Nov 13, 2020

Typing emails faster in Gmail

By Paolo Amoroso • Issue #43 • View online

Hello,

When Gmail introduced smart replies in the message editor, I was skeptical. The suggestions seemed simplistic, too concise, or vague.

With increased usage, the suggestions became slightly more relevant. And Gmail added smart compose, a more extensive text auto-completion feature. That makes a difference as the suggestions are actually helpful and save time. For example, they often spare me from manually inserting salutations, or fairly elaborate sentence fragments. Along with grammar checking and email templates, these message composition tools concretely improve productivity and text quality.

Learn in this issue how to use these Gmail features. Worth a try.

— Paolo Amoroso

Android

How to find files you downloaded on Android

Android doesn’t abstract away the local file system. You can manually manage folders and files. But sometimes it’s not clear where to look for the files you downloaded. This short tutorial tells how to use the stock Android file manager to find downloaded files.

www.howtogeek.com • Share

10 hidden tricks for making the most of Android gestures

A recurring theme of Practicing Google is that it’s easy to miss gestures and other Android features that aren’t in plain sight. That’s why this article is so useful. It discusses 10 hidden gestures and tricks to get around your device faster. The article doesn’t just tell how to use the gestures, but also in what context they work.

www.computerworld.com • Share

Chrome OS

A handy trick to multitask better on a Chromebook in tablet mode

Convertible Chromebooks support a variety of configurations such as tent and tablet mode. In tablet mode, the physical keyboard isn’t directly accessible as it’s folded below the screen. Gestures are the way to do common tasks in tablet mode, such as going back in navigation or to the home screen. Here’s a handy back gesture trick for when you have two windows side by side.

chromeunboxed.com • Share

Gmail, Google Assistant

How to type emails faster in Gmail

This tutorial goes through Gmail’s features for assisting message composition and cutting on the time to type frequently used text: auto-complete, smart replies, templates for canned replies, and email signatures.

www.howtogeek.com • Share

Google Assistant settings

Interacting with the Google Assistant looks deceptively simple. You speak your commands and the Assistant performs them.

But, under the hood, there’s a lot of flexibility and complexity Google swept under the settings rug. Have a look at this complete guide to the Assistant settings. Even just browsing through the table of contents gives an idea of what you can expect and customize.

www.chromestory.com • Share

Android apps

LaTeX equation editor

This app is an equation editor that lets you type LaTeX code or use a special virtual keyboard. You can export equations as text or images by sharing them to other apps. LaTeX equation editor also provides a template library with frequently used formulas and math snippets. Caveat: the free version displays interstitial ads.

I’d like fewer memes and more equations on social. Or perhaps more memes with equations.

play.google.com • Share

Web apps

Chirr App

Chirr App is a Twitter thread editor that splits your text into tweet-sized chunks and posts it as a Twitter thread. It can preview the formatted threads, save drafts, upload images and videos, change numbering style, and schedule posts. The tool works also on mobile and a Chrome extension is available.

I love Chirr App; I had been looking for such a tool for ages.

getchirrapp.com • Share

Thank you

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By Paolo Amoroso

Weekly practical resources on Google products and related tech. Tips, tutorials, and apps that will expand your Google toolbox and help you do more.

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Paolo Amoroso, C.P. 343, Via Cordusio 4, 20123 Milano, ITALY