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Google+ moves from field trial to beta, adds Hangouts on phones, search and more
Well, it looks like the "field trial" is officially over. Google today announced that its Google+ social network has moved up to beta status and, as a result, it's now open to everyone (no invitation required). It's also rolled out a slew of new features for the occasion, including a number of improvements to the Hangouts video chat service. That includes Hangouts on your phone (Android 2.3+ only, for now), a new Hangouts On Air feature for public broadcasts, and a number of "extras" including screensharing, a sketchpad and shared Google Docs (not to mention Hangouts APIs). Google's now also finally added search functionality across the site, and it's renamed the Huddle group chat feature to Messenger (which also includes a number of new tweaks). Hit the links below for the complete rundown on what's new.
Google+ finally gets an API, doesn't do much yet
That Google+ would eventually score an API was a forgone conclusion. And, while things have been far from quiet, we haven't heard much about Mountain View's plans to open up its social network to third-party access. Well, the first API is finally here and, while it doesn't offer much in the way of interactivity (simply read access to public data), this is only the beginning. Check out the source links for more details and some sample code.
YouTube adds Google+ Hangout button, lets you share videos with a click
Hangout video sharing is one of Google+'s more appealing features -- not that we use it often, but when it comes to things to do in an online social gathering, watching YouTube clips would certainly rank near the top. Now you can launch Hangouts directly from YouTube, rather than heading over to Google+ and pasting in a link. Sure, it's a simple tweak that probably took less than an hour to code, but it's a clever addition nonetheless.
Google brings games to Google+
It may not have been the best kept secret around, but Google's now made what's surely the biggest addition to Google+ in its short lifespan: games. Unlike a certain other social network, Google says games in Google+ are "there when you want them and gone when you don't," meaning that they won't flood your main stream if you never play them -- you have to click the games icon at the top of the page to play and see updates from your circles. According to Google, the service is rolling out "gradually" starting today, but should be available to all Google+ users "soon."
Google+ iOS app now supports iPad and iPod touch, still not optimized for iPad
Google curiously chose not to make its iOS app for Google+ a universal app when it first released it last month, but it's now finally letting iPad and iPod touch users in on the act as well. Unfortunately, the iPad part of the equation comes in the form of a blown-up iPhone app rather than a properly optimized version, although that's not exactly surprising considering it's much same situation that Honeycomb users still find themselves stuck with. Also included in the update are additional Huddle settings, aggregated circle add notifications to cut down on some of the noise, and the usual performance and stability improvements. You know what to do to get your hands on it.
Google+ iOS app now compatible with iPad
Last June when Google started rolling out its new Facebook challenger, Google+, it didn't take long for the company to release an iPhone app. However, that iPhone app couldn't run on an iPod touch or an iPad. That's been rectified now as today Google has updated the Google+ iOS app to bring support to the iPod touch and iPad. But for you Google+ fans, don't get too excited. The Google+ iOS app still is not a universal app. Google has simply enabled the iPhone version of the app to run on the iPad. That means that if you choose to run the Google+ app on your iPad, you'll be running it in 2x mode to try to take advantage of the iPad's large screen. It also means that Google joins a long list of social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn who are taking forever to get legitimate iPad apps out. To be fair, Google+ is newer than the rest, but if the company really wants to take on Facebook it should be leading by example and getting a native iPad app out there ASAP. Besides the iPad "compatibility," today's update brings Huddle settings and aggregated circle add notifications along with the usual performance and stability improvements. Google+ is a free download.
Google's Realtime Search will return, probably sans Twitter
Lovers often split up and then get back together. According to Mashable, however, the tiff between Google and Twitter over Realtime Search is taking on a cold air of finality -- even though it seemed kinda temporary at the time. The Big G just reiterated plans to restore its social networking search function, based on Google+ and "other sources," but it made no mention of its former sweetheart. Oh well, a wise person once told us that when it comes to relationships, you should never press rewind.
Google acquires PittPatt, wants to know you on a face-to-face basis
Google's quietly pitter-pattering its acquisitive ways back into the controversial realm of facial recognition technology. To do that, the company busted out its oversized wallet to fold Pittsburgh-based PittPatt into the Mountain View borg. Founded by a trio of PhD's from Carnegie Mellon University, this three-man strong outfit specializes in the sort of object recognition software you've come to know as "tagging." Is this a reversal of the Do No Evil tech giant's prior waffling on the dubious visioning tech, or just another massive weapon in its social networking crusade against Facebook? We'd err on the side of both, although the company's new employees aren't exactly playing their cards for us to see. A brief statement on the triumvirate's site makes vague mention of "computer vision technology" being core to Google's products and points to the tech's planned integration in photo, video and mobile applications. So, basically, expect to see Picasa, Goggles, YouTube and Google+ watch you as you flaunt your internet celebrity ways to that front-facing camera.
There may be some games in your Google Plus soon
Google+ wants more than your personal information, pictures and firstborn son browser history -- it wants to host your games, too. A Google+ games service is set to launch soon, featuring a better developer revenue cut than Facebook and cleaner hosting policies, according to tech site AllThingsD. Google is expected to take less than 30 percent in revenue from its games, beating both Facebook and Apple. Google also has the means to operate as a "native client," hosting games on its own servers, which could equate faster loading times and fewer glitches. There hasn't been any official comment, but aspects such as In-App Payments, which would allow Google to monetize a games service, and an investment deal with Zynga, lead AllThingsD to believe the service will launch "soon," perhaps even within the month. Google+ also has its explosive userbase to sell to developers, with over 10 million users who share and receive one billion items each day. Even if it doesn't launch this month, we're pretty sure Google won't pass up a games service in the near future.
Google+ iPhone app now available on App Store (updated)
The Google Plus social network has kicked into high gear, despite a limited number of available invites over the first few weeks. Starting today it's even easier for iOS users to share with Circles, follow a Stream or do rapid-fire messaging with a Huddle: the iPhone app for Google+ is now in the US store. The free app supports the Stream, Circles and Huddle features; it's just now downloading on our iPhones so we'll check out the detailed options shortly. Enjoy, Plussians! A few quick notes: the app is truly iPhone-only, and will not install on the iPod touch or iPad. Some users running the iOS 5 beta report crashes, which is unsurprising but worth mentioning. Also, it's very difficult to search for the app in the App Store (one would think that the world's largest search company would know that '+' is a common search modifier and tricky to include in a literal search string); the easiest way to find it, short of the direct link, is to browse the list of all the apps published by Google. Thanks to MediaKat for the tip. Update: The app was updated within an hour of release. Fastest update we've ever seen. From the app's description it appears to have been an issue on Apple's end (ouch!): We discovered an issue with the version of the iPhone Google+ App that was on the App Store. When we launched, the App Store started serving a previous test version of the App which didn't have the stability and fixes that the latest version had. It started serving the correct version a little later. If you downloaded within the first 1 hour 40 mins, you may have downloaded the older test version.
Google+ app for iPhone now available
Google promised that iPhone users would soon be getting a Google+ app of their own, and it's now here. Not surprisingly, it looks a lot like the Android app, including views of your main stream and nearby users, sharing via Circles, and support for the Huddle group messaging feature. It's not a universal app, though, so iPad users are still left out for the time being, as are those with an iPod touch, for yet reasons unknown. Update: Google's Punit Soni notes that there was a small issue that initially caused a test version of the app to to be served from the App Store. If you grabbed the app as soon as it was available (within the first hour and 40 minutes, specifically), you'll likely have to re-download it to get the current version (1.0.1.1809).
Microsoft leaks Tulalip internal project, planning to launch social search... thing?
Google's Social Search may have to make room for an extra guest at the table, now that Microsoft has leaked the homepage for what looks like a new social service -- of some sort. Fusible first discovered the page sitting at socl.com, a domain that MS recently purchased. Known as Tulalip (also the name of a group of Native American tribes near Redmond), the project promises to help users "find what you need and share what you know easier than ever" -- which, at this early stage, is pretty difficult to do, considering that the page's search field is non-functioning. The platform also features sign-in buttons for Facebook and Twitter, the latter of which leads to an authorization page explaining that Tulalip is an "experimental app," and that it will be able to "update your profile" and "post tweets for you" (see the screenshot, after the break). It's too early, of course, to say whether or not the service will launch as a direct competitor to Social Search, or if it'll even get off the ground, though Microsoft insists that it didn't mean to tip its hand so early. The Socl.com welcome page now reads: "Socl.com is an internal design project from one of Microsoft's research teams which was mistakenly published to the web. We didn't mean to, honest." [Thanks, Brian]
Page: growth on Google+ has been great, over one billion items shared
Wondering why Google+ ran out of disk space? Looks like it might be a casualty of growth: in today's earnings call, Google CEO Larry Page revealed that since its launch, more than ten million people have joined Google+, sharing some one billion items every day. Those numbers not big enough for you? Then chew on this: that little +1 button? It gets clicked 2.3 billion times per day in its own right. It's still a far cry from the 750 million users actively addicted to Facebook, but still, that's a heck of a start.
Google+ runs out of disk space, floods inboxes with notification spam
If you're one of the lucky ones who landed themselves a Google+ account, you might have felt a little less fortunate when your inbox was bombarded by repeated notifications. Vic Gundotra, the Goog's social mastermind, took to the fledgling service to apologize and explain what happened. Turns out the servers in charge of tracking notifications ran out of disk space for about 80 minutes -- causing them to repeatedly send and resend the same messages. In his Plus posting Gundotra admitted, "we didn't expect to hit these high thresholds so quickly, but we should have." Sure, it may have been annoying to get 17 alerts that your old college roommate added you to his circles, but we've got to give credit to Vic for owning this mini fail. The company better hope it can scale up capacity quick -- Google+ invites are still a hot property and it's got a lot of growing to do before it can truly compete with the likes of Facebook.
Google+ recommends that businesses hold back for now, says current offering is consumer-focused
So, Johnson & Johnson -- you're a male, right? If you've tried looping your business into Google+, you may have noticed that it's not exactly setup for that right now. In case you didn't, however, Goog's own Christian Oestlien has a bit of intel he'd like you to know. For now, Google+ remains a consumer-oriented affair, but he did say that there's a team of engineers toiling away on "an amazing Google+ experience for businesses." As for features? Mum's the word, really, but we are told that it'll "far exceed the consumer profile in terms of its usefulness to businesses." The company's asking for patience while the finishing touches are made, and Google's going to be testing the waters with a few marketing partners over the next few months. As for when your own LLC can take advantage? "Later this year."
Google+ sneaks NFC into its Android app, gets caught red-handed
NFC is gradually turning to the social side, thanks to new functionality found within the Google+ app for Android. Software developer Ridzuan Ashim discovered that, when used on an NFC-enabled device, you can read tags and share them through the new social networking service. After scanning, the OS asks you if you want to share the associated text with Google+ or another relevant program. Though the abilities seem somewhat limited for now, we'll likely see more developer support tossed in as the service matures. Using NFC in this way could lead us into a group Huddle, check us in at a restaurant and share it with our Circles, and perhaps even add us into somebody's Circle or Hangout. It's only functional on a limited number of Android devices for now, so if you happen to use a Nexus S and have been invited to the exclusive club better known as Google+, you're a prime candidate for giving it a look-see. If the above criteria doesn't apply, check out the video below to experience all that near-field glory through someone else's phone.
Google+ to require that profiles be visible to all, will boot private profiles after July 31st
Don't want anyone searching for you on Google+? No problem! Just leave your profile marked as private and Google will punt your page from the cloud after July 31st. If you still want your profile around come August, you'll need to mark it as public before that deadline. You can still keep most of your personal details under lock and key, limiting access to specific elements to yourself, your Circles, extended Circles, or anyone on the web -- Google does require that your full name and gender be available to everyone, however. Want your social network profile to be forever visible to you and you alone? MySpace is still around. For a little while longer, at least.
Picasa, Blogger to get renamed: now with more Google?
Google's reportedly trying to put all of its product eggs into one self-branded basket. According to Mashable, two of its most popular services -- Picasa and Blogger -- may go under the branding knife and come out the other side looking like 'Google Photos' and 'Google Blogs.' With the exception of the latter's planned UI overhaul, both services should function exactly the same. The move -- alleged to take place within the next six weeks -- would unify the search king's user offerings ahead of the public launch of Google+. And if that social service's rumored July 31st launch date pans out, we could be seeing this overhaul very soon. But don't expect crown jewel YouTube to receive similar treatment, that site's brand equity already sent its ugly step-sister -- Google Video -- to the grave.
Google+ iOS app already submitted for Apple's approval, employee says
Whereas Android users were able to get their hands on a Google+ app as soon as the social network launched, iOS users have thus far been left out in the cold, with nary a soul to "hang out" with. Fortunately for them, though, their arduous, week-long wait may be coming to an end, now that Google+ has applied for App Store citizenship. The confirmation came yesterday from Erica Joy, a Mountain View employee who shared the news on her Google+ profile. According to Joy, the app has already been submitted for approval, leaving it up to Apple's council of elders to give the yea or nay. Joy didn't specify the exact date on which Google applied for iOS entry (saying only that it happened prior to yesterday's post), nor did she speculate as to when the app may be ratified. But unless it's laced with political rhetoric or packing a dictionary, Google+ should sail through the approval process... maybe.
Google+ code reveals intent to unleash Games and Questions to the social world
Having a difficult time getting your honeydew list checked off because you're trying to level up in Mafia Wars? You may want to just chuck the whole sheet of paper in the trash. Buried deep in Google Plus' source code are a few curious references to at least two new services that may very well be destined for the invite-only social networking suite. The first is Google Games, the tech giant's first venture into the world of social gaming. While this isn't a big stunner -- recent job postings insinuated that this feature would come around sooner or later -- it makes perfect sense for it to be included as part of the Google+ experience to help strengthen Mountain View's bid against the likes of Facebook. Also on the company's white board is Questions, a likely love child of Google's $50 million acquisition of Aardvark. When the source code offers up hints like "you might try rephrasing or tagging your question to make it easier for someone to answer," along with the utterance of sharing questions with others and commenting on answers, nothing could be more indicative of a social service. There still isn't a strong indication that we'll see these two features pop up anytime soon, but the hamster wheels are definitely turning right now, and we're piecing the clues together. At the rate things are going, these services may easily be ready before we all get invites. [Thanks, Ian]
