Tap the “Add Attachment” button to get started attaching Dropbox and Google Drive files to Mail messages.

Now, I’d assumed until very recently that the iOS Mail app wouldn’t let you attach any cloud-based files to mail messages beyond those in iCloud Drive, Apple’s own cloud storage service.

Since I pretty much never use iCloud Drive—I’m a Dropbox and Google Drive person, through and through—I figured I’d never tap Mail’s “Add Attachment” button.

Well, guess what? You can attach Dropbox and Google Drive files to Mail messages, but you have to know where to tap first.

To get started, create a new Mail message on your iPhone or iPad, tap and hold the cursor anywhere in the body of the message, then tap the “Add Attachment” button in the black bubble that appears. (If you don’t see the “Add Attachment” button, tap the arrow on the right side of the bubble to scroll through all the available buttons.)

Tap “Locations” to switch to another cloud service like Dropbox or Google Drive while attaching files to iOS Mail messages.

Once you tap “Add Attachment,” you’ll see a window displaying all your iCloud Drive files—either that, or you’ll see a “No Documents” banner if you haven’t enabled iCloud Drive yet. (You can skip enabling iCloud Drive if you want.)

Next, tap the Locations button in the top-left corner of the screen. If you have Dropbox, Google Drive or another cloud-based storage app on your iPhone or iPad, you’ll see buttons for each one. Don’t see any buttons? If so, tap More, then flip the switch next to any installed storage apps you want to enable.

Don’t see Dropbox or Google Drive in the Location menu when trying to attach files to an iOS Mail message? Tap More, the flip the switches for the services you want to enable.

Finally, tap the button of the cloud storage account you want to use—Dropbox, Google Drive, or another service—then search for a file. Once you’ve found the one you want to send, tap it, and Mail will attach it to your message.

Bonus tip

If you have iCloud Drive enabled on your iPhone or iPad, your iCloud Drive files will always be the first thing you see when you tap the Add Attachment button in a Mail message. If you disable iCloud Drive, though, you can pick a new default cloud service for attachments; it’ll be whichever cloud app is first in your list of Locations. To rearrange the list, tap and drag the three-line handles next to each listed cloud app.

Click here for more iOS tips!

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Word’s “track changes” feature color-codes any edits, additions or deletions made by a collaborator, giving the original writer the chance to review, accept or reject those changes—and, more importantly, keep track of who changed what.

Up until now, “track changes” didn’t exist in Google Docs, meaning the only way to edit someone else’s work without simply editing their original copy was to add a comment in the right margin—a clunky solution, to say the least.

Just select “Suggesting” from the pull-down menu to make your changes appear as “suggested edits.”

Well, good news: the new “Suggested Edits” feature in Google Docs mimics Word’s “track changes” feature in all the important ways, making for much easier—and less confusing—collaboration within a Google document.

Want to give it a try? Here’s how…

• Open an existing word file in Google Docs, click the pencil icon (it’ll be labeled “Editing” if your browser tab is large enough) in the top-right corner of the page , then select “Suggesting.”
• Now, go ahead and type in some edits—and when you do, the edits will appear with color-coded highlighting, with a bubble in the right margin detailing exactly what you’ve added, edited, or deleted.
• Once you’re done with your “suggested edits,” go back to the pencil icon in the top-right corner of the page and select Editing again. Note that your color-coded suggested edits and their respective bubbles will remain visible in the document.
• When you (or another collaborator) are ready, go back to the document and click on a suggested edit to activate its bubble in the right column. Happy with the edit? Then click the checkmark in the bubble to accept it. Want to reject the change? Click the button with the “X”. Got a question for the editor? Just reply within the edit bubble itself.
• To view the “final” document without any suggested edits, return to the pencil icon and select the read-only “Viewing” mode.

All in all, not bad, although eagle-eyed Word users may note that there’s no “Accept all suggested edits” option—meaning that all suggested edits much be accepted or rejected one at a time.

Got more Google Docs questions? Post ’em below!

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The latest version of the Google Drive app lets you scan just about any paper document—yes, including receipts—using your Android phone’s camera.

 
Just point and shoot, and the Google Drive app will convert the image of your receipt into a PDF, and then upload the file directly to your cloud-based, accessible-from-anywhere Google Drive account.

Once uploaded, Google Drive will scour the image using OCR (short for Optical Character Recognition) technology, and if the image you snapped is clear enough, you’ll be able to search for any words of numbers that Drive managed to detect.

Before you get too excited, keep in mind that Google’s OCR accuracy is somewhat hit and miss; it does much better with words and letters than with numbers, and it also hates creases, so make sure to scan your receipts before folding them up in your pocket.

Still, Google Drive’s new scanning feature (which, for now, is only available on the Android version of the Google Drive mobile app) could be handy for anyone who wants to snap and store receipts, business cards, or any other paper documents on the fly.

You can preview scanned receipts and make adjustments with the edit buttons before uploading them to Google Drive.

Ready to scan some receipts? Let’s get started…

• First, of course, you’ll need a Google Drive account (you should already have one if you’ve got a Google account) and the latest version of Google Drive for Android. Once you’re all set, fire up the Google Drive app.
• Before you start scanning receipts, you might want to create a folder in which to file them all. Tap the three-dot Menu button in the top-right corner of the screen, tap “Add new,” tap Folder, then give your folder a name, like “Receipts.” (You can, of course, reorganize your Google Drive files anytime you like.)
• Time to start scanning! Tap the three-dot menu again, tap “Add new,” then tap Scan. A viewfinder should appear on the screen; when it does, aim your phone’s camera at the receipt you want to scan, make sure it’s centered on the display, then tap the virtual shutter release.
• Next, you’ll see a preview of the image. You can twirl the image around with a “pinch” gesture, or tap the Crop or white-balance buttons to make adjustments. Are you scanning a multi-page receipt? Tap the “+” button to scan the next page.
• Everything look good? Then tap the “check” button to upload the image to Google Drive.

Bonus tip

Having trouble searching for text or numbers in your scanned receipts? Try searching by file name instead; by default, Google Drive stitches the date of a scan into the file name, like so: “scanned_20130523” (for May 23, 2013).

Looking for more Android tips? Click here!

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Instead, you can use Google Drive’s new “Preview” feature to take a quick look at a file—or an entire folder, for that matter—with a minimum of fuss.

There’s no editing in Preview mode, but you’re free to zoom in, share, and even print, as well as switch between files within a Google Drive folder.

Note: Got a Google account? If so, you already have Google Drive; you can visit your Drive right here.

A simple right-click is all it takes to preview a file in Google Drive.

Here’s what you do:

• • First, go ahead and open Google Drive in a browser (just about any browser will do, including Google Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari).
  • To preview a single file, just right-click it within Google Drive and select “Preview” from the pop-up menu. You can also check the box next to one or more files and then click the Preview button (it’s the one stamped with an eye-shaped icon) near the top of the page. Note that if you try to open an image, video, or PDF in Google Drive, it’ll open in Preview mode automatically.
  • A preview of the file, surrounded by a dark, translucent border, should appear in the Google Drive window. Scroll up or down to view more pages, or click the zoom in/out buttons in the bottom-right corner of the page. To print, just click the Print button.
  • Did you select more than one file to preview, or want to glance at all the other files in the same Google Drive folder? If so, you can switch between files by clicking the little arrows on either side of the page, or by pressing the left/right arrow keys on your keyboard. You can also click the “View all” button in the bottom-left corner.

Want to zoom in, share, print, or open the file you’re previewing? Just click a button.

• To zoom in or out, click the “+” and “-” buttons in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
• Want to share (or unshare) the file you’re previewing? Click the “Share” button to review, add, or delete names from the list of current collaborators.
• To go ahead and open the Google Drive document you’re previewing, click the blue “Open” button in the bottom-right corner.
• All done with Preview mode? Just click the little “x” in the top-right corner of the browser tab, or press the ESC key.

Bonus tip

No, you can’t edit while you’re in Preview mode, but you can search with a document you’re previewing. Just press CONTROL + F (on a PC) or COMMAND + F (on a Mac).

Looking for more Google tips? Click here!

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Read on for 10 free iPad apps that you shouldn’t miss, from Amazon’s Kindle reader and Flipboard’s customizable “social” digital magazine to Skype video chat and Google’s Office-friendly cloud storage utility.

Note: Yes, there are actually more than 10 apps on my top-10 list, but I figured you wouldn’t mind a few extra.

1. Kindle / iBooks / Google Play Books

Curl up with your iPad and dive into a great book from Amazon’s Kindle store, Google Play Books, or Apple’s own iBookstore with these easy-on-the-eyes e-reading apps.

Each one lets you flip pages with a swipe, choose your favorite font, sync bookmarks, and download any previously purchased volumes.

Download: Kindle | iBooks | Google Play Books

2. Netflix / Amazon Instant Video / Hulu

Cinephiles and couch potatoes, rejoice. You can press “play” on tens of thousands of movies and TV shows from Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu with these streaming video apps for the iPad.

The apps themselves are free, but you’ll need to be a paying subscriber ($8/month for Netflix and Hulu, or $79/year for Amazon’s “Prime” service) before you can start watching.

Download: Netflix | Amazon Instant Video | Hulu Plus

3. ABC Player / The CW Network / NBC

Not a Netflix/Amazon/Hulu subscriber? No problem. You can still watch scores of free network TV shows on your iPad from the likes of ABC, A&E, The CW, NBC, and more.

The catch? Unskippable (and relatively frequent) advertisements.

Download: ABC Player | The CW Network | NBC | and more…

4. Skype for iPad

Sure, the iPad already comes with Apple’s FaceTime video-chat app, but it won’t do you much good if you’re hoping to say hello to someone who isn’t using an iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

The free Skype app for iPad, however, will let you chat face-to-face with any Skype users, even those with a PC or an Android phone.

Download: Skype for iPad

5. Google Catalogs / Catalogue / Catalog Spree

Do a little shopping and save a tree while you’re at it with these catalog-shopping apps for the iPad, each of which lets you flip through virtual, iPad-sized versions of catalogs from such big-name retailers as J. Crew, Crate & Barrel, L.L. Bean, and more.

Download: Google Catalogs | Catalogue | Catalog Spree

6. Pinterest for iPad

Wish you could “pin” your favorite fashions, products, and other online goodies to your Pinterest boards on the iPad’s jumbo screen?

Well, you could try the laborious process of adding a “Pin It” button to the iPad’s Safari browser, or you could just install Pinterest for iPad, which boasts its own “Pin It”-equipped (but otherwise bare-bones) browser plus a gorgeous, touch-friendly interface for browsing the latest pins from fellow Pinterest users.

Download: Pinterest for iPad

7. Flipboard

One of the most innovative apps yet for the iPad, Flipboard turns your Twitter and Facebook news feeds into a beautifully formatted virtual magazine, complete with bold headlines and vivid images.

You can also add hand-picked web collections from Flipboard editors or add your own favorite blogs.

Download: Flipboard

8. Dropbox / Google Drive

Both Dropbox and Google Drive will let you sync files and folders from your PC or Mac to your iPad, although Google Drive comes with a nifty bonus: the ability to edit, create, and share Word- and Excel-compatible documents.

Download: Dropbox | Google Drive

9. Facebook / Twitter

Feeling social? Browse your Facebook and Twitter feeds from your iPad, complete with jumbo-size photo galleries, “push” notifications when your friends post updates or replies, and easy photo posting from your iPad’s camera roll.

Download: Facebook | Twitter

10. YouTube

Diving into the YouTube rabbit hole is all too easy on the iPad, and Google’s new YouTube app for iPad makes it even easier to sign into your YouTube account, add videos to your “Watch Later” list, subscribe to new channels, create playlists, and wade through an endless number of related clips.

Download: YouTube

Looking for more iPad tip? Click here!

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1. Facebook / Twitter

 
Rejoice, social mavens: mobile apps for both Facebook and Twitter are available for Android phones, and each will let you post updates, browse the latest stories from your pals, upload photos, and share links.

Download: Facebook | Twitter

2. Netflix

 
Are you a Netflix subscriber? If so, get ready to start streaming. You can browse tens of thousands of movies and TV shows through Netflix’s glossy new mobile interface, manage your instant video queue, and stream videos over both Wi-Fi or 3G/4G cellular networks. Just be careful not to bust over your carrier’s monthly data limit.

Download: Netflix

3. Kindle / Google Play Books

 
Yes, bookworms, you can use your Android phone as an e-reader with the mobile Kindle or Google Play Books apps, which let you download and store, and flip through purchased e-books, even when you’re offline.

Download: Kindle | Google Play Books

4. Pandora / Last.fm / Slacker Radio

 
No need to go without free, streaming music if you’ve got one of these music apps on your Android phone. Each app serves up all the streaming tunes you can stand—albeit with advertisements.

Download: Pandora | Last.fm | Slacker Radio

5. Amazon MP3

 
Browse, purchase, stream and/or download new and catalog tunes from Amazon’s massive digital music selection.

Download: Amazon MP3

6. Pocket (formerly Read It Later)

 
Similar to Instapaper, Pocket (also available for the iPhone and iPad) saves and formats web pages you’ve bookmarked for mobile (and offline) reading. It’s the perfect app for Android users looking to dive into lengthy news and magazine articles on a small screen.

Download: Pocket

7. WeatherBug / The Weather Channel

 
How’s the weather out there? Both WeatherBug and the Weather Channel serve up current conditions and forecasts, plus animated radar maps, video forecasts, and webcam images from local weather stations.

Download: WeatherBug | The Weather Channel

8. Lookout Security & Antivirus

 
In addition to scanning your handset for the latest crop of mobile viruses; Lookout’s mobile security app will also track your lost or stolen Android handset, similar to Apple’s “Find My iPhone” feature. An absolute must-have app, if you ask me.

Download: Lookout Security & Antivirus

9. Google Reader

 
Perfect for keeping tabs on your favorite blogs and news sites, the Google Reader app syncs with the free, web-based Google Reader service and even saves new articles for offline reading.

Download: Google Reader

10. Yelp

 
Where to go, what to do … and what’s for dinner? Yelp for Android will pinpoint your location and list nearby stores, restaurants, banks, museums, hospitals, you name it. Each listing includes details like street addresses, hours of operations, and plenty of user reviews.

Download: Yelp

11. Dropbox / Google Drive

 
Your most important desktop files will never be more than a swipe away with these powerful file-syncing apps on your handheld. Dropbox offers free syncing for up to 2 GB of documents and will (if you wish) automatically sync all your mobile snapshots with your other Dropbox-linked devices.

Google Drive, meanwhile, taps into your online Google Drive account (up to 5GB of free storage) and adds the ability to create and edit Word- and Excel-compatible documents directly on your phone.

Download: Dropbox / Google Drive

12. Pulse News

 
A sleek, magazine-like mobile news reader that syncs with Facebook and Google Reader, Pulse News boasts featured sections from the likes of TIME, The Huffington Post, CNNMoney, and more.

Download: Pulse News

13. Flipboard

 
Don’t want to cough up the cash for a pricey digital magazine subscription? Build your own “social” magazine with Flipboard, an app that creates beautifully designed, magazine-style pages using stories from your favorite blogs, not to mention headlines shared by your Facebook and Twitter pals.

Download: Flipboard

14. Instagram

 
Armed with dozens of groovy filters and frames, Instagram turns your mobile snapshots into works of pop art—and if you’re feeling social, you can share your eye-popping pics on Facebook or Twitter, or with other Instagram users.

Download: Instagram

15. Skype

 
A must-have for new parents (as I’m just now discovering), Skype makes it easy for far-flung relatives with PCs, Macs, iPhones or iPads to say “hi” to baby via video chat. Also on board: crystal-clear voice calling and instant messaging.

Download: Skype

16. Pinterest

 
Browse all the fashions, products, food, and other online goodies that’ve been “pinned” by fellow Pinterest users, and create your own pins using the automatically installed Google Chrome “pin it” bookmarklet.

Download: Pinterest

17. Fandango / Movies by Flixster

 
Wanna see a movie? Fetch local showtimes, reviews, photo galleries and trailers for the latest box-office draws, buy tickets, or check out new movies on Blu-ray or DVD.

Download: Fandango / Movies by Flixster

18. Google Chrome

 
Why settle for the browser that came with your Android phone when you could get the mobile version of Google Chrome, a web-browsing speed demon that lets you sync bookmarks, tabs, recent searches, and other settings with Chrome on your desktop.

Download: Chrome for Android

19. Evernote

 
Don’t let that brilliant thought slip away; instead, jot it down with Evernote, an easy-to-use digital notebook that syncs your notes and web clippings with your (free) online Evernote account.

Download: Evernote

20. Google Goggles

 
Confounded by those blocky, black-and-white squares stamped on everything from magazine ads to billboards? Those are QR codes, and you’ll need a mobile QR reader to translate them. Enter Google Goggles, a free Android app that’ll quickly scan a QR code and reveal its secrets.

Sightseers will also appreciate Google Google’s ability to cough up factoids about notable buildings, statues, and other landmarks in your field of vision.

Download: Google Goggles

Keep in mind, of course, that these aren’t the only must-have apps in the Android Market. Have any suggestions for more? Post ’em in the comments below!

Update [1/3/13]: I’ve replaced Listen, the Google podcast app that hasn’t been updated in nearly six months, with Flipboard. I’ve also added Google Drive, Pinterest, Fandango, Movies by Flixster, Chrome, Evernote, and Google Goggles to the list.

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Not only can large attachments take forever to upload and send, they may also get blocked by the recipient’s finicky mail provider.

If you’re using Gmail, though, there’s an easy, relatively no-fuss way to send attachments both big and small in a flash, with a little help from Google Drive.

What’s Google Drive, you ask? Think of it as a digital locker for photos, Office documents, videos, and just about any other type of file, all stored in the vaunted “cloud.”

If you’ve got a Gmail account, you’ve already got Google Drive; just click here to log in. And don’t worry: Google Drive is free for those storing 5GB or less of data.

OK, but what does Google Drive have to do with Gmail?

Well, Google just added a button to Gmail that lets you access Google Drive files directly from Gmail’s “Compose” window.

Not only can you access and attach existing Google Drive documents, you can also upload new files to Google Drive straight from Gmail, using a simple drag-and-drop interface.

Click “Send,” and your attachment (up to a whopping 10GB in size) will arrive as a link in your message.

You can also let your recipients comment on and even edit your attachments within Google Drive—perfect for, say, giving your editor a chance to mark up your long-awaited novel.

You can access your Google Drive account from Gmail in just a few clicks.

Ready to give it a try? Let’s get started…

• Open your Gmail account and click the “Compose” button in the left-hand column.
• Next, you’ll need to make sure you’ve enabled Gmail’s new, spruced-up “Compose” window. If a blank email window appears in the bottom-right corner of the screen when you click “Compose,” you’re good to go; otherwise, click the “Try out the new compose experience” link near the top of the page.
• At the bottom of the “New Message” window, you’ll see a paperclip icon to the right of the blue “Send” button—and next to that, you should see a “+” sign. Hover over the “+” with your mouse, and a series of new buttons will appear, including the triangular Google Drive icon. Click that icon, and an “Insert files using Google Drive” window will open.
• From here, you can either click the “My Drive” link to access files you’ve already uploaded to Google Drive, or drag new files into the (aptly named) “Drag files here” area. When you’re finished adding files, click the “Upload” button.
• Once you’re finished composing your email, click “Send”—and when you do, you’ll see a warning that reads “These Drive files aren’t shared with the recipient.” Don’t worry, you can still send the attachment; you can, however, choose whether the recipient can edit the file, comment on it, or merely view and/or download it. After you’ve made your choice from the pull-down menu, go ahead and click the “Share & send” button.
• Want to access—or even edit—your sent attachments after the fact? If you uploaded the files directly from Gmail, you’ll find them sitting in your Google Drive, in the top “My Drive” directory.

Bonus tip

Large email attachments can still take a long time to upload, even using Gmail and Google Drive.

If you’re planning on sending a particularly big attachment, consider uploading it in advance (and in the background) using the downloadable Google Drive utility, which synchronizes all your Google Drive files and folders to your desktop.

Simply drag the file you want to send into your Google Drive desktop folder, then go about your business as Google Drive syncs the file with your Drive account in the cloud.

Looking for more Gmail tips? Click here!

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