(Cross posted from The Keyword) 

Posted by Vishnu Sivaji, Product Manager, G Suite

Presentations are a staple in business communication. When done right, they help tell a story that can captivate, persuade, or inspire audiences. But crafting that story can be tedious, especially if you’re constantly flipping between screens to copy and paste charts, images, or figures into your slides.

If only there was an API for that….

Today, we’re announcing the general availability of the Google Slides API which gives developers programmatic access to create and update presentations in Slides from any data source. We previewed the Slides API at I/O earlier this year to change how business presentations are built. Now, your teams can use a number of ready-to-go integrations to turn your business data into presentations, with just a click.

Build beautiful, up-to-date presentations in seconds using Conga, Trello, Lucidchart and Zapier
Whether you’re looking to populate a quarterly business review (QBR) deck, add specs for weekly design review slides, or refresh event registration data for your daily update, the third-party apps below let you quickly and easily build beautiful, data-rich presentations.

• Generate your next QBR deck with Conga: Conga makes document creation and reporting for Salesforce easy. With its Slides API integration you can create a quarterly business review presentation in Slides from your standard Salesforce Account records in seconds. Read more here.

• Create vivid project updates with Trello: Trello helps you organize and prioritize project information in highly visual ways. With its Slide API integration, you can turn any Trello board or set of cards into a Slides presentation with just a click. Read more here.

• Review complex visualizations with Lucidchart: Lucidchart helps you create complex diagrams and visuals easily. With its Slides API integration you can export flowcharts, mockups, and other such visuals, break them into slides to cover specifics in more detail, and rapidly iterate on the content. You can find Lucidchart on the G Suite Marketplace and read more about the integration here.
  
• Create and respond to custom proposals requests with Zapier: Zapier lets you create and automate business workflows. With its Slides API integration you can create, collaborate, and share dynamic presentations using Slides with just a few workflow rules. You can get started with the Slides integration on Zapier or learn more about it here. 

All of these app integrations are available to try today — and this is just the beginning. We’re working with many other software vendors, including ProsperWorks, AODocs and Form Publisher to help you do more in less time in all sorts of ways.

Developers can start using the Slides API today. Documentation and demos are available at developers.google.com/slides and they can read more about it here.


Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

Earlier this year, we began previewing a completely revamped Google Sites with a select group of early adopters. Starting today, we’re making the new version of Sites generally available to G Suite customers. In addition to the intuitive technology, integration with G Suite apps, and attractive design that our early adopters have come to know and love, the new Sites now includes the ability to track performance with Google Analytics, six new themes, and other helpful features. Read on for more information regarding this launch, and check out the Help Center and Learning Center to learn more about the new Sites.
The classic version of Sites will continue to exist
The previously existing, classic version of Sites will continue to exist in parallel with the new Sites as we add capabilities that are similar to those found in the classic Sites. The classic Sites and the sites created with it will continue to follow the Sites-specific settings in the Google Admin console at Apps > G Suite > Sites.

Please note:

• In 2017, we’ll provide and recommend options to migrate your sites from the classic Sites to the new Sites.
• Beginning in 2018, we’ll send a timeline and instructions regarding the gradual process to shut down the classic Sites. The specific date for the shutdown of the classic Sites has yet to be set, but we’ll inform you at least one year in advance of that shutdown.

Turn the new Sites on or off for your organization
The new Sites is ON by default, but your users will not be able to create or edit sites in the new Sites unless you have both Google Drive and the classic Sites turned on as well.

To turn OFF the new Sites in your organization, you can do any one of the following:

• In the Admin console, go to Apps > G Suite > Sites > New Sites and select Users at [my domain] cannot create and edit sites.
• Turn off Sites entirely.
• Turn off Drive entirely.

The new Sites respects Drive sharing settings
The new Sites respects the Drive sharing settings in the Admin console (located at Apps > G Suite > Drive). It does not abide by the classic Sites sharing settings (located at Apps > G Suite > Sites). If you allow users to publish Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides files on the web, they’ll also be able to publish sites created in the new Sites on the web.

Check out the new Sites today, and get started creating useful, beautiful sites that work across screens to deliver your content in the most effective way possible.


Launch Details
Release track:

• Admin console settings
• Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release
• End user features
• Launching to Rapid release, with Scheduled release coming on November 21st, 2016

Editions:
Available to all G Suite editions except G Suite for Government

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
All end users

Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI


More Information
Help Center: The new Google Sites
Help Center: Use the new Google Sites
Learning Center: Sites

Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

(Cross posted from the Gmail blog) 

Posted by Matthew Izatt, Product Manager

Today we're making some changes to the Gmail and Google Calendar apps on iOS.

The new Gmail app for iOS

When you get the next Gmail iOS app update, you'll notice some exciting changes: The biggest overhaul of the app in nearly four years. It's the Gmail you know and love, with a fresh new look, sleeker transitions and some highly-requested features. It's a lot faster, too.

With the new app, getting things done on the go is a lot easier — whether you're trying to find a message your colleague sent you last month, or trying to get through your work inbox on a Monday morning.
Starting today, you'll be able to:

• Undo Send, just like you do on the desktop, to prevent embarrassing email mistakes
• Search faster with instant results and spelling suggestions (like when you type "flighht," but you really meant "flight")
• Swipe to archive or delete, to quickly clear items out of your inbox

Google Calendar: Updated for you

Check out the latest "What's New in G Suite" newsletter [pdf] for a roundup of all G Suite launches from October 2016.

Newsletter Archive & Translated Versions (coming soon for October issue)


Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

You can now transfer data from one user to another in the Google Admin Android app, much like you can in the web-based Admin console. The process can be initiated from the User List page or the User Details page and can be done as a standalone action, before suspending a user, or before deleting a user. Just like on the web, you can transfer Google Drive files and Google+ pages. For more detailed instructions, please visit the Help Center.



Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Editions:
Available to all G Suite editions

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
Admins only

Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Manage user accounts from an Android device


Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

In October 2015, we introduced the ability to manage company-owned devices running Android 6.0 (Marshmallow). That launch included several new settings, including device lockdowns, account management, sharing freedom, application management, and factory reset protection. Today, we’re going even further to make it easy to manage your company-owned Android devices.

First, you can now bulk enroll your Android inventory and deploy it to remote offices with your chosen settings enforced. Moreover, during the bulk import process, you can now associate your company-owned devices with a new attribute called an asset tag to better integrate with internal tracking and billing tools.


Second, the mobile inventory page in the Admin console (Device management > Mobile devices) now features improved filtering around device ownership and device actions, like blocking and wiping.


Finally, all admin activities around the management of company-owned devices—like bulk import and device actions—are now logged in the Admin Audit section of the Admin console (Reports > Audit > Admin), while all end user activities on company-owned devices—like OS updates, setting changes, and app installs and removals—are now tracked in Mobile Audit (Reports > Audit > Mobile Devices). Most importantly, you can now choose to receive a monthly report to help you monitor company-owned devices that have been inactive in the last 30 days.


Support for company-owned devices is provided to G Suite Business customers only. For more information, check out the Help Center.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Editions:
Available to G Suite Business customers only

Rollout pace:
Gradual rollout (potentially longer than 3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
Admins only

Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Set up mobile management for company-owned devices


Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

Today, we’re announcing that on January 1, 2017 we will discontinue support for the Google Drive desktop app on Windows XP and Vista since these platforms are no longer actively supported by Microsoft. The Google Drive desktop app (officially: "Google Drive for Mac/PC") will continue to function on these platforms, but will not be actively tested and maintained. If you are still on one of these unsupported platforms, we encourage you to move to a newer version of Windows to continue using Google Drive desktop app.

Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release on January 1, 2017


Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

(Cross-posted from The Keyword)

Posted by TJ Varghese, Product Manager, Jamboard

Bringing the right team together for a meeting or brainstorm can take an idea from being good to great. When we tap into ideas from teams across the globe, our work becomes more collaborative and productive. It doesn’t feel like...well, work. At Google, we’ve set out to redefine meetings. So today, we’re introducing Jamboard — a collaborative, digital whiteboard that makes it easy for your team to share ideas in real-time and create without boundaries. We’re moving the whiteboard to the cloud.


Your team’s collaborative, cloud-first whiteboard
Jamboard raises the bar on collaborative creativity, bringing the same real-time collaboration found in G Suite, combined with the best of the web, to your team’s brainstorms and meetings. You can work with teammates from across the world on other Jamboards or remotely use the smartphone or tablet companion app.

Jamboard makes it easy to enrich your brainstorm with the power of Google Search and your team’s work in G Suite. Grab images and content from the web and bring them straight into your “jam.” Pull in work from Docs, Sheets and Slides, or add photos stored in Drive. To capture your ideas clearly, Jamboard is packed with tools like sticky notes and stencils as well as intelligent features like handwriting and shape recognition.
It’s a hassle when you use a whiteboard, reach the end of your meeting and have to quickly scramble to snap a picture of your work. How many times have you scribbled “do not erase” above your idea? Jamboard lets you take your work with you. When you “jam” with your colleagues, it lives in the cloud in Google Drive, so you can easily share what you’ve created or come back to iterate at anytime. Your brainstorm doesn’t have to end when the meeting does.
Designed for precision and ease
Jamboard is intelligently designed to speed up collaboration among your teams with a 55-inch 4k display that features a best-in-class touch response time. Combine this with a built-in HD camera, speakers and Wi-Fi, and you’re set up to collaborate and broadcast your work globally with Hangouts.
Jamboard’s touchscreen was built for precision drawing. It automatically recognizes the difference between using the stylus to sketch or the eraser to start over, and neither require batteries or pairing. Jamboard can also sense when you’re using your finger to wipe work off of the screen, just like a classic whiteboard (except you won’t get ink on your hand). The intuitive, single-cable setup makes it easy to start creating quickly with Jamboard — just wheel it in, turn it on and start brainstorming.

Time to jam 
We want to help teams get back to the heart of what they love to do: create new ideas. That’s why we’ve worked closely with G Suite customers like Instrument, Netflix, and Spotify to refine the blend of hardware and software that drives Jamboard. We're also partnering with BenQ to tap into its network of channels and resellers to help bring Jamboard to market.

While touch displays have traditionally been expensive, at under $6,000 USD, Jamboard is a competitively-priced way to transform your team’s meetings and will be available for purchase in 2017. As we “jam” on the final product details, we're ready to partner with a broader set of G Suite customers to perfect Jamboard through an Early Adopter Program. If you're interested, submit the form on the Jamboard website to receive more information about eligibility.


Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

You have long been able to add, edit, and view various details about a user in the Admin console, from basic information like name and email address to workplace-focused data like job title, manager, and department. Using the Admin SDK or Google Cloud Directory Sync tool, you could also add custom user attributes to that pre-defined list. Starting today, you can create and view these custom user attributes directly from the Admin console interface; there’s no need to employ the Admin SDK or GCDS.

For example, you can track the projects an employee is working on or store their hire date—whatever meets your organization’s needs. Moreover, you can determine what type of data should populate each field (e.g. text, numbers, dates, email addresses, etc.) and who can see that data—admins and the individual user only, or all users in your organization. You can then edit and view these details on the User Details page in the Admin console.


For more information on how to add and manage custom user attributes, check out the Help Center.

Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Editions:
Available to all G Suite editions

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
Admins only

Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Manage custom user attributes

Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
Get these product update alerts by email
Subscribe to the RSS feed of these updates

Whether you are in healthcare, financial services, or another regulated industry, G Suite is dedicated to giving administrators more control over their mail. For customers who need to store unencrypted copies of messages for regulatory purposes, a new attachment compliance filter for Gmail is being released that will allow you to specify rules for how to handle password protected office files.


Once launched, you will have a new option in the attachment compliance filters which detects whether an attached office file, such as a Microsoft Office or LibreOffice document, is password protected, and therefore encrypted. From there, you can define what action to take on the message. For example, you can reject messages, detect particular attachment types or names, re-route the message, add a header, or prepend a string to the subject. You can also modify a message by stripping its attachments and adding an advisory notice to the message. The compliance filter is only triggered by whether the attachment is password-protected or not.


Many G Suite customers have already deployed Advanced Gmail filters from the Admin console in order to meet their specific IT security requirements. To learn more, visit our Help Center article on how to Set up filters for attachment compliance.


Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid release and Scheduled release

Editions:
Available to all G Suite editions

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1-3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
Admins only

Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI


More Information
Help Center