag tables in a document and place them exactly where you want, giving much improved customization.

Google Docs table moving

(Image credit: Google Workspace)

The update will automatically wrap the contents of your document around the table, but you can also customize this by choosing the wrap direction (left, right or even both sides) as well as the specifying margin from the surrounding text.

Users will also be able to set a fixed position for a table on a page , and Google Docs will also now provide quick layouts to instantly move a table to a preset position on a page.

In a bid to improve cross-platform usability, Google Docs has also improved how it works when importing and exporting Microsoft Word documents with tables, so your documents remain consistent.

This new update is rolling out now and will be available to all Google Workspace customers and users with personal Google Accounts.

Analysis – solving a huge pain point

Tables have long been a bane for many office software users, with Microsoft Office and Google Workspace having issues for some time.

Fortunately, today's news should help solve the problem for many users, finally making it easier to add in and move tables around.

The update follows Google's earlier change, where it added a sidebar to Docs to make it easier for users to manage a table's rows, columns, alignment and other properties. The company also added an intuitive button for creating new rows or columns in a table that will appear as an overlay as you hover over a table in Docs.

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

Read More

You’ll soon be able to create all kinds of documents in Google Docs – here’s how
  • No Comments

Creating all kinds of documents with Google Docs could now prove a lot easier thanks to a new update.

The word processor tool from Google Workspace is now leveraging a boost in its smart chips technology to be able to create different types of specialized documents such as invoices or contracts.

Far from having to manually input and tweak your document to get it into exactly the right format, Google Docs users will now be able to set pre-defined items and placeholders, with the software automatically creating the type of file needed.

Google Docs smart chips

“Today, we’re introducing variable chips, a new feature that makes document creation for things like invoices, contracts, or broader communications much easier,” a Google Workspace update blog post announcing the news said.

Users will be able to pre-define and insert placeholders such as a client name, contract number, or an address, and then update it throughout their entire document simply by editing the value in one place. 

Google Docs variable smart chips

(Image credit: Google Workspace)

The update is available now, with no admin control necessary for business users. It will be available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus customers and Nonprofits only, meaning users with personal Google accounts won't get access. Rollout has started now, with users set to see the new feature over the next few weeks.

Opinion – a possible Google Docs game-changer?

As someone who creates all kinds of different types of documents within Google Docs, getting the right format and layout is often one of the trickest things to nail down – whether its a news article, a formal letter, or a contract, everything needs to be formatted in the correct way.

This launch shows Google Docs paying heed to such concerns in a way that Microsoft Word and other competitors are still yet to fully do, and could be a game-changer for workers around the world. Spelling an end to fiddly manual editing processes, the use of smart chips for intelligent editing and formatting could be incredibly valuable, and I'm all for it.

Coming on the heels of other new features such as collapsible headings, which make longer documents much easier to consume, and tweaks to tables of contents, Google Docs is finally becoming a true tool for all players.

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

Read More

Google Docs is getting a whole lot smarter – and collapsable?
  • No Comments

In its eternal struggle to replicate features that Microsoft 365 and even Office has had for aeons, Google Docs is getting – make sure you’re sitting down – collapsible headings.

This is good – it’ll keep documents from feeling cluttered or unruly, we’re just at a loss as to why it’s taken until 2023 for this to happen.

The announcement, posted on the Google Workspace updates blog, revealed that the change will arrive shortly for Google Workspace and Personal users but, as tends to happen to us, we found that the feature isn’t yet available for us specifically.

 Making a word processor fit for purpose

We’re not being contrarian for clicks when we assert that Google software has always been behind the times – whether it’s deciding to chase the AI zeitgeist after Microsoft finds success in that space or still lacking reorderable headings in the document outline, meaning I much prefer to first draft long-form work in Microsoft Word.

And it is a shame that Google is treating artificial intelligence (which, as we’re being urged to understand at the moment, is simply a form of machine learning) as the be all and end all. 

The best way to enhance a productivity tool isn’t to throw in features that trade on buzzwords and promises of a personal assistant to do your work for you. Less ambitious features, unconcerned with grabbing headlines but which are altogether more important at making work bearable.

Google is obviously going for a little from column A and and a little for column B with this approach. Its happy medium is something like the “smart chips” across Google Workspace, allowing documents to contain links to other ones, files, people, or events, making them better at centralising information.

The “smart chips” are good, in that “smart” here means “convenient” rather than “literally sentient”. I feel like I’m on a theme here,  having written about the ills of AI in office software relatively recently, but I might like to revise what I wrote there.

Read more

> This Google Docs update will finally help get your work in the right order

> Google Docs is getting its own search bar to solve all your most pressing problems

> We’ve also listed the best free word processors right now

It’s not so much that I need to be dazzled by innovation to keep me conscious, I just need to be able to get through the day without wanting to throw my cloud-driven office software out of the window.

So, Google, take note: make it easy to export images from Docs without making me download a zipped .html file of the whole document, do the reorderable outline thing, and just generally step back in time to 2003. That all sounds reasonable.

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

Read More

The 5 most exciting AI tools coming to Gmail, Google Docs, Sheets, and more
  • No Comments

Google has just announced a huge set of new AI tools that could change the way we use some of its most popular apps, including Gmail, Google Docs and more.

In both an official blog post and video (below) the tech giant revealed several new AI tools that will be coming to its most popular apps. The first ones will initially only come to select group of testers in Gmail and Google Docs, but we've also been given a tantalizing preview of the ones coming to Google Sheets, Google Slides, and Google Meet, too.

The move is most likely to rival competitors in the AI space like Microsoft's ChatGPT-powered Bing and Microsoft 365. Since AI has grown in popularity, Google has been scrambling to match its rivals' moves in the market, going so far as rushing out an announcement of its own Google Bard chatbot, which still isn't open to the public. There was also an underwhelming presentation that even had its own employees rolling their eyes.

Still, the results from what we've seen in this demonstration look far more practical and promising than the AI tools Google has announced so far. They've been integrated into Google Workspace, so users will soon be able to use generative AI in several writing features. For now, only trusted testers will have access to these new tools but after that, they'll be rolled out to all Google users.

So, in no particular order, here are all the best AI tools coming to Google's line of products.

The 5 most useful AI tools coming to Google apps

1. Gmail: instant summaries of long conversations

a screenshot of an AI generated email

(Image credit: Future)

If you've ever opened up your work email only to find an extremely long and confusing email chain, this tool could be for you. This particular AI tool allows you to quickly summarize long email conversations, pulling out the most pertinent information and laying it out in a neat box.

From what we've seen from this demo, it even adds the names of those involved in the conversation, giving the summary even more context and clarity. And it drafts a response based on all the information gathered. Of course, it remains to be seen how accurate this tool will be, as any missing information from said summary could be detrimental to your work.

Most likely, it'll use machine learning to improve its quality of work, which should mean it doesn't skip important information as it's used more often.

2. Gmail and Google Docs: time-saving drafts when you type in a topic

a screenshot of an AI generated summary in google docs

(Image credit: Future)

Out of all the AI tools showcased in Google's presentation, this AI writing and brainstorming feature looks to be the most promising. As demonstrated in the demo, a prompt that states “Help me write” followed by the request “Job post for a regional sales rep” results in an instantly drafted job post.

From there of course the human user would edit and refine the document, but having a draft instantly created saves plenty of time and effort. You can also use the tool to add certain tones to your document depending on the situation, like whimsical or formal.

There's a lot of flexibility in this AI tool, and the fact that it works for both drafting documents and emails should make it even more valuable.

3. Google Slides: AI-generated presentations with imagery

a screenshot of an AI generated images in a presentation

(Image credit: Future)

This is easily the most controversial of the new batch of Google's AI tools. The core of the concept, creating slides for a presentation in Google Slides, is a smart one that could save a lot of time and energy in terms of creating layouts instantly. However, unlike the other tools that use text already written by either you or coworkers, this tool creates images, audio, and video, then inserts it into your presentation.

But where does that media come from? A database gathered by Google's AI of course. But then where does the AI pull the references from to generate this content? That's the problem and something Google will likely need to address.

As it stands, there's been a lot of misuse of this tech to the point of even plagiarism, and it remains to be seen if Google is using a personal database or pulling from the internet to create this content.

4. Google Meet: capture notes through AI

a screenshot of AI generated notes in google meet

(Image credit: Future)

This is another AI feature that could potentially save a lot of time and effort. This tool captures notes from conference calls and other meetings with audio, then takes “notes” of that meeting, summarizing the most important points in an easy-to-parse format.

Judging from the demo, the most impressive part of this note-taking tool is how it organizes the notes, using complex formattings like bullet points, calendar icons to indicate an important date, headings, and more. It not only looks incredibly organized but works at a far faster rate than a human could.

This tool would leave time and energy for everyone to focus on the meeting itself and not need to devote a person to take these notes. Meaning that everyone can participate.

5. Google Sheets: auto-fill data entry with AI

a screenshot of AI generated entries in google sheets

(Image credit: Future)

Data entry can be repetitive and boring at times, or even confusing when dealing with extremely large sets of data. This AI tool would be especially handy in parsing dense amounts of information, then converting that information into data charts.

The demo showed the command “Personalize messages for our client” and then next to each entry created a unique message for each of them, most likely as a mailing list. A task that would take a human a long time to accomplish was done in an instant. 

Of course, a human would have to edit each message to ensure quality, but having the drafts done is an incredibly useful and time-saving first step.

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

Read More

Google Docs is having some serious issues with its new “inclusive language” warnings
  • No Comments

Google is nothing if not helpful: the search giant has built its reputation on making the internet more accessible and easier to navigate. But not all of its innovations are either clever or welcome. 

Take the latest change to Google Docs, which aims to highlight examples of non-inclusive language through pop-up warnings. 

You might think this is a good idea, helping to avoid “chairman” or “fireman” and other gendered language – and you'd be right. But Google has taken things a step further than it really needed to, leading to some pretty hilarious results.

Inclusive?

A viral tweet was the first warning sign that perhaps, just perhaps, this feature was a little overeager to correct common word usages. After all, is “landlord” really an example of of “words that may not be inclusive to all readers”? 

As Vice has ably demonstrated, Google's latest update to Docs – while undoubtedly well-intentioned – is annoying and broken, jumping in to suggest corrections to some things while blatantly ignoring others. 

See more

A good idea, poorly executed 

The idea behind the feature is well-meaning and will likely help in certain cases. The execution, on the other hand, is poor. 

Vice found that Docs suggested more inclusive language in a range of scenarios, such as for “annoyed” or “Motherboard”, but failed to suggest anything when a speech from neo-Nazi Klan leader David Duke was pasted in, containing the N-word. 

In fact, Valerie Solanas’ SCUM Manifesto – a legendary piece of literature – got more edits than Duke's speech, including suggesting “police officers” instead of “policemen”. 

READ MORE

>You can now join a video call straight from Google Docs

>Google Docs will now practically do your writing for you

>Hidden Google Docs feature will turn you into a productivity machine

All in all, it's the latest example of an AI-powered feature that seems like a good idea but in practice has more holes than a Swiss cheese. 

Helping people write in a more inclusive way is a lofty goal, but the implementation leaves a lot to be desired and, ultimately, makes the process of writing harder. 

Via Vice

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

Read More

You can now join a video call straight from Google Docs
  • No Comments

Joining a Meet video call is now easier than ever thanks to a new feature that will allow users to join directly from Google Docs, Sheets or Slides.

The Google Workspace update allows users to join a video conferencing call with just a click, meaning there's no need to scrabble around for a calendar invite or email.

Going forward, Google Docs users will see a new icon next to the “Share” button, allowing them to join a Meet video call directly from their document.

Google Docs video calls

The new taskbar will house a full list of all the video calls and meetings a users has scheduled, including dates and times, with the join button showing once a meeting is live.

As mentioned, it will be present not just in Google Docs, but also Sheets and Slides, giving users multiple ways to join.

Google Docs join a Meet call

(Image credit: Google Workspace)

Google says this new approach will also allow users to have the content they are working on open and within sight whilst on a call, rather than needing to juggle multiple apps or browser windows.

The tool was first announced last month, but is now rolling out to all Google Workspace customers, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business users now. It will be on by default, with users starting to see the changes immediately.

Read more

> Google Docs will now practically write your documents for you

> Google Docs update makes formatting on mobile easier at last

> Hidden Google Docs feature will turn you into a productivity machine

“To help teams do their best work in the hybrid work world, as many of us begin a return to office, we continue to make enhancements to Google Meet to help ensure that video meetings are inclusive and collaborative no matter the location or device preference,” the entry in the Google Workspace update blog states.

 “We hope this feature makes it easier for everyone in the meeting to collaborate in real-time while having a conversation—all from the same tab.”

Google Meet is also set to soon receive a new picture-in-picture mode, which will allow Chrome users to bring up a floating meeting window that sits on top of other browser tabs.

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

Read More

New Google Docs feature lets you provide feedback in an entirely different way
  • No Comments

Collaborating with others in Google Docs is about to look a whole lot different especially when it comes to giving and receiving feedback.

While Google’s office software already allows users to highlight sentences and paragraphs to leave comments, the search giant will soon be rolling out reactions to provide a less formal alternative to comments.

According to a new post in the Google Workspace blog, Google is adding emoji reactions to Docs. In practice, this new feature will look and feel similar to how users can react to messages in a group chat, for better or worse.

Emoji reactions

Whether you like it or not, this feature will be on by default and can not be disabled by users according to Google.

To access reactions in Docs, users simply need to select a sentence or even a paragraph they want to react to and they’ll be able to add an emoji reaction from the pop-up menu on the right side of the screen just like adding comments to a document.

If you’re a fan of emojis and use them frequently, you’ll be happy to know that any preferences set in Google Docs will also be shared with Google Chat. These include emoji skin tone and gender preferences and Google has also added gender-neutral options for gender-modifiable emojis.

Read more

> Google Docs will now practically write your documents for you

> Google Docs update makes formatting on mobile easier at last

> Hidden Google Docs feature will turn you into a productivity machine

Emoji reactions are rolling out now to Rapid Release domains and will roll out to Scheduled Release domains beginning on April 20. All Google Workspace users as well as users with personal Google Accounts will be able to use this feature once it goes live.

While emoji reactions could potentially make using Google’s online collaboration tools more fun, the ability to disable the feature altogether would be a nice touch for more serious organizations and users.

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

Read More

Google Docs will now practically do your writing for you
  • No Comments

Google is rolling out an upgrade for Docs that could help users improve the quality of their writing.

As explained in its latest blog post, the company is adding a number of new “assistive writing features” to the word processing software, including synonym and sentence structure suggestions.

The service will also flag up any “inappropriate” language, as well as instances in which the writer would be better served by using the active rather than passive voice.

Google Docs update

In the form of the Smart Compose feature, which offers autocomplete suggestions as the user types, Google Docs has long been equipped with a measure of intelligence.

However, the company has recently ramped up efforts to introduce artificial intelligence-powered functionality to its Workspace suite, with the goal of boosting user productivity and the quality of work.

In addition to this latest update, Google recently announced that Docs is now capable of summarizing the most salient information in any document, eliminating the need to wade through lengthy reports.

Separately, an update for Google Drive allows the cloud storage service to intuit which documents a user may want to work on at which time of day, cutting the time spent hunting for specific files.

The arrival of further recommendation features for Docs is another step in the campaign to make the company’s product suite more intelligent.

Read more

> Google Drive update delivers a simple but effective productivity hack

> Google Workspace update dials up the fight for hybrid working supremacy

> Google Calendar update will stop meetings clogging up your day

“Suggestions will appear as you type and help guide you when there are opportunities to avoid repeated or unnecessary words, helping diversify your writing and ensuring you’re using the most effective word for the situation,” Google explained.

“We hope this will help elevate your writing style and make more dynamic, clear, inclusive, and concise documents.”

When the tools are active, suggestions will be underlined in purple. Selecting the underline will bring up a small pop up that prompts the user to accept or decline the change.

These suggestions will be switched on by default, but can be deactivated under the Tools menu at the top of the page.

The new Google Docs features are currently in the process of rolling out and should take effect for all premium business customers by the end of the month. The updates will not be available to Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, nor Enterprise Essentials customers.

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

Read More

Google Docs can now help write your Gmail messages for you
  • No Comments

Google has added a new feature to its word processing software, Docs, that it hopes will make collaborating on important business emails easier than ever.

The office software will now offer a new email template that allows users to draft messages in Google Docs but also see how they would be portrayed as a Gmail email before sending.

Typing @email in the web version of Google Docs will now launch the new template, complete with subject lines, sender and cc fields, and body text box.

Google Docs and Gmail

Once launched, you can tag other Google Workspace users through their email addresses or user names, giving them the chance to review your work and collaborate on the message.

When finished, just click on the email button next to your draft message to see the text transformed into a Gmail compose window, where all the fields will be automatically populated based on your draft text.

Google Docs and Gmail email draft

(Image credit: Google)

The company said in its blog post that the feature has already begun rolling out to Google Docs web users, with the process due to be completed over the next few weeks.

The integration will be enabled by default, and is available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers.

Read more

> This Google Calendar update gives your co-workers nowhere to hide

> Google Sheets are about to become even more chaotic and unwieldy

> There's an all-new free version of Google Workspace for work

The feature looks to be part of Google's ongoing campaign to make online collaboration a smoother experience as more and more employees embrace hybrid working.

The company revealed its smart canvas initiative in 2021, helping tie together its range of workplace apps such as Gmail, Docs, Sheets and Slides.

Since then, it has also introduced automatically generated summaries in Google Docs, which provide a brief overview of the main points in a document. 

Google has also launched “smart chips“, where users can use @-mentions to tag for peoples, files and meetings, along with inserting additional items such as images, tables and templates.

This was expanded recently after the company launched additional smart chips or clickable objects that pull relevant information directly into the collaboration canvas. For instance, the new maps smart chip allows you to easily preview a Google Maps link directly in Docs.

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

Read More