Google Drive & Docs in 30 Minutes: The unofficial guide to the new Google Drive, Docs, Sheets & Slide

by Ian Lamont

UPDATED - buy it today! Do you have 30 minutes to spare? It's all you'll need to get up to speed with Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides, Google's free online productivity suite and Microsoft Office alternative. The software is at the core of Google Apps and G Suite. Millions of people use Google's apps every day on their Chromebooks, PCs, and mobile devices. You, too, can use Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides to perform all kinds of reports and letters with Google DocsCrunch numbers and create online data entry forms using Google Sheets and Google FormsUse the Google Drive app and the Google Docs app on your Android phone or tablet, or iPhone or iPad to create and edit files on the goGive presentations online or on your phone or tablet with Google SlidesCollaborate online with classmates and colleaguesConvert Microsoft Office documents to Google formats, and vice versaPerform limited editing of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documentsPrint documents, drawings, and spreadsheets using Google Cloud PrintRevert to earlier versions of files using Google DriveExport PDFsMake pie charts, bar charts, and simple tablesPublish documents and spreadsheets onlineAn easy desktop referenceThe second edition of this popular guide to Google's apps covers the new Google Drive basics as well as the updated mobile and desktop interfaces for Docs, Sheets, and Slides. The G Suite user guide also covers new applications, including Google Forms and the new Google Sites.The tone of this Google Drive book is friendly and easy to understand, with lots of step-by-step instructions and examples and nearly 50 screenshots. The guide can be used by anyone with a PC, Mac, or Chromebook. It also includes instructions for using Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides apps on iPhones, iPads, and Android phones and tablets.In addition to serving as a solid introduction to new users, it's a great reference manual for more experienced users as well as for people making the transition from Microsoft Office, not to mention teachers using Google Drive for education and Google Docs in the classroom. It includes a glossary of Google keyboard shortcuts, as well as sections on document formatting, organizing and syncing files, offline documents, collaboration, and Office Compatibility Mode for Microsoft Office documents.Order it today!

118 pages, Paperback

Published March 29, 2020

About the author

I am the author of a half-dozen “In 30 Minutes” guides, including Google Drive & Docs In 30 Minutes, Dropbox In 30 Minutes, Excel Basics In 30 Minutes, and Twitter In 30 Minutes. I’ve been writing about business, technology, education, and culture for years, starting with newspapers and magazines in the 1990s and later expanding to online media. I was the senior editor, new media for IDG’s Computerworld and served as the managing editor of The Industry Standard. My articles, essays, and blog posts have appeared in numerous locations, from the BBC World Service website to Lifehacker.

My interest in technology is rooted in early exposure to computers, video games, and science fiction. I am old enough to remember the original Battlestar Galactica, and read Gene Wolfe’s Shadow of the Torturer when I was 12. I have been writing science fiction short stories for more than 10 years, but in 2014, I took part in NaNoWriMo and managed to produce the first draft of my first science fiction novel which, unfortunately, requires significant revisions before it can be released!

My latest project is Lean Media (leanmedia.org) which is a framework for creating all kinds of media, from books to videogames. The first draft was completed in September 2016, and I expect the book to come out in 2017.