hangout

How to load up on apps for back-to-school season

The new school year can be hectic enough.

So I figured that I would round up some useful smartphone apps for students trying to survive their first few days back at school. While I assume this column will be read by college students starting a new semester or quarter, I can only imagine younger kids and parents can find some use in this as well.

Given the increase in smartphone use across all ages, I wouldn't be surprised. Fortunately, much of the advice applies to everyone.

Some of these may be obvious, but hopefully not all of them are. … Read more

YouTube debuts 'Elections Hub,' a one-stop campaign channel

YouTube launched "Elections Hub" today -- its one-stop shop for this year's election coverage.

The video service announced that with this specialized channel, all live speeches from the upcoming Democratic and Republican National Conventions will be streamed. Also, people can watch Google+ Hangouts and live streams of the official presidential and vice presidential debates. The channel debuted today and will available through Election Day.

"You won't need to go anywhere else for the must-watch moments of this election cycle," YouTube news manager Olivia Ma wrote in a blog post today, "they're all … Read more

Apple TV and the quest for cable

Thursday's tech headlines know how to speak your language:

Imaginations are running wild about an Apple TV cable box. The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple is talking to cable providers, but no deals have been made. Earlier this week Apple was granted a patent for its design of a cable box. But Apple is not alone in its hunt for cable deals. Microsoft's Xbox 360 has slowly been adding video from cable providers in its quest to be the one box to rule all home entertainment.

The Sony Reader is back with a new model, selling for $… Read more

PlayStation's mobile, multiscreen push

Tuesday's top tech headlines are formatted to fit your second screen:

At the Gamescom conference in Germany, Sony announced several new PlayStation games and new methods for playing. Sony talked more about PlayStation Mobile for Android devices, but we still don't know exactly when it'll hit the market or how many games will launch in the store.

And there are some perks for those that own both a PS Vita and the PS3. For one price, you can get a game for both systems, starting with "PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale," "Sly Cooper: Thieves in … Read more

Google+ launches vanity URLs, catching up to Facebook, Twitter

Both Twitter and Facebook have offered vanity URLs personalized to users' accounts for years -- something that has been glaringly vacant in Google Plus' URLs. But, that's about to change.

Google's social network announced today that vanity URLs for profiles and pages are on their way. It has even begun rolling out a few for celebrities, like soccer player David Beckham and pop singer Britney Spears, along with brands like Toyota, Delta, and Hugo Boss.

Here's what Google product manager Saurabh Sharma wrote in a blog post today:

Your Google+ profile is a place for you to … Read more

Gmail gets video Hangout

Gmail users will soon be able to use the same video chat technology that Google uses for its Google+ social network. Earlier today the company began rolling out the newer Google+ Hangouts functionality to Gmail, which has had video chat for the last three years.

This is mostly an under-the-hood announcement of an effort that's slated for completion within the next few weeks. The biggest difference is that unlike the service's previous video chat, which was based on peer-to-peer technology, the upgraded service will offer improved reliability and also let users connect with people using Google+, according to … Read more

Google+ gets update for iPhone and a new iPad version

Built as a Universal update, Google+ version 3.0 adds new features to the iPhone app and is the first version that is made for the iPad with its own unique interface features.

On both iOS devices, you'll now be able to create and manage Google Events. You can create an event, manage comments, add photos, and see who is coming to the event. All the info from past events is saved as well, so you can go back and revisit them later.

Google Hangouts are now supported on both iOS devices as well, which means you'll be … Read more

Hangout live with the world on G+

In today's show, it's time to Hangout with the world, seek out new smartphones and take a ride on the Yahoo drama train:

Your Google+ Hangout video chat sessions can now broadcast live to the world. Google made it easy to share the live stream of a Hangout on your Google+ page, or embed it on another Web site. You can see how many people are watching, and once the live show is done it can be uploaded to YouTube.

Google has been working with some television shows to broadcast their Hangouts live. If you want to check it out, … Read more

Google+ Hangouts On Air: Broadcast yourself to the world

The Google+ Hangouts On Air feature has gone global, Google revealed today, meaning you can now share yourself via video with Google+ users in 40 other countries.

Unveiled last September, the Hangouts On Air takes the traditional Google+ hangout a step further.

Instead of just holding a video chat with a small circle of people, you can broadcast to a much wider audience through the On Air version. That makes it an ideal forum for celebrities and organizations that want to promote themselves or reach out to fans and followers. But it's also accessible to anyone who has a … Read more

Google wants to know what do you think of Google TV

Google wants to know how people use and interact with Google TV. The tech company just announced on Google TV's official Google+ page that it will host a live Hangout tomorrow at 11 a.m. PST to chat with users.

"Join us tomorrow at 11am PDT for a #GoogleTV Hangout On Air with our Fans!" the Google+ post says. "We will be talking about what you like to do on your Google TV."

Google TV combines television, the Web, and apps as a way for people to use all technologies either individually or simultaneously. Google … Read more