No more invites friends, Google Plus is now open to all after three months of its launch ! By now, most of the people already have Google Plus through invites and for those who have never got any invite, there is no need to search for one any more. Have a Google ID ? Get access to your plus profile right away!
According to Vic Gundotra, Google’s Social Media Executive, ” We’re nowhere near done, but with the improvements we’ve made so far we’re ready to move from field trial to beta, and introduce our 100th feature : open signups. This way anyone can visit google.com/+, join the project and connect with the people they care about.” Google was in this ‘invite-only’ mode for 90 days and had brought 91 different improvements. With the 100th feature being released, Google has also released 9 more additional features for Google Plus today mainly concentrating on Hangouts. Here is a brief description of those new features.
Hangouts on Phone
Now you can start Hangouts on your Android phone 2.3 + devices provided that it has a front-facing camera. More over, Google would also be releasing it for iOs making your iPads and iPods compatible !
Hangouts on Air
Enabling you to be on air with about 9 people joining in.
Hangouts with Extras
This one here is what makes everything more interesting and amazing. With your friends you can share your screen, sketch on a sketch pad to draw out plans, use Google Docs and create your own group of hangouts!
Hangouts APIs
Giving the developers opportunity to create new apps and games
Better Search service
This bit was missing since the launch and finally they have brought Google’s search power into Google Plus. Have any interest or finding a friend ? The search box sure will help !
And the last feature, opening up Google Plus to the public! 🙂
So basically, all the new features are emphasized on hangouts and with the new search option, it just made it better. Wonder what’s coming in their next update ! On the other hand, Facebook too is coming up with their own new features. I smell intense competition between these two in the future. More the competition, better the services ! We, the users, are better-off in the end.
Have you tested out the new features ? Do share your experience !
google plus 1 is jus another way for google to control the internet.
I remember trying to hunt down an invite to google+ when it was starting its testing and now that its free and open I don't even use it anymore! I've never tried hangouts though, so maybe I'll go back to give those a try.
Google + is a fail. I do not see anyone active there! All that invitation thing was just to get a lot of visitors. But then, you never know what google has in mind!