Chromecast - it never gets dull in Google land

The last blog was showing the Google Chromecast device.

Remember: it allows to wirelessly connect your Laptop to your TV (or projector/beamer).

So far, you only could show content that would play or load within the Google Chrome browser.

Well, you are not limited to your browser anymore! Here is a nice Google Chromecast update:

On the Google App store you can download the free app "VideoStream for Google".

This will allow you to play pretty much any video that lives on your computer.

The app gets very good ratings, so give it a try with your device!

Goodbye cables! Long live the couch . . .

Here is a direct download link

Chromecast - serious competition to the Apple TV!

 

* Now available in Korea! *  And it has been a long wait (for many!).

Small, light, and powerful. Got mine in the pocket since yesterday . . .

What can it do:

* Connect your Laptop (Mac or PC) wireless to any TV or big display (it just needs an HDMI connector)

   and display anything that you can load in your Google Chrome browser.

   Such as: YouTube videos, Flickr photos, a Google document, you get it.

   It will support sound as well!

* Connect (now, this is really special!) you iPhone (or Android) wireless to the TV as well.

   So far the YouTube App is supported.

   This will not even drain or otherwise use your phone, you could just have it on standby as you watch!

Compared to the AppleTV:

Advantages:

A lot cheaper, and it only needs power from a USB connection (which your TV has!) - it does not need 220/110V cables

Much lighter, take it along on vacation, and turn dead hotel TV's into something useful!

Works just brilliant with a phone/iPad (and functions then also as a remote!)

Disadvantages:

Not so many Apps supported yet (e.g. you cannot display a video that you play with VLC/Apple MediaPlayer), meaning

so far it's a bit tight embedded in the Google environment. That is changing though. Netflix and a few others are supported already.

This little device can be used in a classroom setting as well, allowing anybody to quickly, wireless, connect to a projector

or display, so students (and teacher) can show whatever runs in their Chrome browser.

(Chadwick tip: is available in the new Lotte mart, in the hi-mart center basement, 49000 Won, US price = 35$)

You can read more here:

http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/chromecast/

Google Drive and iPad - it never gets dull in the cloud

Are you using an iPad or iPhone and connect from there to Google drive?

(if you are not, some of your students will!)

So far you had only 2 basic options:

- use a browser (such as Chrome) and use the 'desktop' version of Google drive (same as using your laptop)

- use the 'Drive' App on your iPad/Phone (and live with the limitations of cumbersome editing)

Google has changed it's philosophy, and now offers (3 so far) separate apps for accessing and working with 

content in your drive from a mobile platform.

New: Google Drive to view

   and 

   Google Sheets to edit

   Google Docs to edit.

Are we there yet?

Nope, not completely. Of course, we will want to see an App for Google presentation slides (soon!)

and there are still significant differences between the mobile and desktop user experience.

Now, what are some of the improvements with this splitting of Apps?

Commenting:

Now possible, and one can see the workflow in all docs. (Add comments and resolve them)

Working off-line:

Hurrah. Typing and learning in the bus, on the beach, now possible!

Whenever one comes back into a wireless network, files and content will be synced again.

4-Digit passcode:

You can set (and it's recommended!) a 4-digit passcode to protect the contents of your Google Drive folder.

The code can be different on each device you own, giving you the option to - e.g. - secure a device that is also used by your children.

As comments suggest, Google is aiming here to compete better with it's close competitors

(Microsoft with Office 365 in the cloud, and Apple with iWork in iCloud). Separate apps can do

this better, hence the split up of the single Google Drive app. 

An easy trick: How to get rid of unwanted mail messages in Google mail

What to do with unwanted mail (that isn't necessarily spam):

While you can't currently block messages from specific addresses or domains, you can set up a filter to send those unwanted messages directly to Trash.
To set up a filter, follow these steps:
• Click the down arrow in your search box at the top of the page. A window that allows you to specify your search criteria will appear.
• Enter your search criteria. If you want to check that your search worked correctly, click the search button. Clicking the down arrow again will bring    
          the window back with the same search criteria you entered.
• Click Create filter with this search at the bottom of the search window.
• Choose the action you'd like for these messages by checking the appropriate box. (In this case, I suggest checking "Delete it.")
• Click Create Filter.

Happy filtering . . .

New Google Tips - great videos for key features to each product

https://www.google.com/get/googletips/

As they state: "A fun way of poking around. New cards coming all the time, come back often!"

This is indeed a very nice website, where you can learn more about some features by poking the cards.

Enjoy

How to get rid of unwanted mail messages in Google mail

What to do with unwanted mail (that isn't necessarily spam):

While you can't currently block messages from specific addresses or domains, you can set up a filter to send those unwanted messages directly to Trash.

To set up a filter, follow these steps:

• Click the down arrow in your search box at the top of the page. A window that allows you to specify your search criteria will appear.

• Enter your search criteria. If you want to check that your search worked correctly, click the search button. Clicking the down arrow again will bring    

          the window back with the same search criteria you entered.

• Click Create filter with this search at the bottom of the search window.

• Choose the action you'd like for these messages by checking the appropriate box. (In this case, I suggest checking "Delete it.")

• Click Create Filter.

Happy filtering . . .

New Statistics in EduBlogs

It gets better all the time! Since April 15 (that's where the statistics gathering started)

Edublogs shows - in an easy way - basic statistics about visitors to a/your blog.

If your students are Edubloggers, then you really should show them these slick visitor statistics.

Go to your dashboard, and select the statistics option (it's pretty new!)

It will show basic (clickable) info about your visitors in total:

And it provides info about views to single pages: