Not having access to a computer or a smartphones should not be an impediment to people who want to take advantage of Google’s growing suite of Internet services. In an announcement written by engineer Mohamed Fouad on Google+, users are encouraged to take advantage of Google’s low barrier to entry by signing up for Gmail from any Tier 2 or Tier 3 cell phones; the kind of handheld communication devices colloquially known as “dumb phones.”

Gmail and other Google cloud-based services were once upon a time only available to desktop and notebook computer users. When smartphones and tablet computers became popular, Google developed the requisite Gmail mobile apps for popular platforms such as Android, BlackBerry and iOS. In the process, Google forgot about hundreds of millions of users in developing nations and emerging economies who don’t have regular access to computers or smartphones.

In many regions of the world, particularly in many African, Asian and Latin American nations, smartphones aren’t as commonly used as they are in Europe and North America. Most feature phones these days, however, include wireless Internet connectivity and basic mobile browsers. Google realizes the importance of trying to reach every customer across the world, and to that extent they have redesigned their Gmail and Google+ signup process. Accessing plus.google.com from just about any mobile phone will allow users to obtain a Gmail account and Google+ profile in just a couple of minutes.

The entire signup process takes just 5 steps to complete, and it includes verification of identity via SMS. Google expects its number of users to swell in the future thanks to this retrograde.

Internet search giant Google has announced a string of updates, upgrades and new features to its popular Google Voice app for the Apple iDevices. With the new iOS version of Google Voice, lucky iPhone and iPad users can now send text messages to groups of friends, a mobile functionality which was only previously available on smartphones powered by the Android mobile operating system.

Besides the ability to send text messages to multiple recipients, the upgraded Google Voice for iOS app also allows users to copy and paste numbers and e-mail addresses right on the iPhone or iPad dialer with just one touch. The app will now dig into the device’s Contact List to provide auto-complete functionality, and will also display the number of characters entered when composing a new message.

For Sprint customers in the United States, the upgrade to the Google Voice app means that they can make phone calls at greatly reduced rates using their Google Voice phone number instead of the one assigned by Sprint. There seems to be an issue, however, with the new Sprint integration feature: some users have reported that their iPhones are refusing to use the Google Voice number when dialing out. This was reported by users who received phone calls from Sprint iPhone owners; they noticed that their caller ID displayed Sprint’s number rather than a Google Voice number. Other users posted reviews on the iTunes App Store which indicated that they had problems logging in to the network.

The Google Voice app for iOS isn’t the only one that has shipped with bugs. Google found a major issue within its Gmail app last month, forcing the company to pull it from the App Store for a few days while it worked on resolving the problem.

The introduction of Google’s new social networking site Google+ doesn’t just have hipsters and Facebook haters talking. Recruiters and HR professionals are as well. This might seem a little strange, especially since most young professionals go out of their way to hide the embarrassing details (and photos) of their past while on the job hunt. But Google+, which has garnered millions of members in just a few weeks, could be a legitimate tool for job seekers and those who hire. Here’s why.

1. It provides a sleek, very navigable alternative to sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. Let’s face it, Facebook is for kids and soccer moms, and LinkedIn is for the unemployed. For companies that are looking to hire the cream of the crop, these aren’t exactly the ideal outlet. Google+, which is attracting largely young, well-educated, and tech-savvy demographic, gives companies a better pool to pick from.

2. The “circles” feature in Google+ allows for the type of specified networking that other sites simply can’t provide. LinkedIn might be a dedicated professional network, but it’s chock full of the type of business doublespeak that tends to use as many words as possible to say as little as possible. Facebook, meanwhile, simply has no features that target professionals in a certain industry. Even using things like groups and fan pages, recruiters can end up contacting the guy who accidentally clicked “yes” on his IT professional group invite on his hasty way to a Mafia Wars session. With the Google+ “circles” feature, one can organize their connections based on relationship. Get a hold of some great employees’ “professional” circles, and you’re well on your way to finding some exceptional candidates.

3. Google+ is distraction free. It’s a simple, elegant social networking site. LinkedIn and Facebook have added features that expand their user base at the expense of the sites’ navigability and relevance. By keeping things simple, Google+ makes hiring actual people much easier – and doesn’t lend itself to the distractions that are built into other social networking sites.

Networking is something that many people may feel they do well, but actually the fact of the matter is that most have it all wrong. Networking is about making strong and beneficial relationships. It is not about being the person that has the most contacts.

The wrong approach would be to try to get as many contacts or connections on social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn. This can certainly be done, but the majority of these people will not be able to assist with that next business venture or job prospect.

The smartest way to network would be through old-fashioned personal interactions. Strong relationships are what people benefit from when it comes to proper networking. By making the right connections, you never know when an individual can be of assistance down the road. Because of this, having professionals from all different industries and disciplines is best. A well-rounded group of contacts will help one the best. These relationships do take time to cultivate and maintain, but will provide much more than the casual social friend.

This fact has been proved time and time again as it is truly not what you know but who you know. It does not necessarily mean that one needs to dump all social networking contacts. However, it is essential to ensure that there are a number of strong connections that are known. If missing these, it is wise to evaluate one’s direction and goals and look to connect with those individuals that can help these to become a reality.

Google is ever expanding their services. The target, now, is making Gmail more than just an email service. In Gmail, communication can occur through text, video, and voice. The service is built on XMPP, an open-source communication protocol also used in Yahoo! Messenger, AIM, Windows Messenger, and Skype.

On August 2, 2011, Google made an announcement in the Google Talk blog. Starting that day they would begin increasing their Gmail Voice (PC-to-PC and PC-to-phone) calling service globally, and lowering rates internationally.

Now, members can connect in 38 languages, over 150 countries, and 4 currencies. While calls within the United States and Canada are free currently, voice (PC-to-phone) calls to and from other countries offer low rates. Thank you, Google! Previously, the voice calling was fully implemented only in the United States and Canada. Then, it was extended to a few other countries, for a price. Now, we’re moving towards almost-free world-wide.

So, how do you access this nifty feature? In your Gmail account, sign-in to Chat, and you can see “Call phone”–with a little green phone icon–near the top of your Chat list. If you don’t see the icons, make sure that your country supports Google Talk (over 150 are supported, so them’s some good odds), the Google Talk chat and video plug-in is installed and enabled and configured in your browser to work with your microphone…and that is it. This is really simple. You should be all ready to connect with people on any device that contains Gmail, microphone, and speaker: PC, tablet, Blackberry, smartphone, or web-enabled cellphone.

Wait a minute! Is it Google Talk or Google Voice? Well, Talk is the chat interface, and Voice is the phone interface, but they dovetail neatly together in this case, even sharing a phone number if you choose.

Go on, now. Google Talk about it.

In a marketing one-two punch, Google has just released updates for two of their most popular projects, Gmail and Google Docs. After months of speculation over Google’s purchase of mobile manufacturers, mergers of Android and Chrome, and even a leap into the world of PC manufacturing, fans were worried that two of Google’s most popular toys would soon be forgotten. Luckily, these fears were all assuaged as multiple research teams have released a handful of updates for Google’s email and cloud memory systems.

For this project, Google’s researchers were split into multiple teams. Google Labs, Google’s traditional research and programming department, was turned into multiple sub groups to divvy up the labor. The first thing thrown out of Gmail was the user interface to give this application a more ergonomic face lift. The second, and perhaps most important update, is the changes to Gmail in a mobile browser. The somewhat outdated Gmail mobile interface has been completely redone and offers a few changes including the ability to view the app in high definition, a pull down tab to refresh, and buttons at the top of the app to simultaneously move between Gmail and Google+.

Google Doc also received a new and improved look for their interface. A whole slew of keyboard shortcuts have been added to seamlessly move through documents and manipulate them on the fly. For any users that are getting confused about the changes, typing ‘?’ will bring up a cheat sheet of each shortcut. There were also be a handful of changes to the spreadsheets that will allow for shortcuts while organizing information.

All of the changes look to be aimed at streamlining each of Google’s products to one another. The controls for each application now have an almost identical look and feel, allowing for a quick transition between Gmail, Google Docs, and Google+.

We have all been there. Two AM in the morning, stuck on a telephone trying to reach tech support and have an issue resolved to no avail. Sometimes we get a kind and knowledgeable agent, proud of the work he or she does and intent on providing the best possible service. Realistically speaking, however, these are few and far between.

Normally, what we get is a drone worker reading through a script and making up excuses when he can’t find your issue in his arsenal of pre-approved answers and procedures.

For example, “it’s a problem with your computer” is a favorite and timeless excuse for internet service representatives, while “the problem is with your internet provider” is the counter from PC tech support staff. These are silly and sometimes downright insulting excuses; especially for a tech savvy customer who already knows where his problem is and just needs assistance resolving it.

Somehow, a problem with your computer not detecting external USB Hard Drive turns into a goofy explanation of drivers and why it’s a problem with the manufacturer, when you already made clear the problem is the USB port itself.

The reason behind these problems is not always a poorly trained agent or someone who doesn’t care about their work. There are also behind-the-scenes machinations that are designed to maximize productivity, regardless of the effect it has on quality. In fact, the corporate taskmasters behind every call center are often so concerned with volume that the needs of their customers are only an afterthought.

Metrics are the main cause of concern for customer care centers. There are usually dozens of them that agents have to meet before finding themselves at the unemployment office, and the single most important metric customer care agents have to meet is Average Handle Time, also known as Average Call Time.

This metric is the most important for the corporate bosses. Why? Because it’s a direct representation of an agent’s productivity, or how many calls are they able to take during their work shift. The lower their call times, the better their numbers look and the more likely an agent is to get a bonus in their paycheck. This means that agents usually have a vested interest in getting you off the phone as quickly as possible, either by resolving the problem promptly or giving you a ridiculous excuse about why they can’t.

Only a good, knowledgeable agent will resolve your problem promptly; so if you are starting to hear a silly pretext indicating an agent can’t or won’t help you, do yourself a favor and ask for a supervisor. And here comes another bit of call center trivia: supervisor calls are usually not taken by supervisors.

Call center supervisors usually are either too busy or not knowledgeable enough to help resolve a call, so when a customer asks for one what they frequently get is a ‘Floor Walker’. These Floor Walkers are usually experienced and knowledgeable agents tasked with going around the call center helping anyone who has a question, taking on minor supervisory duties and, you guessed it, taking over supervisor calls.

So next time you call your support line of choice, get a feel for the person at the other end. If you are not satisfied, just ask for a ‘supervisor’ or try calling back. It could end up saving you a lot of time and headaches.