Official Google Australia Blog

Showcasing the best of digitally savvy Aussie business

Thursday, September 20, 2018

From dog grooming to mastectomy bras, Australian businesses of all shapes and sizes are using digital tools to reach new audiences. Yesterday, some of these amazing businesses shared their stories at the Australian Chamber Business Leaders Summit at Parliament House in Canberra.
The Summit brings together key business representatives from across Australia to meet with leaders and policymakers, and have the chance to hear from business owners how the internet is helping their business succeed.
Business owner Jill Tucker from Erilan Mastectomy Collection - a business which offers mastectomy wear choices and support after breast surgery - shared her story about setting up a business and getting started online.
Based in Wagga Wagga, Jill started her business to help fit women in rural Australia with prosthetics, bras, swimwear and clothing after they’ve had breast surgery.
Jill now has customers across Australia with 90 per cent of sales through the e-commerce site. Business champion Basil Karam from Life Interiors spoke about the importance of “learning to be surprised” even after 10 years of selling furniture online. Dog-grooming guru Margaret Hennessy, CEO of DOGUE, told the audience how digital propels the growth of new stores as her business expands across Australia. Digital tools are taking Australian businesses to new levels, but we know that more than 90% of businesses are not taking full advantage of digital tools. If you’re a small business that wants to gain new digital skills and learn make the most of the web - find an event near you (hint: We’ll be in Adelaide on 25-26 September) or check out The Digital Garage online to get free access to the complete training resources!Posted by Richard Flanagan, Head of Business Marketing, Google Australia

Go for a drive with your Google Assistant, and jump into your favourite show on Android TV

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

We've been working hard to bring the Google Assistant to more devices in more places – including phones, speakers, TV, watches and more. Today, we’re excited to announce that the Assistant can do even more to help Aussies at home and on the road with the launch of the Assistant for Android Auto and Android TV – with rollout beginning in Australia this week.
Get help when you’re behind the wheel

With Android Auto, you can safely and easily stay connected, find answers, and get things done in the car - all with just your voice. You can listen to your playlists from apps like Spotify or YouTube Music, get quick directions from Google Maps or Waze, send or receive messages from services like WhatsApp, and control your connected smart home devices. You can also access useful Actions on the go from our partners.
Android Auto is available in tens of millions of cars on more than 500 models globally from 50+ brands, including Alfa Romeo, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and Volvo. You can use the Assistant in Android Auto on your car display by connecting your Android phone to a supported car—or you can use it on your phone screen in any car.
Get help on the big screenYour Google Assistant is now available on Android TV in Australia, starting with NVIDIA SHIELD TV today – and Sony Bravia, TCL and Kogan TVs in the coming months. With your Assistant on Android TV, you can jump right into your favorite show, find the latest blockbuster, check the score of the big game, dim the lights and more— all with just your voice.

Here are some ways your Assistant can help:

“Play Stranger Things”— your Assistant can play a wide variety of content, from movies and TV shows to YouTube clips and music. With Netflix, Stan and YouTube, you can instantly watch something by asking for it by name or, if you aren’t sure what to watch, try “show me movies about climbing Mount Everest.” You can also ask your Assistant to “play some music” or listen to a specific song on YouTube Music, Google Play Music, Spotify or Pandora.

“Play business news”— catch up on what’s going on in the news, from business to tech to entertainment. And once you’re caught up, prepare for your own day by asking “what’s on my agenda for today?”

“Talk to…. ”— apps for the Google Assistant are also now available on Android TV, so you can talk to Woolworths to put items in your shopping cart, Concrete Playground to plan a night out, and more.

“Turn it on, off and up”— it’s as simple as that. With your Assistant on Android TV you can turn up the volume, pause, control your smart home devices and more, just with your voice.

To get started, accept the Google Assistant system update on your SHIELD and press your remote’s mic button or the Assistant button on your remote after the device restarts. From there, you’re ready to sit back and relax with the help of your Assistant.Posted by Mike Hayes, Director, Android Play Partnerships APAC

Unlocking the cloud with a new Google News Initiative Program

Thursday, September 13, 2018

Originally posted on The Keyword blog Google News InitiativeNielsenNew York TimesGoogle News Initiative Cloud ProgramCloud Next Londonour websiteSibel Lowin, Global Partnerships Solutions Lead, News & Publishing

New Google Street View Fleet to Hit Aussie Streets

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

This week eight new Street View vehicles will hit the streets in Australia, starting with Sydney and Melbourne, to gather updated, higher quality 360-degree imagery.

It’s been eight years since we’ve updated our camera technology, and just as smartphone cameras have dramatically evolved since then, we now have access to improved 360-degree camera technology. These new cutting-edge cameras fitted to our Street View cars will allow us to capture higher quality, sharper imagery and in low light conditions across Australia.

Google Maps’ Street View - a global collection of 360 degree imagery - is used millions of times every day by people looking to explore the world, to preview places before they go, or virtually experience places they might never have the chance to visit in person.

Keep your eyes peeled and you may see one of the new cars in your neighbourhood in the coming months. To see where they’ve been and where they’re headed next, check out this link. Imagery from their journeys will be made available via Street View from later in 2018.
Posted by Veril Sjarif, Street View Operations Lead, Google Australia and New Zealand

Using maps to preserve Indigenous cultures

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

virtually visit the Surui territory Indigenous Mapping Workshop

The Ngarluma Ngurra Cultural Map: A Google Earth experience designed to provide an insight into Ngarluma culture and relationship to country.

Elders using satellite imagery to facilitate discussion at a community meeting in Sanikiluaq, NU, Canada.

Indigenous Mapping Workshop in CanadaIndigenous Mapping Wanangag.co/earth/imw-australiaPosted by Raleigh Seamster, Senior Program Manager, Google Earth Outreach

Meet your bilingual Google Assistant, and get help with Routines

Friday, August 31, 2018

Your Google Assistant now understands and speaks more than one language at a time – and is becoming more useful with custom and scheduled routines.

With the Google Assistant, it’s easy to get stuff done through a simple conversation – whether you’re looking for a delicious pumpkin soup recipe, setting a reminder to take the laundry off the line, or playing your favorite tunes. And starting today, the Assistant will become more helpful with two new capabilities: we’re adding multilingual support, so that the Assistant will be able to understand and speak more than one language at a time. Additionally, you can now set custom and scheduled routines on smartphones and speakers, making it easier to get things done quickly with your Assistant.
Talk to the Google Assistant in multiple languages Family members in bilingual homes often switch back and forth between languages, and now the Assistant can keep up. With our advancement in speech recognition, you can now speak two languages interchangeably with the Assistant on smart speakers and phones and the Assistant will respond in kind. This is a first-of-its-kind feature only available on the Assistant and is part of our multi-year effort to make your conversations with the Assistant more natural.
If you speak German at home, you can ask, “Hey Google, wie ist das Wetter heute?” And if you’re at a house party with friends, you can switch to English and say “Hey Google, play my BBQ playlist.” Currently, the Assistant can understand any pair of languages within English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, and Japanese. We’ll be expanding to more languages in the coming months.

Get help with your routines
Your Assistant will now be able to help you manage your daily routines and get multiple things done with a single command. We’ve put together six Routines that help with your morning, commutes to and from work, and evening at home. For example, say “Hey Google, I’m home” and the Assistant on your Google Home or phone can turn on the lights, share any home reminders, play your favorite music and more, all with just four words.

We’re also rolling out Custom Routines in Australia, which allow you to create your own Routine with any of the Google Assistant’s one million Actions, and start your routine with a phrase that feels best for you. For example, you can create a Custom Routine for family dinner, and kick it off by saying "Hey Google, dinner's ready" and the Assistant can turn on your favorite music, turn off the TV, and broadcast “dinner time!” to everyone in the house. And on Google Home devices, you can now schedule Custom Routines for a specific day or time through the settings of your Google Assistant. So if you’re keen to get back into a regular exercise routine, you can set up your workout routine to automatically kick off several times per week.
We hope that these new features will make it even easier for you to get things done – even in multiple languages.

Google One is coming Down Under!

Thursday, August 30, 2018

More and more, we rely on the internet for ways to safely store the things that matter—making life simpler and less cluttered. Over the years, we’ve provided people with easy, secure ways to create, store and share files online, including 15 GB of free space with every Google Account. Thanks to mobile phones, and new file formats like 4K video and high-res photography, people are storing more than ever before.
Recently, we introduced Google One, a plan that gives you expanded storage and helps you get more out of Google. Aussies will soon be able to enjoy more options to fit their storage needs – whether you’re working, connecting with friends or preserving your memories.

More storage for what matters
Google One gives you more storage across Drive, Gmail, and Photos. With plenty of space, your most important memories and files are stored safely in original quality in the cloud and available on all your devices. We've improved the price of some of our plans and added new plan options, ranging from 100GB to 30TB, you can choose the plan that’s right for you.
More help when you need it
As a Google One member, you can easily get in touch with a team of Google experts to answer your questions—whether you need help recovering a file you accidentally deleted or want to learn how to use Gmail when you're offline.
More benefits for members
With Google One, you’ll also get extra benefits across Google. We’ve started with credits on Google Play and deals on hotels found in Google Search. In the coming months, keep an eye out for Google Store benefits and more.
More for your family
You can also share your plan with up to five additional family members. That means simplified storage under one bill, and access to the benefits of Google One.
Coming soon to paid Google Drive plans
If you have a paid Drive storage plan, you’ll be upgraded to Google One automatically over the next few weeks. Look out for an email confirming your upgrade to Google One, where you can manage your storage plan and benefits. The way you use Drive to store and share files doesn’t change.
For everyone else, we’re working to bring Google One to you over the next few weeks. If you’d like to be notified when Google One is available, sign up for an update.

Australia Blog

Showcasing the best of digitally savvy Aussie business

Go for a drive with your Google Assistant, and jump into your favourite show on Android TV

Unlocking the cloud with a new Google News Initiative Program

New Google Street View Fleet to Hit Aussie Streets

Using maps to preserve Indigenous cultures

Meet your bilingual Google Assistant, and get help with Routines

Google One is coming Down Under!

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