Google Powered: Productivity with Online Tools (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Everything you need to know to get started using Google’s free productivity tools is right in these pages. With a section devoted to each application, finding and using the information is easy. You’ll learn to create documents, crunch numbers, e-mail with Gmail, build Web sites, share photos, track calendars, and more. Harness the power of Google Docs, Google Spreadsheets, Google Page Creator, Google Calendar, Google Notebook, Google Talk, Gmail, and Picasa and get your life powered!

From the Back Cover

If you're on a budget (and who isn't, these days) it's hard to beat free office productivity tools. They're online, which saves time when you need to share and collaborate on projects. And everything you need to know to get started using these eight great programs is right in these pages. There's a section devoted to each application, so finding and using the information is easy.

Create documents, crunch numbers, e-mail with Gmail, build Web sites, share photos, track calendars, and more — without that hefty price tag. Feel the power.

• Create and edit documents with Google Docs
• Use all the features of Google Spreadsheets and collaborate with others
• Build professional-looking Web sites with Google Page Creator and publish them for free
• Keep track of your life with Google Calendar
• Take notes while you're online and share them using Google Notebook
• Communicate using voice, chat, or e-mail—all with Google Talk
• Discover why Gmail may be the best e-mail program available
• Upload your digital photos to Picasa, organize and share them, and even post some to your blog

Companion Web site: Visit http://googleproductivitytools.com to find additional tips, tricks, and updated information about Google productivity tools, as well as possible opportunities to participate in beta testing.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (January 23, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470109653
• ISBN-13: 978-0470109656
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #722,387 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Good Basic Primer, October 17, 2007

By	T. Seltz (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was looking for something that would serve as a good introduction to the array of Google applications, and this book is well-suited to that task.

What you'll get:

* A good introduction to 12 or 13 of the newer Google applications. Ledford spends a little more time on the applications that are likely to be more popular (mail, docs, spreadsheets) and a little less time on some of the others (Picassa, chat, etc.). Overall, I thought the focus was just about right.

* Ledford explains the basics of each application. He offers some tips and tricks to using each application. He breaks the discussion up around different features, where appropriate (e.g., Google mail vs. the calendaring function within GMail). Along the way, readers will learn why a particular app might be more or less useful to them than competing applications (e.g., Google spreadsheets vs. Microsoft Excel). Ledford points out the most significant advantages AND drawbacks of each Google App, which is quite helpful.

* For my purposes, I was interested in evaluating the whole Google suite of applications so that I could consider whether to move my organization away from Microsoft's Office suite and toward online applications. This book is a great first-effort in helping assemble that sort of information. Undoubtedly, much more will be written about Google's suite of applications. As one of the first (if not the first) to undertake this endeavor, however, Ledford does a commendable job.

What you won't get:

* Extensive details on any one application. For example, if you want to become a GMail power user, then this book is not for you. Consider this a very basic introduction to the variety of Google applications. For an in-depth discussion, you would need to look elsewhere.

* A substitute for playing around with each application itself. It is one thing to read about Google's application suite; it is another to use and practice on the apps themselves. In my opinion, there is no substitute of knowledge gained through trying to use each of these applications. I read this manual while on a vacation in Spain, where I had no internet access. I likely would have found it more useful if I could have used some of the tips and recommendations in real time. That said, Ledford's book still serves its purpose as a good introductory guide.

Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who wants to know more about Google Apps but was afraid to ask, and to anyone who is considering whether to attempt a life without Microsoft Office. There are other alternatives to Office, but Google's Apps probably are the most prominent of them, and Ledford's book serves as a useful introduction to them.