Because its gotta be super easy to find your files

Posted by Steen Andersson, Group Product Manager, Google Drive

(Cross-posted on the Google Drive Blog.)

When you store important files in Google Drive they’re not only safe, they’re accessible from any device. And finding them again from any device should be super easy so we’re rolling out a new search experience to get you better results — even faster.

Drive lets you search across all your files, regardless of the device they came from. To make that easier, you can use these new ways to find your files:

• Narrow your search to a file type from the search box on Android, iOS, and the web.
• Open advanced search instantly from the search box.
• Access recent files or search Drive from the home screen using 3D Touch on iOS.
• Search Drive using the iOS search bar without opening the Drive app.

Several behind-the-scenes improvements give your search queries even better results than they did before. And to get more specific results, anyone can now do the following:

• Search for shared files by file owner using their name or email address.
• Use advanced search options like the date a file was modified, words it contains, or who it was shared with.

This is all part of an ongoing effort to make Drive the easiest place to find your files. Look for these features as they roll out in the coming weeks.

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Because its gotta be super easy to share files

Posted by Alex Vogenthaler, Group Product Manager, Google Drive

(Cross-posted on the Google Drive Blog.)

When you store your important files somewhere, you want to have peace of mind that theyll be safe and easy-to-access later. Thats why everything in Drive is always encrypted. And why we encourage all of our users to complete a simple Security Checkup every now and then. Of course, this should include file sharing as well -- it should be super easy to control who sees what.

With this in mind, were making a number of improvements to Drive today, so you can store your photos and documents safely and get them where they need to go.

Get sharing notifications
You may have noticed recently that it’s easier to select and share multiple files and folders on iOS and Android — but checking your email may not be the fastest way to find out when something’s been shared with you. So starting today, you’ll receive mobile notifications to alert you immediately when files or folders are shared with you and a single tap can take you right to them.

Request and grant file access
Drive lets you quickly grab a link to files and folders so you can share them using other apps, but if you share a link before you’ve granted access, the person you’re sending it to won’t be able to open it. Now, the Drive for Android app lets recipients request access with a single tap. And on Android and iOS, file owners will be notified of the request instantly so they can quickly grant access.

Preview files without a Google Account on Android
Until now, you needed a Google Account to view shared files on your Android device. Now, you can do this without a Google Account just like on the web.

Some of the features mentioned are already available. Look for the rest to roll out in the coming week or so.

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Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance to provide 30 000 Fujitsu tablets with Windows 8 to its sales personnel in Japan’s largest deployment

                         
REDMOND, Wash., and TOKYO — Aug. 6, 2013 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company is deploying approximately 30,000 Windows 8 tablets as new sales devices for its sales personnel under close cooperation between Fujitsu Limited and Microsoft Japan Co., Ltd. This is Japan’s largest and one of the world’s largest deployments of Windows 8 tablets this year. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance will start to conduct sales activities using the new tablets nationwide starting in September 2013.

As part of an effort to enhance its customer service experience, Meiji Yasuda reviewed its procedures and services from the ground up, based on customer feedback, and developed face-to-face services that provide useful information in easy-to-understand terms.

Leveraging the advantages offered by tablets, Meiji Yasuda will enhance communication with its customers by using videos and other content to explain its products. It will also aim to focus more resources on improving service and boosting its competitiveness by streamlining contract processing and helping eliminate the need for printed documentation while providing enhanced security.

Fujitsu, the partner leading the implementation of this deployment, selected Microsoft’s Windows 8 Pro enterprise operating system to develop a specialized Windows 8 tablet to improve customer service by digitizing procedures and providing beneficial information in an easily understandable format. With this development, Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance will be the first Japanese life insurance company to adopt Windows 8 Pro.

More information about how organizations are turning to Microsoft technology is available on the Microsoft Customer Spotlight newsroom.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.

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