Google Plus

Google just announced a small, but welcomed, update to Gmail. Among the new features is the ability to quickly access contact information and Google+ circles from within your inbox.

When searching for an email address in Gmail, in addition to person’s profile image and past conversations, you will now see the person’s contact details like email, phone number, and quick links to start voice and video chats. Google noted the contact data would automatically stay updated for users who have a Google+ profile.

Google has integrated with Gmail through a number of ways in recent months, but today’s update brings further integration with the ability to use Circles in search and filters by typing circle:[circle name] or has:circle. The update also adds profile photos of people in any selected circle in the upper right of the page. The new features will roll out to all Gmail users today.

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Google released a pretty substantial update to its Google+ for iPhone app this afternoon by adding a much crisper user-interface that actually makes the app a bit more enjoyable to use. The update is very welcomed, because the first version of the Google+ app was not very well received by the community. The release notes from Google:

• Whether you post photos or articles or text, we’re making ‘em look gooood.
• We’re adding crisper fonts, larger profile pics and a friendlier homescreen.
• We’re making the stream easier to scan, and easier on the eyes with overlays, gradients and other visual elements.
• Conversations fall into view as you move forward and backward in time.
• Optical cues (like parallax) help the mind linger on individual posts.
• Important actions like +1 now float atop the stream, making it easy to endorse all your favorites.

Check out the full gallery!

When Google revealed its Project Glass last month, the team did not actually show what could be produced from the glasses. Sure, it announced the glasses would feature augmented reality and other smartphone-like apps, but nothing along the lines of an actual photograph taken. However, a few weeks ago, a Google X executive went on “Charlie Rose” to speak a little more about the glasses. During the interview, he posted a picture on Google+ actually taken with the glasses. While the picture does not feature groundbreaking quality, it is still cool to see something taken with the glasses.

Today, we got another look at a photo taken with Project Glass. One of the project leaders, Sebastian Thrun, posted on Google+ today a picture taken with the glasses. As you can see above, the quality seems better this time around, but that could just be due to better lighting.

The folks behind Project Glass are still working on getting the prototypes up and running, and it seems to be coming along nicely. At an event last month, Google co-founder Sergey Brin was seen rocking a pair, although, he made a comment at the time that the glasses were just rebooting and no actual features were working. As we reported a few weeks ago, Google is still up in the air about giving out pairs at Google I/O this summer. However, it looks like Google is starting to get some key features working. We cannot wait to hear more.

Vic Gundotra also tried Project Glass, as you can see after the break:

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Google took to the Official Google Plus Platform Blog this afternoon to announce its new Google+ Share button.

The feature does exactly what it indicates and lets visitors share content with their friends, rather than use the newly-revamped +1 button for a quick endorsement. Oh, and it even turns from gray to red after being clicked (take a look above).

The Google+ Share button is open to publishers around the world, and the code is available to Google Developers at the developers.google.com website.

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=A3Atj57r15U]

Today, on the Official Google Blog, the company just announced a significant update to Google+ that introduces a “a more functional and flexible version of Google+.” The updated service now includes a new app sidebar for navigation, a redesigned stream to help the flow of conversations, updated user profiles with larger photos, revamped Hang Outs, and a new chat list.

The biggest new feature included in the update is redesigned navigation. While navigation was previously done through the static icons at the top of Google+, it has now been moved to a “a dynamic ribbon of applications on the left.” With the new navigation ribbon, you will be able to perform the following:

1. You can drag apps up or down to create the order you want

2. You can hover over certain apps to reveal a set of quick actions

3. You can show or hide apps by moving them in and out of “More”

Google also made many improvements to the way “conversations” work. These improvements include full size photos and videos in your stream, new “conversations cards” that “make it easier to scan and join discussions,” and an “activity drawer” that allows you to keep track of conversations happening around your content.

The video below shows the new Navigation Ribbon in action:

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Google+ now displays Google Contacts data in friends’ profiles.

“Many of you, like me, use Google Contacts to manage your personal address book. If that’s the case, then starting today we’ll include this contact info on your friends’ Google+ profiles — for your eyes only, of course,” announced Product Manager Sean Purcell on Google+.

Thus, Gmail and Android users’ Google Contacts are now integrated with the social network. For example: If a coworker has a new number recently stored in Google Contacts, it will automatically sync with Google+ in the  “Details from Google Contacts” section. Purcell also provided a visual example of the new feature in the above image.

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[youtube=http://youtu.be/YR_tckUfcEc]

Daria Musk is a singer-songwriter that joined Google+ last July and went from zero followers to over 1 million with the help of Hangouts in less than 8 months.

Check out the video above to hear this performer’s awe-inspiring story. It looks like YouTube isn’t the only Google service turning-out stars these days (ahem—Bieber). The official Google Ad Words blog also highlighted Musk in a post today about how to go global with Google+:

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Just when the tech-world is seemingly about to explode with apps—apps for Android, apps for iPhone, apps for set-top boxes, apps for computers, apps for Facebook—Google adds to the bubbling pot with Google+ Hangout apps.

Google Product Manager Amit Fulay announced on Google+ today the first implementation of apps in the social network’s standout multi-person video chat feature:

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Appcelerator and IDC just released its Q1 2012 Mobile Developer report that focused on the “emerging social battle between Facebook and Google” and the increasing importance of HTML5 for app developers. The study surveyed a group of 2000+ developers earlier this year and asked them how they planned to implement HTML5, as well as “social capabilities” during 2012.

Of the developers surveyed, almost 80 percent planned to incorporate HTML5 elements in their apps. The report claimed mobile HTML5 apps would become increasingly popular in the app landscape currently dominated with native apps, but that “HTML5 will also exist in ‘hybrid apps,’ which will integrate both HTML5 and varying amounts of native code.”

Even with increased adoption of HTML5 among mobile developers, only 6 percent of respondents planned to develop their apps entirely in HTML5. Meanwhile, approximately 72 percent planned to develop hybrid apps.

In the second half of the report, the study focused on the “network effect” of Google’s services and its potential to be more important for developer’s implementing social capabilities in their apps during 2012…

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Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney will host a Google+ Hangout today as the first in a series of GOP presidential candidate Hangouts.

“In American politics, there’s nothing quite so frantic or fast-paced as a presidential campaign,” announced Google+’s Head of Community Partnerships Steve Grove on the Google Politics & Elections page. “Google+ Hangouts have made that a little bit easier, providing new ways for politicians, political organizations, advocates and campaigners to connect directly over video to share information online.”

More information is available below.

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Earlier today, we told you Google Docs is now integrated into Google+ for all users, and now the social network is getting another update from the Google+ Photos team. A new album organizer is rolling out today that allows you to sort, reorder, move, copy, and batch-delete photos from within your Google+ account. You can access the new features by clicking “Organize album” from the Options menu of an album.

Go past the fold for the full breakdown from Google.

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Google announced that Docs is now officially integrated into the core Google+ Hangouts experience by allowing users to collaborate on documents from within a hangout. The feature essentially adds video chat capabilities to the web-based Google Docs experience. Up until now, the feature was only accessible through “Hangouts with extras,” an opt-in preview of scrennsharing, Sketchpad, and Google Docs integration. To use the new feature, simply click the “Docs” button during your hangout. The other features included in the preview have not yet been switched on for all users.

To try it out, just click on the new “Docs” button inside your hangout:

– you can add an existing document, or upload a new one

– added documents are available as a list on the left-hand side

– you can switch between and collaboratively edit multiple documents at once

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Google opens its registration for its annual I/O conference on March 27. Remember, tickets sold out last year in under an hour so set your alarms!

The conference also moved from May to June this year where Google will debut many new technologies, including some Glasses hopefully. While we do not have official word on the Glasses “Project WingFront,” we were told by a Google employee that this year’s I/O was going to be “totally insane.” Perhaps so insane that Google moved from a two-day format to three days this year.

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Google also updated its I/O website with some fun and games.
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The New York Times posted a back-and-forth piece today about Google+ having an image problem ironically within hours after the search engine announcing it rebranded Android Market to “Google Play.”

Reports circulated recently over ComScore’s latest findings that show users only spend three minutes a month on Google+. Meanwhile, the study revealed people spend close to 7 hours a month on Facebook.

Google itself combats public whispers over such studies with its own statistics. Google’s Vice President for Engineering Vic Gundotra told the NYT that Google+ has approximately 100 million accounts with over 50 million daily users.

The Mountain View, Calif.-based Company has a suite of integrated products, such as YouTube, Google.com, and Google Play, which contribute to Google+’s fan base. Gundotra’s statistics include the amount of people who regularly use such products.

In other words, Gundotra indicates that signing up for a Google+ account and regularly using any related product makes one an active daily user of the social network, but he also said his figures do not accurately depict what is happening at Google.

“This is just the next version of Google,” said Gundotra to the NYT, while comparing Google+ to a social blanket that covers the entire Google experience. “Everything is being upgraded. We already have users. We’re now upgrading them to what we consider Google 2.0.”

More information is available below.

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui1SzY6OZDk]

I am a huge fan of National Geographic’s documentaries on the narcotics industry, especially shows like “Drugs, Inc.” and “Banged Up Abroad.” To be perfectly clear, I am enjoying them for educational purposes only. Now, touching on this age-defining question, Versus from Intelligence² teamed with Google to bring a debate on the drugs industry to its users.

It is chaired by BBC newsreader and presenter Emily Maitlis and will also feature WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, British tycoon Richard Branson, English entertainer Russell Brand, the former presidents from Mexico and Brazil, and others.

It is the first in a series of global debates in co-operation with Versus that will occur through Google+ Hangouts and stream on YouTube. A post over at the official Google blog said the first motion up for debate is: “It’s time to end the War on Drugs.” You can join the hangout on Google+ here.

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If you have not yet noticed them, Google started rolling out updates to both the Google Wallet and Google+ for Android apps today. The Google+ update available does not contain much beyond the typical “stability improvements and bug fixes,” but Google Wallet received several new features including support for PO Boxes and an “increased allowable address length” for Prepaid Cards. It also has enhancements to the Core Wallet system and syncing of rewards cards. You can find the Google Wallet update in the Market here.
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Google just released an update to its Google+ for iOS, bringing it to version 1.0.9.4278. Today’s update for the iOS app brings it up-to-par with the Google+ Android app, which was updated last week. The update brings three new updates: Instant upload of photos, you can see who +1d posts, and the new “What’s Hot” stream.

You can grab the update on the iTunes App Store.

If you ever happen to have no messages in your Gmail inbox, you might notice Google’s subtle way of promoting Google Reader with the small ad for Google Reader (below). Now, Google has removed the “Try Google Reader” link and replaced it with a new message promoting Google+ (via Google Operating System blog). The message now reads, “No new mail! See what people are talking about on Google+” (pictured above). Within the new message is a link to the “What’s Hot” stream of Google+.

With the launch Google+, and its incredible growth (about 750,000 new users a day), many warned the growth was attributable to Google’s ability to pull in Google+ users. So, what happens when it runs out of Gmail users to bring in? Google may have already thought that through with a recent update to the Google account creation process requiring users to both create a Gmail account and automatically create a profile and Google+ account. In other words, not only is the company pulling in Gmail users, but also anyone that wants or needs a Google account for other services.

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Google released its latest update for Google+ for Android, bringing an array of new improvements. The update brings an overall speed increase that will make for a much more enjoyable experience, and the Google+ team added a ‘What’s Hot’ section to the app to see the latest buzz from friends. In the app, users can also see who +1’d posts and more. The full changelog is below.

1. Massive performance improvements across the app
2. What’s Hot!
3. View who +1′d a post or comment
4. Stream posts shortened to fit more per scroll
5. Infinite photos feed in ‘From your circles’
6. Stream no longer jumps to the top for an automatic refresh

You can download the update on the Android Market.

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Poking fun at Barak Obama’s recent Google hangout and the greater Google Plus, late night comedian Jon Stewart called Google Plus “that thing on top of Gmail that you can’t make go away”.

Google plus, even if it is “that annoying thing on top of Gmail” for some is becoming quite popular it seems.  Google Plus also won a Crunchie last night.
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