Google Hangouts Google's New, Beautiful Messaging Application

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Thursday, May 16, 2013

Google Hangouts Google's New, Beautiful Messaging Application

Thursday, May 16, 2013 by G.Binu

Google I/O upgraded Google+ Hangouts a popular group video application to help bring all real-life conversations online, across any device or platform, and with groups of up to 10 friends. Google unveiled the newly designed Google+, which helps you easily explore content as well dramatically improve your online photo experience to give you crisp, beautiful photos without the work.

Google Hangouts: conversations that last, with the people you love

Google launching its stand-alone version of Hangouts that combines text, photos and live video across Android, iOS and your computer. The app is fast, free, and includes a number of key benefits, like:

Messaging is richer, and more responsive. Photos and emoji make conversations more fun, while real-time activity indicators really bring them to life.
Your conversations can last. With conversation history, you can swipe back in time and relive all your favorite moments. (You can also turn off history, if you want.)
No more annoying notifications. Once you see a notification on one device, we'll clear it from your other Android devices and computers. You can also snooze notifications when you don't want to be interrupted.
You can always say hello, face-to-face-to-face. Whether you’re 1-on-1 or with a group of friends, you can always make a free video call to everyone you're with.
The app is available in lots of places. You can download Hangouts from Google Play, the App Store, and the Chrome Web Store. It’s also part of Gmail and Google+.

Android Messaging Is Still A Mess

At the end of the day, Hangouts replaces one app: Google Talk. Maybe, hopefully, Google+ Messenger will be removed in the next G+, update, but for right now it is still on our phones. Hangouts doesn't integrate SMS or Google Voice in any way, so, at best, Android is down from 4 IM clients to 3.

As much as I would like to gush over a new Google product, Hangouts is a disappointment, there's really no other way to put it. It's a much, much nicer Google Talk, but that's all it is, another instant messaging client. The lack of SMS and Google Voice integration means Google hasn't solved the primary problem with their messaging apps. The lack of online presence is really annoying, and actually make the friends list less functional than Google Talk's. The biggest change over Google Talk is that your iOS frenemies can now get in on the action too, but back in Android land, we are still all waiting for our unified messenger.