You've moved to Google Apps for Business (or maybe Education) for all the benefits that the global cloud service provides: collaboration, accessibility, availability and to reduce the cost and complexity of your in-house IT infrastructure. Many of your users will prefer to switch to using Gmail on the web, because they're already used to using it for home/school/past job. But what about the die-hard Outlook users?

Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook ("GASMO") is a small plugin that connects and syncs Outlook with your Google mail/contacts/calendar/tasks, and requires minimal configuration (email address and password). Its only downside is that it creates a divide in your organisation between those that do and don't. Should you encourage or even allow your users to stay with Outlook? Here are the pros and cons of using GASMO versus embracing the Google's services on the cloud:

Stay with Outlook

• Familiar user interface - minimises re-training and short-term support
• Compatible with existing plugins and apps that integrate with Outlook

Embrace Gmail

• Reduce your software footprint/dependency/costs
• Lower bandwidth (attachments stay on the web until you need them)
• Same mail application from anywhere and any device
• Your browser is your operating system (or smartphone/tablet)
• Use powerful Gmail-only features:
  • Priority Inbox
  • Chat
  • Voice
  • Filters
  • Drive integration
  • Integrate with other cloud apps like Capsule CRM, Rapportive

Google is rolling out a significant change to the Google Apps control panel. The change, which will provide IT administrators with an improved interface for managing their Google Apps domains, will be rolling out to accounts throughout May and June. We've already had a look at the new console at gAppsTips and we like it. The interface is cleaner, easier to navigate and much more intuitive. We'll have a more comprehensive review of it in the coming weeks.

For now, Google Apps administrators should take a look at the video and help pages provided by Google and prepare for change!

Users will see thumbnails of other viewers, with profile pictures if they have a Google+ profile or colours if not. Clicking on the chat icon will open up a similar chat window to that used in Gmail, all viewers will be involved in a group chat, making it much easier to collaborate.

We like the change, which feels more natural, so look out for it from May 7th. The feature will be coming to Sheets soon. 

Have you ever needed to copy a folder structure and all files within it in Google Drive? Now you can using this Google Apps Script - Copy Folder From Template.

This utility copies Google Drive folders including subfolders and files. Simply add the folder ID into the script and choose a new folder name. The apps script will copy the folder and all sub folders and files into the parent folder in Google Drive - each folder and file will be an exact copy. The original individual sharing settings will be removed and the universal sharing will be inherited from the copied folder - so if your folder was private, your copied folder will be too. The app does everything for you and is really useful for project folders, where new projects need to start off with a defined structure.

To get started click on the link below to access this Apps Script from Refractiv.

Copy Folder from Template Apps Script.

We love the new Gmail compose. Here’s a few reasons why.

Multitask with ease

With the new compose experience your email opens in a window right on top of your inbox. You can open as many windows as you need while viewing relevant information from other messages. The top bar of the compose window allows you to maximise the window - to full screen if you wish - or minimise it and keep draft emails open for as long as you need. All in all, it’s a multitaskers dream!

Easier to add recipients

The new compose improves the way you add recipients, start typing and the auto complete kicks in, selecting that person creates a recipient box that can be dragged and dropped between the To, Cc or Bcc fields.

Cleaner compose experience

Be honest, how many emails do you write that actually need some form of formatting? Not many, right? The new compose hides unnecessary formatting options. You can get to them when needed by clicking on the A icon. You ‘ll find all the usual formatting options, including indent and quote options - which are now under the Align dropdown.

Integrated with Google Drive

The new compose is also tightly integrated with Google Drive. Click on the attachments paperclip icon and select the Drive icon to open up an insert window. Simply choose the file you want to insert and a link is automatically added to your email. Gmail will even warn you if you are sending a link to someone who can’t view the file.

Replies are handled too

Using the new compose, when you click Reply you’ll see the cleaner compose experience here as well. And clicking on the Reply icon (top left) offers options including changing the email subject and editing in a pop out window.

All your old favourites

The new compose has everything you need from the old one - there really is no need to look back. In the More options (down arrow icon, bottom right of the window) you’ll find Read receipts, Canned responses (if both are enabled), Print, Spell check and even an option to temporarily switch back to the old compose if you really need to.

New keyboard shortcuts

The new compose brings with it some new shortcuts - check out our updated Gmail keyboard shortcuts tip for the full list - such as:

• Ctrl + Enter - Send your message

• Ctrl + k - Insert link

• Ctrl + b - Bold

• Ctrl + Shift + 7 - Bulleted list

• Ctrl + Shift + 8 - Numbered list

Change is good, but can take some getting used to, the new compose is well worth your time and effort. Let us know your thoughts in the Comments section below.

Have you ever wished you hadn't just closed that Google Chrome browser tab. Get it back by right-clicking in the tab bar and selecting Reopen closed tab from the menu or by clicking Ctrl+Shift+T.

You can also find a list of recently closed tabs on the "new tab" screen in Google Chrome. Click on Recently closed to the right of the bottom bar to open a list of your most recent tabs.

Finally, if you always want to start where you left off last time when opening Chrome, go to Settings by clicking on the far right icon (3 horizontal lines) and choose Settings from the menu. In the Start Up section choose Continue where I left off then close the tab. Next time you open Chrome you will get the open tabs from your last browsing session.

Do you like these tips, do you have any more to share? Let us know in the comments.

Currently available for the Rapid Release Track, coming soon for the Standard Track.

The new Preview mode will automatically open when a user clicks on an image file, video or PDF from a folder list, users are then able to scroll through the folder contents seeing files like a slideshow by clicking on the arrows on either side to flip to other files. Alternatively, clicking View All will open up a thumbnail view of all files with the folder. To see a preview of a Google document, right-click on the file name and select Preview.

Users can select and copy text from the new preview mode, even for a PDF or Microsoft Word document, or use the zoom buttons to see a file in more detail. Multiple page files can be read in preview. Each file preview also gives users one-click access to share, download, print or open a file for editing.

Google have launched a support website offering "a complete collection of documentation, training, and self-help resources available at one convenient location".

The new site is full of helpful information tailored specifically for using Google Apps in the workplace. Whether you are looking for guides on switching from your old email program to Gmail, calendar tips for administrative assistants, or steps for setting up mobile access or a shared inbox, you'll find the information you need for a smooth transition to Google Apps.

There's also a handy What's new? section where you will find a schedule of new Google Apps feature and product launches

Check out the new site now at support.googleapps.com.

If you have a work phone connected to your Google Apps for Business account, using the standard Microsoft Exchange account sync, your primary calendar is the only calendar that will be synced to your iPhone or iPad. If you want to see any colleagues calendars that are shared with you, you can add them using the following CalDAV setup.

1. Go to Settings on your iPhone and choose Mail, Contacts, Calendars. Select Add Account and choose Gmail from the menu.
2. Fill in the required details for your Google Apps account and add a useful description eg "Your Company Calendars" - click Next.
3. Choose just to sync Calendar* from the list and save the account.
4. Once added your main calendar should appear under your iPhone or iPad Calendar app, if you click on the Calendars button in the top left you will see a list of your subscribed calendars - if you chose a good description in the second step above, you 'll be able to see exactly which calendar you have just set up. In all likelihood there will still only be your primary calendar listed.
5. To sync your shared calendars, head to this link on your PC, whilst logged in to your Google Apps account: https://www.google.com/calendar/iphoneselect and select which calendars to sync - click Save. You can also visit this link from your iPhone to manage your calendar sync.
6. Now refresh your iPhone Calendar list and your shared calendars should appear under the new account you set up.

If you already have an account on your iPhone set up using the Gmail method - you can find this out by going to Mail, Contacts, Calendars on your iPhone and selecting your account, the details page will have Gmail at the top - you can add shared calendars simply by visiting the link in step 5.

Note: If you are using 2 step authentication you will need to create an application specific password to set up a new CalDAV account.

Please let us know what you think of this tip in the comments below.

*we are recommending just to sync calendar on the assumption you have mail already syncing, feel free to use this method to sync mail as well if you are not using the Exchange sync method.

The “Create” menu in Google Drive has a new look. Google has announced that the change "allows for easier access to Drive apps and third party apps".

Whilst the new look brings a nicer interface to creating a new document in Google Drive, it has also resulted in the removal of the From template option. This is a strange move from Google and will disappoint those that rely on easy access to templates. Templates can now be accessed by opening any Google document and choosing New from the File menu. An alternative, that we recommend at gAppsTips, is to bookmark the address of the templates area - drive.google.com/templates.

Perhaps Google have removed From template as part of a plan to revamp the way templates are handled in Google Drive. We're interested to hear your thoughts and feedback, let us know what you think in the comments.

To read more about Templates and how to work around this change, visit our Templates tip.

The delegates will be able to access your Gmail inbox without needing to know your password, can read and reply to any of your emails but cannot chat on your behalf or modify your settings.

Here’s how to set it up:

Click on the cog icon in the top right hand corner of your inbox and go to settings.
Select the Accounts tab and scroll down to the Grant access to your account section.

1. Click on the Add another account link and add the Google email address of the person you would like to access your Gmail account.
2. You will see a confirmation message. Click on Send email to grant access.
3. Your appointed delegate will receive a confirmation email and will also need to confirm.
4. Once confirmed the delegated email address will appear under Grant access to your account.

The delegate can now access your account by clicking on their email address in the top right of their navigation bar - your email address will appear under their profile (see image). By clicking on your email address your inbox will open in another Chrome window. Any emails they do send will still be under your name but with also the delegate’s (i.e. Your Name (Sent by Delegate).

1. Click on the cog icon in the top right hand corner of your inbox and go to settings.
2. Select the Accounts tab and scroll down to the 'Grant access to your account' section.
3. Click delete on the account you would like to remove.

To set up a new Google calendar and share it with colleagues, follow the steps below:

• In Google Calendar click on the down menu arrow next to My Calendars - in the left hand menu - and select Create new calendar.
• Fill in details for the new calendar and set sharing settings to Share this calendar with everyone in the organisation with the permission set to See all events.
• To allow managers to add events to the calendar, enter them in the Share with specific people section and choose the permission setting Make changes to events. You could also add an email group in this section to share the calendar with everyone in a Google Group.
• Click Create this calendar.
• The new calendar will be added to your calendars, find it and click on the down menu arrow, choose Calendar settings.
• In this screen there is a section Calendar Address; copy and paste the Calendar ID (in brackets, next to the blue HTML label) which begins yourdomain.com...
• Send this ID to all users in your organisation.
• Each user should then open their Google Calendar and paste the new calendar ID into the Add a colleagues calendar box - the new calendar will be added to their list of calendars.

Let us know what you think of this tip, or share other Calendar tips in the Comments below.

Whether you are new to Google Apps and Gmail, or a seasoned user, it's worth passing on some of our favourite keyboard shortcuts. Feel free to share your best keyboard shortcuts in the comments below.

Firstly, to turn keyboard shortcuts on, go to Mail Settings by clicking on the Cog and choosing Settings, then in the General tab find Keyboard Shortcuts and select Keyboard shortcuts on. Then try out some of our favourites below!

There are other keyboard shortcuts you may want to try, from your Gmail inbox click Shift-? to bring up the whole list.

Google Slides, the new name for Google Presentations, is now available offline. Chrome users will be able to create, edit comment and run presentations without an internet connection. As with Google Docs offline, any changes made will be automatically synced once an internet connection is detected.

This new offline feature makes Google Slides a complete solution for presenting, removing the need for an offline backup - in the shape of Microsoft Powerpoint - to guard against unreliable internet connections.

If you already have offline editing for Docs enabled, you don’t have to change anything to work with Slides offline. If not, you can turn it on for Slides (and Docs) through your Drive menu. Google also dropped a hint that Google spreadsheets offline is coming soon, watch this space.

Google Calendar is very good at showing events from any calendar you have access to, but if you have a lot of colleagues all sharing their calendar with you, your calendar view can get very busy. Instead of struggling with turning off calendars and switching them on again, use this tip to open a single calendar.

• Go to settings by hovering over your calendar name in the left menu and choosing Settings from the drop down. On the Calendar Details tab there is a HTML icon in the Embed this Calendar section, click on it to bring up the HTML link to your calendar. This link never changes so you can bookmark it and always have access to just your calendar. You can do the same for any calendar you have access to.

If you like this tip, why not use this new Google Apps script we have written to store a list of your calendars with hyperlinks. The script is called CalendarList and, as with all apps-scripts you will need to grant it permission to access your calendar. The script produces a list of all calendars you have added to your Google Calendar, with links to open each one separately. Open CalendarList apps-script.

Switch off all colleagues calendars

You can switch off colleagues calendars one by one by clicking on the coloured square next to their name, but it's a bit long winded if you need to switch them all off at the same time. Instead, hover over your calendar name in the left hand menu and click on the down arrow. Choose Display only this calendar. All other calendars will be switched off and you'll be able to see only your meetings. The main drawback using this method is how to switch the calendars back on, we wish Google has a similar Display all calendars or allowed you to set favourites, but this feature is not currently available. Instead, consider this workaround:

• Go into calendar settings - you must do this via the Cog > Settings - and choose Calendars. This shows you a list of all your colleagues calendars and you can click on all under Show in list to instantly switch them all back on, or tick the ones you want to switch on again.

Let us know how you get on, and which solution works for you, via the comments.

Google Documents

1,024,000 characters, regardless of the number of pages or font size. Uploaded document files that are converted to the Google documents format can’t be larger than 2 MB.

Google Spreadsheets

400,000 cells, with a maximum of 256 columns per sheet. Uploaded spreadsheet files that are converted to the Google spreadsheets format can’t be larger than 20 MB, and need to be under 400,000 cells and 256 columns per sheet.

Check out our detailed spreadsheet size limits tip

Google Presentations

Presentations created in Google Slides can be up to 50 MB — which is about 200 slides. Uploaded presentation files that are converted into the Google presentations format can also be up to 50 MB.

Non-Google files

Files that you upload but don’t convert to a Google format can be up to 10 GB each which is larger than the free storage space given to each Google Drive user. Every user is given 5 GB of free storage space for files, and can purchase additional Google Drive storage to upload larger files. 

There has been a noticeable improvement in results when converting Microsoft Office documents over the past few months, and now we know why. The latest Google Enterprise Blog has confirmed that the acquisition of Quickoffice, a world leader in office productivity,  is the reason for the improvement

Jonathan Rochelle, Director of Product Management, Google Drive said: "Since the Quickoffice team joined Google a few months ago, we've been working to make it easier for you to work with your legacy Microsoft Office files - both by converting them to Google documents and by editing them directly in Quickoffice.

"You’ve always had the option to convert documents from popular formats into Google Docs, where you can share and work together in real-time. In the past few months, we’ve incorporated Quickoffice conversion technology into this process so your Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint files look even better when you convert them to Google Docs, Sheets and Slides, respectively."

Editing Microsoft Office documents on iPad

Google have also announced a new iPad app, exclusively for Google Apps for Business customers, allowing users to easily open and edit any Office files stored in Google Drive right from an iPad. We've been using the new app for the past few days and have to say it is very good. Document editing is impressive and, just like Google Drive for Windows/Mac, revisions are automatically managed.

Converting documents to Google format is the easiest way to work in Google Apps, but It's not always convenient, so this new iPad app is an essential download - and Google have promised an iPhone and Android app is on the way.

Sometimes there is no need for a reply to have the original email included, it may be that you are responding to a particular point, or need to to draw attention to a specific paragraph. Using Gmail you can now quote text you have highlighted.

Simply select the text you wish to include in your reply by left clicking and dragging your mouse then choose reply or reply to all as normal. Your response will only include the chosen text and not the whole email. If the email you are replying to was part of a conversation, it will remain in the conversation, but that email won't have the whole email string quoted - a useful feature.

When you switch to Google Apps you should embrace and use Gmail. It's better than Outlook and Mac Mail in our opinion and will improve your productivity. However, sometimes you just need the familiar feel of your native mail client and this tip details how to synchronise your mail.

Using Google Mail with Microsoft Outlook for Windows

In order to use Microsoft Outlook with your new Google Apps account, each user will need to download and install Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook (GASMO).

Download from here (please note the requirements): https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gappssync

Steps to setup a new profile in Outlook

• Close Microsoft Outlook
• Download and install Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook from the link above.
• When asked, insert your Google Apps email address and password.
• When asked if you want to import anything – you don’t – leave the checkboxes alone.
• A new, empty Outlook profile will be created and your email will be synchronised for the first time.
• When you start Outlook in future your new profile will be the default (you’ll still be able to choose your old profile to access old mail if necessary).
• In your icon tray, look for a small Google Sync icon, right click on it and select Set mailbox size - click the radio button to select the size of sync (ie the amount of mail that is synchronised from your Google mailbox) 1GB (fastest); 2GB; 4GB or Unlimited (slowest).

Using Google Mail with Microsoft Outlook for Mac

Instructions for Outlook 2011 on OS X

• From the menu bar, click Outlook and go to Preferences.
• Click the Accounts button.
• Click the + button, and select E-mail...
• Enter the details for your account as follows:
  • Email/Username: Your Google Apps email address
  • Password: Your Google Apps password
  • Type: IMAP
  • IMAP Server: imap.gmail.com
  • SSL Enabled, Port 993
  • SMTP Server: smtp.gmail.com
  • SSL Enabled, Port 587
  • Ensure the Override default port and Use SSL to connect boxes are checked.
• Click Add Account.
• Select your newly added account from the list. In the right pane, select More Options... under the SMTP settings.
• Set the authentication option to Use Incoming Server Info. Click OK.
• Close the preference pane to begin using your email.

Using Google Mail with Mac Mail

Instructions for OS X 10.5 - 10.7

• Go to System Preferences
• Open Mail, Contacts & Calendars
• Click the + to add a new account
• Select Gmail as the account type
• Enter your details, click Set Up
• Select the items you would like to sync
• Open Mac Mail to begin using your email

Instructions for OS X 10.8

• Go to System Preferences
• Open Mail, Contacts & Calendars
• Select Gmail from the accounts list
• Enter your Google Apps login details
• Select the items you wish to synchronise
• To sync contacts, open the Contacts app.
• Go to the Contacts > Preferences menu.
• Switch to the Accounts tab
• Click + to add a new account, and select CardDAV as the account type

To find a file or folder in Google Drive it's simple and effective to use the search box and type the name of part or all of your document, but sometimes you need a more advanced search to locate that document faster.

Narrowing your search and/or typing in boolean search operators can help you more efficiently find your files, folders, and Google documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. There are 3 methods to consider when searching for a file, folder or Google document:

• To narrow your search results click on the down arrow to the right of the search box to open a dropdown that will allow you to narrow your search by Type, Visibility and Ownership.
• To search by an individual owner you can now start typing their email address or name and select them from the list of people that appears at the bottom of the search box.
• To include search operators and build a more advanced search, take a look at the table below.

Common search operators:

To find out how many items there are in a folder in your Google Drive account, select the folder and click on the More button - or right click the folder - then choose Download. The Download pop-up box will appear and Google Drive will count the number of files in the folder - as a bonus it will even break down the items by type. Then simply cancel the download.

Count the number of files in a list

If you want to count the number of files in a list, there is also a way - but use it carefully. Select all the files in the list by using the top tick box then carefully start to move the files (it may be a good idea to keep ctrl pressed in case you accidentally drag the files to another folder) - don't move them anywhere, just enough to see the tool tip display that tells you how many files you are "moving" or "adding".

It can be frustrating that Google Drive doesn't show a count of documents in a folder or list, especially since they can obviously do it, but hopefully these workarounds will be a solution until the feature is introduced. Let us know how you get on with them tip in the Comments section below.

Google have announced a welcome increase to the number of people allowed in a Hangout. You can now invite up to 15 people into a Hangout, an increase from the current limit of 10. So, if you haven't yet tried a Hangout from your Google Apps, Gmail or Google+ account, now is a great time to try one out.

Google Hangouts let you hold face-to-face meetings with others from any device with a camera and an internet connection. To hold a Hangout either start one directly from your Gmail account, schedule a meeting and include a Hangout or open your Google+ account and start one from there.

The increase will be rolling out to Apps for Business, Education and Government customers over the next few days.

Labels are a really useful feature in Gmail, allowing you to label emails for a particular department or project and adding them to a folder-like menu structure on the left of your screen. With this tip you can also quickly add a label as an email section, so that emails with the label appear within your Priority Inbox. You can only do this once, there is a maximum of 4 Prioirity Inbox sections.

To add a label as a Priority Inbox section:

• Click on the down arrow next to the 1 of X email count in the top right of your Important and unread section
• Choose Add new section - a section labelled New section will appear in your Priority Inbox
• Click on the down arrow to the far right of this New section
• Choose More options...
• Select the label you want to use for this new section - the name of the section will change and email with the appropriate label will now appear in the new section
• Note, since this is Priority Inbox, any important email won't appear in the label section as it will already be in the Important and unread section.

You could use a section like this to temporarily track email from a particular client or project, a filter could label the email coming in and make sure it isn't set to important - then any email received would show within a particular section.

Check out the screenshots above for our step by step guide. Let us know what you think about this tip, and share your uses for it in the comments below.

With your Google Apps account, you can sign in to Picasa and start to store images - as long as you are logged in to Google Apps - and your administrator has enabled Picasa - you won't need to set up a new Picasa account. If one of the images you store is your company logo, you can use the steps below to add that logo to your signature.

• Log in to your Google Apps account
• Go to picasaweb.google.com
• Click on Upload and add your company logo (if it is not already uploaded) - ignore the album name for now, we'll do that later
• Click on the Home tab and you will see your new album - click on it
• To the right of the screen you will see a thumbnail of the logo with Only you next to it. Click on edit.
• Under Album information, edit the album name etc and set the visibility to Limited, anyone with the link - save your changes
• Right click on the uploaded logo and select Copy image URL (or Image Location in Firefox) - this will be needed to add the logo to Gmail
• Now, open Gmail and go to your Mail Settings. Scroll down to the signature box and click on the add image icon
• Paste in the image URL you just copied and your company logo should appear in the box next to Web address URL, click OK
• You should now see your logo in your signature
• Scroll down to the bottom and save your settings
• Send yourself or a colleague an email to test it has worked!

Let us know in the comments if you any questions about adding a signature to Gmail - via Picasa or another method. Don't forget, you can also use the Canned Responses lab to embed an image into your signature - and that way you don't need to host your logo on a web server.

There are two ways to use Google Drive to manage non-native files such as Microsoft Office, PDF, images and other files:

• download Drive to your PC or Mac, set up a sync and work in a Windows Explorer window
• open Drive on the web at drive.google.com

Using the first method actually makes the process easier, as the Google Drive sync takes care of managing revisions very well. For example, if you have an Excel spreadsheet synced to Google Drive on your PC, when you open the file Microsoft Excel will open as you would expect. Once finished with the file, save the spreadsheet as normal and Google Drive sync will re-sync with the version in the cloud. This process adds a new revision to Google Drive, meaning you can use the Manage Revisions feature to track changes made by you and colleagues.

If you have not downloaded Drive on your PC or Mac then the process has a few more steps. Since your document is in the cloud, you will need to download it in order to edit. Once you have edited your document you will need to put it back in the cloud. You could simply upload the document but, in order to have version control, you should use the Manage Revisions feature as outlined below.

Upload a new version of your Microsoft Office file:

• Select the file in Google Drive on the web by ticking the box to the left of it
• Expand the More dropdown menu and select Manage revisions
• Alternatively, right click on the file and choose Manage revisions from the menu
• In the Manage revisions box you can choose to Upload new revision, see who has uploaded previous revisions, download any revision or delete old versions of the file.

Of course, having multiple versions of a Microsoft Office file (or a jpg, pdf or any non-native file) does eat into your Google Drive storage space - so you either need to set auto delete (uncheck the do not auto delete column) and let Google automatically delete revisions after 30 days or if there are more than 100 revisions; or manually delete revisions yourself. It's complex, but this is why we recommend ditching MS Office and switching to Google Docs!

Let us know in the comments if you any questions about managing Microsoft Office files.

Finding the right words can be difficult, especially across languages, and once you choose them, finding a way to type them can be even harder. Try emailing family in Germany, chatting with friends in China or adding a Russian business partner's name to your contacts and you may find yourself limited by the language of your keyboard.

Gmail already has an inbuilt translation tool, and now Google have added more than 100 virtual keyboards, transliteration and IMEs - collectively called input tools - in Gmail. These tools enable users to type in the language and keyboard layout for a selected language, and switch between languages with one click.

To try it out, go to mail settings and, under Language, click on Show all language options and check the box next to Enable input tools, this will bring up a settings box (see image) where you can select a set of languages you commonly use.

Once you have saved your settings, you’ll see the Input Tools icon (a keyboard) next to the Settings (cog) button, and you can turn on and off any language keyboard from there.

With these new virtual keyboards, Gmail supports typing in 75 languages. 

Sharing a Google Calendar is probably second nature to most Google Apps users, but did you know you can also share your Google Contacts?

To share your contacts you will need to delegate them to a colleague, in doing so you can set sharing permissions much like a Google Document allowing them to only view your contacts or view and edit. Follow the steps below to delegate your contacts.

• Open your Contacts page and click on the More button.
• Choose Manage delegation settings from the dropdown menu.
• In the Sharing settings box choose a universal permission and/or choose individual colleagues, selecting the type of permission they have.
• If you have added a person, you can now email them to let them know they have access.
• Click Share & save then Done.

In the last 3 months, the Google Apps administration panel has gained a number of new features, including the ability to search email logs, manage mobile devices more easily, and manage email delivery. This latest feature builds on the existing ability to introduce user groups - known as organisations - by allowing email settings to be edited for each group.

Examples of these email settings include: allowing delegation, IMAP & POP access to Gmail, offline access, email forwarding, email footers and many more.

Applying email management settings to user groups helps Google Apps administrators tailor the use of Gmail within their organisation. It’s especially beneficial for organisations that have user segments with different compliance or security needs, such as allowing offline access to a specific group of users.

Like all the features that Google Apps delivers, administrators just need to refresh their browser to get access to these updates.