Google Makes Workspace Productivity Tools Free For Everyone

Google is bringing its full suite of Google Workspace productivity tools to the masses as part of a series of announcements today aimed at helping people communicate and collaborate online.

Starting today, anyone with a Google account can use the integrated platform (formerly known as G Suite) to collaborate on the search giant’s productivity apps.

The service essentially provides a more integrated system for using the likes of Gmail, Chat, Calendar, Drive, and Docs.

It’s not likely to revolutionize your user experience, but it will allow you to access Google apps in one central spot, rather than having to jump between them. Workspace also introduces some nifty extra features, like smart suggestions in documents and the new “Spaces” chatrooms.

Launched in October as a rebranded G Suite, Workspace offers “everything you need to get anything done, now in one place.” Apps like Gmail, Chat, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Meet are available to consumer, enterprise, and education users to stay in touch, share ideas, and get work done together.

“Over the last year, we’ve delivered innovations that bring together the content, communications, and tasks that help millions of businesses, nonprofits, and classrooms transform how they collaborate, make the most of their time, and have more impact,” Kelly Waldher, Google Workspace’s VP of marketing, and VP of engineering Aparna Pappu wrote in a blog announcement. “Now we’re bringing those same innovations to everyone else.”

If you want check Workspace out, here’s how to set it up:

  1. Open Gmail on your computer.
  2. Click the Settings icon near the top of the page and then “View all settings.”
  3. Tap “Chat and Meet,” and then turn on Google Chat.
  4. Hit “Save changes.”

Google is also introducing a new paid Workspace offering called Workspace Individual. This is aimed at entrepreneurs and other individuals who work alone or in very small businesses, and it provides premium services related to booking services, professional video meetings, and personalized email marketing, and Google says more features are planned for the future.

Workspace Individual is coming soon to Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Mexico, and the United States. No pricing information is available yet, but you can sign-up here for more information.

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