Google just announced on their Google Mobile Blog the beta release of Google Cloud Print Beta. This feature will allow iOS users to print emails and mobile docs from their smartphone.
Today we are very pleased to announce the beta launch of Google Cloud Print for mobile documents and Gmail for mobile, which we will be rolling out to users throughout the next few days.
Imagine printing an important document from your smartphone on the way to work and finding the printout waiting for you when you walk in the door. Just open a document in Google Docs or an email in Gmail in your mobile browser and choose “Print†from the dropdown menu in the top right corner. You can also print certain kinds of email attachments (such as .pdf or .doc) by clicking the “Print†link that appears next to them.
This feature will be rolling out today and tomorrow for English speaking users in the US and will work on most phones that support HTML5, such as devices running Android 2.1+ and iOS 3+. To get started, you’ll need to connect your printer to Google Cloud Print. This step requires a Windows PC for now, but Linux and Mac support are coming soon. You can learn more at the Google Cloud Print help center.
So far, the feature is limited to the US only but will support iOS devices on 3.0 and higher. Also, Google Cloud Print will require a Windows PC but Mac support will be coming soon.
This is a very interesting feature and I can’t wait to try it. Apple’s AirPrint is limited AirPrint-enabled printers only at the moment (HP models specifically).
