Export Google Docs, Sheets and Slides format files to Office Open XML formats

In September, we added the ability to export Google documents to the newer Microsoft Office formats that rely on open standards (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx). To continue adding new features and innovations to Google Drive and Docs, we’ll be focusing our resources on exporting to these newer open formats rather than the older, proprietary Office formats (.doc, .xls, .ppt) that were used in Office 97-2003.

As we announced in October, after January 31, 2013, users will not be able to export files to the older Office 97-2003 formats. For users who still use Office 97-2003, we recommend installing the free compatibility plugin from Microsoft, which will allow them to open the modern Office file types.

For more information
http://googleappsupdates.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/docs-export-format-change-delayed-to.html
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=3

Filters Added to Google Spreadsheets

Google Spreadsheets New Filter Tool

Google Spreadsheets now has a filter tool to enable you to select and view subsets of your spreadsheet data.

For more information and an illustrated Quick Start, visit the Google Docs Blog posting Filter your data in spreadsheets.

Desktop Notifications for Emails and Chat Messages

If you use the Google Chrome browser, you can now enable desktop email and chat notifications. See more details here.

Gmail - Priority Inbox

Over the course of the next week, the Gmail Priority Inbox feature will be rolled out on the PLU Gmail domain. On the upper right hand corner of your Gmail window you'll see a "New! Priority Inbox" link. Click for instructions on how to proceed. Or watch the video below for a quick introduction.

For more infomation, see the Official Google Blog Article at http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/email-overload-try-priority-inbox.html.

For help with Gmail Priority Inbox visit  http://mail.google.com/support/bin/topic.py?topic=29809.

Collaborative highlighting in Google Docs documents

New collaboration functionality has been rolled out in Google Docs. Highlighting of text by each document collaborator is now visible to all collaborators.

For details, see the Google Docs Blog post at http://googledocs.blogspot.com/2010/08/collaborative-highlighting-in-documents.html for details.

New "find a time" feature in Google Calendar

Google Calendar now has a new "Find a Time" feature for creating a calendar event with one or more people. To access this feature, click the "Find a Time" tab in the upper left corner of the Event window.

See Find a time feature - Google Calendar Help for more details and a quick tour. Or view the Google Apps blog announcement.