Everything you need to know about today’s Google+ updates, boiled down to the basics
Missed the big Google+ event and announcements? No problem… we’ll get you caught up to speed with minimal effort.
#1 Hangouts for mobile adds location sharing.
#2 App now shows animated GIFs, too.
#3 The Hangouts App FINALLY has SMS Support!
All your messaging in one place.
#4 Plan, Promote & Manage Hangout broadcasts
New, dedicated hangout page for those scheduled in the future, allowing you to also promote them to your users. Once in the hangout you can manage by adjusting mic volume for individual users, removing users from a hangout, etc…
#5 Full screen video calls across devices (in HD)
#6 Fix & Enhance webcam lighting automatically
and manually add effects like Black & White Mode, Spotlight Feature, and Focus Effect.
#7 Full-size backups & background sync for iOS
“Some memories don’t deserve to be downsized.”
#8 Deep learning and highlights in search.
Google’s auto-tagging technology allows you to search your images for information you never added to the description yourself. Today they added 1,000 more keywords such as Vespa, Apple Pie, Kiss, Snowboarding, Waterfall, Dog, Beach, Sunset, Snow, Sunglasses. You can also search pictures of friends, family, and circles.
#9 Auto-Enhance further enhanced
Google+ Auto-enhance automatically adjusts your images to improve quality: now you can turn the feature up, down, or off, and do so on an image by image and album by album basis.
#10 New HDR Scape filter in Snapseed (download the app)
This will take a regular picture, an underexposed picture, and an overexposed picture, and then combine them to create a stunning photograph. Especially exceptional for landscapes and scenery. Unlike current mobile phones that try to imitate HDR, Google+ uses pixel edge contrast and is much more advanced.
#11 Analog EFEX Pro in the NIK Collection
Lets you explore the classic camera look and feel.
#12 Auto Awesome Action
Will show a trail and ghost backgrounds of the action, great for sports shots.
#13 Auto Awesome Eraser
Lets you remove distractions and people in the way when you take multiple pictures.
#14 Auto Awesome Movie
Will blow your mind. It takes your videos and pictures and automatically turns them into full blown movies with a soundtrack, cutting the music to match the action, while enhancing all the photos/video. When Auto Awesome Movie has something ready, you’ll get an Android notification and can go back and make manual adjustments, changing the music, removing clips/pictures, trimming duration, and more.
And there you have it… a boat load of awesome upgrades to Google+ that make me wonder why everyone is still using Facebook and Twitter.
Now back to your regularly scheduled Nexus 5 addiction fulfillment.