***Updates*** Thursday, October 27, 2011 Here is this week's update: update. Be sure to check back each week for new updates around Google Apps! Thursday, October 20, 2011 Due to some recent changes in our New Look schedule, the webinars that were set for this week have been pushed out to next week. The details for the new webinar times are below:
Here is the weekly update for October 17: update. Be sure to check back each week for new updates around Google Apps! Tuesday, October 11, 2011 In June, we announced the rollout of a visual refresh across Google Apps and other Google products. We understand that our Google Apps partners invest in and build their businesses around change management and user training, so we want to provide opportunities for you to stay up to date about the new look & feel of Google Apps. We will be holding webinars on Thursday & Friday, 10/20 & 10/21 to provide an update to authorized Google partners on the latest schedule, timing, and user experience details around Google's new look for Gmail, Apps, and more. This session is for partners under NDA only. Details below:
Thursday, August 5, 2011 Here’s an update on the new look roll out and its availability in Google Apps. You can learn more about the release tracks on the What’s New site. Gmail: Consumer, Rapid and Scheduled Release users can preview through a theme Calendar: Consumer, Rapid and Scheduled Release users can try out Google Docs List: Consumer and Rapid Release users can try out (rollout complete by August 6) To find instructions on how to try out the new look, see the New Look page. You’ll also find resources, such as a slide deck and video, to help share information with your customers on the Gmail and Calendar Resource pages. The new look has been available for a little more than a month, and you might be interested in this blog post from the Gmail team on the initial reaction. We really appreciate comments from Google Apps resellers, and hope you can take a minute to share your feedback. Google has announced a project to bring you and your customers a new and improved Google experience, and over the next few months, you’ll continue to see more updates to our look and feel. Even our classic homepage is getting a bit of a makeover (see below).  The way people use and experience the web is evolving, and our goal is to give you a more seamless and consistent online experience -- one that works no matter which Google product you’re using or what device you’re using it on. To learn about the new design, see the Official Google Blog post. The overall user interface refresh is global in nature -- it applies to all users, all languages, and many products. For you and your Apps customers, this means a new look for core services such as Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Sites, Groups, and Contacts. These changes will be released to all consumers and Google Apps customers. However, initially Google Apps customers will be able to try some of the new interfaces through an opt-in/opt-out process before the changes are permanent. We’ll keep this page up to date with the latest information about the new look and resources for our Google Apps partners. Resources Help Center articles posted: Blog Posts: Feedback: Q: Will Google Apps users be switched over right away? No, we’ll roll out updates on an ongoing basis, releasing them initially to consumers, with some services offering an opt-in/opt-out option for Google Apps users. We’ll then phase changes for Google Apps users through the Google App Release Track process. Q: When will the new look be made available to Google Apps users? The rollout will follow the Google Apps Release Track process. This means that administrators can choose the Rapid Release track to receive the new look at roughly the same time as consumers. Or they can choose the Scheduled Release track to receive changes later and take more time to prepare for the transition. Partners or domain administrators who choose the Scheduled Release track will have more time after the Rapid Release date before changes become available to their users (instead of the usual one-week lag between Rapid and Scheduled releases). As a Google Apps account administrator, you will have significant advance notice of when the changes will roll out as long as your account has enabled the Scheduled Release track. Over the next couple of weeks, we aim to have a more detailed rollout plan to share with you. Q: What does this mean to you as a Google Apps Partner? As the new changes are released, we recommend that you:
Q: How can Partners learn more about this announcement, see a live demo, and have a Q&A session with Google? For our Google Apps partners, the Google partner team held webinars on the opt-in features released, primarily focusing on Google Apps as it is relevant to your business. Here is the recording of the webinar. The presentation given during the webinar is below: Q: How can I keep up to date on the changes? We will continually update this site and the Google Apps What’s New site (whatsnew.googleapps.com) with the latest information and resources as the new look is introduced to services in Google Apps. Some services will offer an opt-in/opt-option so you can see the latest interfaces, and we’ll include instructions as soon as the options available. We also suggest signing up for the Google Apps Updates feed to receive information about the new look schedule and other Apps feature releases in your inbox. Q: What resources are available to get up to speed with the new look? We understand that users may want some guidance on what’s new. In addition to instructions of how to opt-in/opt-out for some services, we will provide videos, template slide decks, and tip guides to help you introduce the new look to your users. Q: How can I give feedback on the new look? We welcome your input and comments on the design changes and updates. We’ll publish a feedback form here on this page and in the Google Apps Help Centers as soon the new look begins to roll out. Q: Can I choose to opt-out of the new look? With some services, Google Apps users can opt-out of the new look temporarily. But eventually, the changes will be released to everyone permanently. Q: Can you tell me more about the release schedule? For our Enterprise customers, we’ll be leveraging the Apps release process as outlined on the What’s New site. That means your customers will have significant advance notice of when the changes will roll out as long as your account has enabled the Scheduled Release track. Over the next couple of weeks, we aim to have a more detailed rollout plan to share with you. Q: What if I’m in the middle of a deployment as the new look rolls out? For our Enterprise customers, we’ll be leveraging the Apps release process as outlined on the What’s New site. That means your customers will have significant advance notice of when the changes will roll out as long as your account has enabled the Scheduled Release track. As part of the full rollout of the new design changes to Enterprise, we will post sample user communication on the What’s New site. Q: Will this affect any of the tools we’ve developed for migration or integration? For example, a custom calendar migration tool? These changes should not impact data migration in any way. These are only user interface changes and the underlying data and functionality should not be affected. Q: What would you advise for the choice of Release Tracks? The new look will be released live to consumers and to the Rapid Release track. You can set up a test domain and set to the Rapid Release track to preview the new design. With Gmail and Calendar, we may see more updates and small changes immediately following the release to consumers. |
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New Google Design and Experience |