Google Apps Gets Cloud Clipboard, New Calendar Interface

Two bits of news out of the Googleplex today: first, Google Apps is now sporting a cloud copy-and-paste clipboard designed to make moving data between applications easier. Second, TechCrunch is reporting that Google Calendar may be getting a facelift. Here are some quick observations.

The first update is what it says on the tin: copy a few cells from a Google spreadsheet and they’ll sit in your new cloud clipboard until you move over to a Google slideshow presentation, at which point you can paste the cells as you’d expect.

The really useful bit is that your clipboard is stored across sessions and across browsers, with an expiration date of a week. Google’s official blog post on the matter says this is part of a new effort to increase data fidelity between the different aspects of Google Docs. No word on whether or not it’s going to be added to Google Apps Reseller Edition, but I think safe money is on the positive.

The other announcement is more speculative: TechCrunch has gotten its hands on what’s purported to be a leaked screenshot from a yet-to-be-announced Google Calendar user interface upgrade. If real, the Calendar redesign will turn the plaintext links in the sidebar into shiny buttons like the rest of the Google Apps suite, along with a few other upgrades to give it a sleeker, more modern look.

Personally, I kind of like the lo-fi look of the current Google Calendar. But I can see how services providers trying to make a sale on Google Apps might feel differently.