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Google+ is automatically creating your own year in review video
If you're anything like us, the thought of sifting through mountains of media to create a year in review video is more than a little intimidating. However, it just got a lot easier for some Google+ members. The social network is now using Auto Awesome to create year in review clips for anyone who has been uploading enough photos and videos throughout 2013; if you're one of the lucky ones, the clip should be available in about a week. It won't be quite the same as a lovingly crafted highlight reel, but it could prevent a few headaches during the holidays.
Google's 2013 Zeitgeist includes Mandela, iPhones and a 3D trend map (video)
Google is back again with its annual list of the most popular searches of the year -- only this time, with a 3D twist. In addition to old-fashioned 2D charts, the internet giant's 2013 Zeitgeist includes a trend globe that lets you see what major cities were looking for on any given day. Google+ also plays a large role, as you can share and browse the social network's most memorable public photos. Like in years past, 2013's top searches were a mixture of tech and tragedy. The deaths of Nelson Mandela and Paul Walker led the world's queries, but many also spent a lot of time looking for the iPhone 5s, Galaxy S 4 and PlayStation 4. Other notable searches ranged from serious matters like the Boston Marathon bombing to the silliness of the Harlem Shake. Want to see more? Hop past the break, where we have both the full top 10 list as well as Google's year-in-review video.
Google+ for Android update brings search and notification improvements, holiday cheer
Following last month's update to enhance locations and photos, the folks in Mountain View are rolling out version 4.2.4 of Google+ for Android today. Added features this time around include the ability to search everything from the same box and content browsing by category from the What's Hot stream. Notifications get a tweak as well, allowing users to control who's able to buzz them immediately by adjusting "Who can notify me" in the settings menu. Finally, to show you're in the proper seasonal spirit, shaking your device now adds animated snow to an open photo via Auto Awesome. A second shake will save the image for posterity. The updated software is making its way to Google Play "gradually," so check back later if it's not snowing... er, showing up just yet.
Google's +Post ads bring full social networking to sales pitches (video)
Social networking in web ads is frequently limited to sharing buttons -- it's hard to get involved with companies short of visiting their news feeds on your own. Google's new +Post ad format could turn these sales pitches into true conversations. The technology converts a brand's existing Google+ posts into web ads with a full social component; you can comment on ads, repost them and join live Hangouts without leaving the page you're visiting. Only brands like Cadbury UK, Ritz and Toyota USA are testing +Post ads right now, but Google plans to broaden the platform's reach in the months ahead. Don't be surprised if Google+ quickly becomes ubiquitous on the ad-supported internet.
Chrome OS scores a redesigned camera app that'll soon record video and upload to YouTube
You have a Chromebook, yes? Well, if you're webcam-inclined, Google has some potentially big news for you. The Chromium team has completely overhauled the Camera app's UI, and according to Mountain View's "Happiness Evangelist" François Beaufort, new functionality is in the hopper. Soon, the application will offer video recording, direct uploading to YouTube and Google+ as well as syncing captured pictures across all of your Chrome devices. (Handy!) If you want a look at the operating system's new camera interface sooner rather than later, you can head over to the Chrome web store and grab the update right now.
Google+ for iOS gets full-res photo backups, lets you share your location
After nearly a month, Google is delivering on its promise of bringing full-size photo and video backups to Google+ on iOS. The app's version 4.6 update now lets iOS 7 users upload imagery at its original resolution as long as there's enough available cloud storage. Photographers aren't the only ones who benefit from the new software, though. It also introduces the location-sharing option from the Android release, translates posts in-line and unifies search. Socialites eager for more detail in their pictures (or their whereabouts) just need to visit the App Store for an upgrade.
Google+ for Android updated with improved Locations, Beam support for photos
The Google+ app for Android is getting a small version bump starting today, and while most of the changelog is filled with bug fixes, there are a few new features worth getting excited about. For one, when you fire up Locations, it will automatically update your friends locations. It's a nice touch, and one that honestly should have been there from day one... but we digress. The rest of the changes apply to the photos portion of the app, which we all know got a serious boost a few weeks ago. Now Google is adding Android Beam support for sharing photos over NFC, and integrating photos with its Daydream screensaver feature. And, if you're looking for nitty gritty details about your photos' focal length, file size, exposure time and all that good stuff, you'll find it under a new drop down menu on each individual picture. On the web, anyone using Google+ from their desktop will notice a new design rolling out on profiles starting today. Now, cover photos are expanded across the top of the page, with the user's profile details on the left side, laid over a blurred segment of the pic. The Android app is rolling out slowly so you may not see it on the Play Store immediately, but the profile tweaks should be visible right away.
YouTube flips the switch on its new conversation-style comment system powered by Google+
Back in September, YouTube revealed its plan to overhaul comments on the video site with the helping hand of Google+. Now, that new system has gone live. Conversation-style commenting that ranks based on a number of key factors (like people you know), allows private notations solely for those in your Circles and serves up easy moderation in order to quell the naysayers like word filters and auto-approval. The new Google+-powered system should be popping up on YouTube channels that you frequent soon as the global roll out has already begun.
Google+ Connected Classrooms offers virtual field trips with the help of Hangouts
Field trips are usually restricted to points of interest that can be easily reached by bus during regular school hours. Now, Google has a tool for enabling virtual visits to educational stops near and far via Hangouts. The folks in Mountain View have launched Connected Classrooms through Google+: a project that brings destinations students may never have the chance to experience in real life within reach inside their classrooms. Trips to the Seattle Aquarium, Minnesota Zoo and Solar Impulse hangar are the first three stops for the program, and soon enough, teachers will be able sign up for virtual tours with over 20 partners. There's also the ability to collaborate with fellow educators and access content all within the confines for Google+. For a glimpse at the potential, head on past the break for a quick video teaser.
Google+ expands custom URLs to more people, commoners included
You no longer need to be a star athlete or a pop diva to get a vanity URL on Google+. Even if you're but an Average Joe, you can now get a custom link that's possible to memorize, so long as you meet a handful of (easy) requirements. If you have a profile photo, have 10 or more followers and an account that's at least 30 days old, simply visit your profile to bid the random string of characters on your URL farewell. Brands and businesses, however, need to link to their websites or be verified to enjoy the perk. In case you've yet to see the claim option on your page, sit tight -- Google's rolling the feature out to more accounts throughout the week.
With 1.5 billion image uploads per week, Google+ focuses in on photography
Google+ got a slew of photo-oriented features at a special event on Tuesday, including much-improved Instant Upload on iOS, Auto Awesome Action and new HDR controls in Snapseed. However, the occasion also provided new insights into the performance of Google's young social network. The company now counts 540 million Google+ users across all of its sites, uploading 1.5 billion photos each week. These are both giant figures for a service that launched slightly over two years ago. While the milestones don't directly compare to Facebook's achievements, they hint that Google+ has created a distinct audience thanks in part to its photographic prowess.
Google+ full-res backups and background sync coming to iOS soon
Vic Gundotra is on stage at a Google Plus event this afternoon, and is showing off many of the upcoming features for the social network. One such feature will benefit iOS users, because you'll soon be able to add full-size image backups and background syncing on Apple's mobile OS. We're still unsure of when this is coming, but we'll keep you posted if and when we hear more.
Google+ updates Auto Awesome with video highlight reels and action shots
It was only at this year's I/O that Google introduced a new feature it calls Auto Awesome, which lets you edit your photos in Google+ and even create your own GIFs. The company's not done enhancing this ability, however, as Vic Gundotra has announced that video capability is coming to the tool as well. Called Auto Awesome Movies, you'll now be able to set up an HTC-like video highlight reel. Now, you can add multiple video clips, throw in some music (with your choice of different styles) and have Google+ sync your footage to go well with the background tune. You can select the duration of the movie, and Google will recalibrate which video clips and music should be used to fit your particular needs. However, it's not just video getting the update treatment -- you'll now be able to create action shots and erase other people out of your pictures. That said, we've seen all of these features implemented in specific OEM interfaces -- Movies is quite similar to HTC's Video Highlights, Action looks a lot like Samsung's Drama Mode and Erase is, well, akin to Samsung's Eraser mode -- but Google's option will eventually be available on a wider variety of devices. We're told the functionality will be limited in compatibility to Android 4.3 or higher, so it may be a while before there are a significant number of devices able to take advantage of them. For those who are lucky enough to have the right firmware, Action and Eraser should begin rolling out today, while Movies will be a part of the next major Google+ update that's destined for devices in the next few days. We spent a few minutes getting some hands-on time with the new features, so check out our video below the break.
Google Hangouts update teased in leaked screenshots, SMS integration incoming
Wondering what new features we'll see once Google official unveils the Nexus 5? Android Police has a hint: an overhauled, more comprehensive Hangouts app. A pair of leaked screenshots seem to deliver on a promise Google made back in May, and show evidence of an SMS integrated hangout app. An image of the app's conversation window shows that messages will be branded by their delivery method, including a "via SMS" tag next to the text's time stamp. It hints at a more unified communication platform for Android, but the settings page helpfully illustrates that using Hangouts for SMS is optional -- a check mark allows the feature to be cleanly disabled for those who prefer to keep their conversations segregated. Although these shots line up with previous rumors, Android Police can't say when the update might be available or if it will actually coincide with the release of KitKat or the Nexus 5. Either way, we're looking forward to finding out.
Google+ introduces better RAW-to-JPEG conversion for over 70 cameras
If you've been paying much attention to Google+, you already know that the social network is doing its damnedest to become the go-to destination for photographers. Accordingly, it's attracted a number of RAW format enthusiasts -- thanks to the ability to store full-size photos -- and to make their lives a little better, Google+ is introducing a new RAW-to-JPEG conversion method that offers noticeably better results. Over 70 cameras from Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic and Sony are supported as of today, and Google says that it'll add additional models over time. Since Google+ automatically converts RAW photos to JPEG for viewing purposes (while retaining the original), the new conversion method should be readily apparent. You can view the complete list of supported cameras after the break, and as for the improved quality of conversions, go ahead and have a look for yourself. Hopefully your eyes agree with Google's claim.
Google Search adds support for hashtags, pulls related info from Google+
The latest way Google is working social media into its search engine is with the use of familiar hashtags, but at least for now that doesn't include direct results from competitors like Facebook and Twitter. Available initially to users in the US and Canada, searches that include hashtags (like #ExpandNY, for example) will gain a right rail display relevant Google+ posts that were either shared publicly or to you. Even if you're not an avid user of the #, since Google+ autogenerates hashtags for many posts, it should be easy to find related info for pretty much any topic. According to Zaheed Sabur, there are also links to search said hashtag on other social sites, although which ones weren't specified. Even if you're in the right area you probably won't see the new feature just yet, as it's going live "within the next few hours."
Google patent filing describes tailored online book clubs, minus the wine
The phrase "virtual book club" may not conjure romantic visions of low-lit rooms and vintage wines, but you don't necessarily need those things to throw fancy words around. Amazon-owned Goodreads hosts user-created online clubs, but a Google patent application that's surfaced today imagines a different way of bringing bookworms together. It describes a system that automatically prompts the buyer of a new title, presumably acquired through Google Books, to join a club. To make this virtual version a little more like the real thing, it'll suggest specific groups based on your age, location, interests, preferred club size, reading speed and literary tastes. Furthermore, you'll only be coupled with those who've bought the work recently, so your new-found chums aren't on page 400 before you've even started. It'll all be managed through a social network, of course (we hear Google has one of those), and members will be able to fill specific roles within the club hierarchy. They'll also be able to schedule "activities," which we assume is patentese for Hangouts and the like to foster discussion. The patent filing also talks of financial rewards to tempt participation, which sounds like the perfect strategy for building millions of inactive G+ pages.
Google+ Hangouts get Live Q&A for those burning questions that just can't wait
Google+'s Hangouts On Air is a nice feature for broadcasting yourself to the world, but it's been a bit of a one-way street when it comes to interacting with your droves of adoring fans. Mountain View will be addressing that problem over the next few days with the rollout of Live Q&A, a feature that lets On Air hosts solicit, select and answer Qs you can A from up to one million simultaneous viewers. Those questions will be timestamped and added to the YouTube recording of the video, as well. The full version of the feature is coming to the desktop version of Google+, with read-only hitting Android devices.
Google+ brings Snapseed-powered photo editing tools to desktop Chrome (video)
Google added Snapseed photo editing to its Google+ apps on Android and iOS back in March, and now it's bringing them to the desktop. The new tools include Auto Enhance, selective adjust editing, and filters, all powered by the Chrome browser's Native Client tech. Not familiar with how that works? Google brought Native Client to Chrome back in 2011, and it allows developers to port code written in languages like C and C++ so it runs in the browser. Vic Gundotra said on Google+ that this is the Snapseed app built for Chrome, so we'll see if more mobile apps and features follow it over. If you're not using Chrome you'll have to live with basic crop and rotate editing tools on Google+, but even those have been shifted around to make them easier to find. Once the new options are available on your account (as usual, they're rolling out slowly over the next few weeks) all you'll need to do is select one of your photos in Chrome and hit "edit" to see them. Until then, check out the video demo embedded after the break.
Google+ adds embedded posts and expands authorship in search results
Following in the footsteps of Twitter and Facebook, Google announced today the introduction of embedded posts for Google+. As you can see in the picture above, the drop down menu at the top of each G+ post now offers the option to embed; clicking the "Embed post" link summons a pop-up screen with an easy-to-use code. Text, photo and media posts are fully supported, and embedded content comes with the full range of Google+ functions, so you can +1, follow and comment with relative ease. Additionally, the company is integrating Google+ with its authorship program, starting with Wordpress and Typepad. So, the content you create for either platform will be linked to your G+ account if you sign in with Google, and your profile will be linked to in search results. To read more about today's update, head on over to the source link below.
