Hangouts integrates Google Voice VOIP phone calling...

[s44]

On iOS. Any of our iPad owners want to play with it?

(Yeah, Vic Gundotra promised big stuff coming for Android users. I guess they're waiting for the KitKat event, even if the whole thing will be updated for most people through the Services framework and the Hangouts app.)

 

[kyrax12]

How about the texting?

 

[ponyo]

It's awesome that VoIP Google Voice is finally here and integrated with Hangout. What's not awesome is it's now mandatory you sign up for Google+ to use it. :thumbs down; Thank you Google for trying to cram Google+ down our throat. I'm skipping this for now as I refuse to sign up for Google+.

 

[Cruisin1]

I'm seriously confused as to this whole google+ shoving down my throat controversy. How else do you expect google to easily integrate their services smoothly? It's not like they are forcing you to make posts or use google + like Facebook.

 

[WelshBloke]

It's awesome that VoIP Google Voice is finally here and integrated with Hangout. What's not awesome is it's now mandatory you sign up for Google+ to use it. :thumbs down; Thank you Google for trying to cram Google+ down our throat. I'm skipping this for now as I refuse to sign up for Google+.

You'd rather google made you use a different ID for each service and then tried to tie them all together?

 

[ponyo]

You'd rather google made you use a different ID for each service and then tried to tie them all together?

What? So you don't want to use different ID for each service and yet that's precisely what Google is trying to do by cramming Google+ down our throat! Google already has our Gmail and that was used to sign in to every Google services prior to Google+. Why do Google need people to use Google+ now to use Pisara, YouTube, or Hangout when it didn't require it before? I already pretty much stopped using Pisara since it now require Google+. Thankfully YouTube no longer asks me to make Google+ account every time now. Google can require anything it wants since it's their service. I'll hold out as long as there's an alternative. If that means quitting Google services all together, so be it.

 

[Crow550]

Well it may be time for you to move on then. As all new Google accounts also get a G+ account and Google is going to integrate more and more of there services which Google+ will be the glue that bonds it all together. You don't have use the Google+ social network stuff if you don't want too but this is going to be needed for a lot of services now.

I personally love Google Hangouts which is the main feature of G+ that I use. Looking forward to this appearing on Android and curious on how well it stacks up against GrooveIP and Talkatone.

 

[WelshBloke]

What? So you don't want to use different ID for each service and yet that's precisely what Google is trying to do by cramming Google+ down our throat! Google already has our Gmail and that was used to sign in to every Google services prior to Google+. Why do Google need people to use Google+ now to use Pisara, YouTube, or Hangout when it didn't require it before? I already pretty much stopped using Pisara since it now require Google+. Thankfully YouTube no longer asks me to make Google+ account every time now. Google can require anything it wants since it's their service. I'll hold out as long as there's an alternative. If that means quitting Google services all together, so be it.

Ummm...

Google+ log in = WelshBloke@gmail.com

That's what they still use. (that's not my email, please don't spam the lamer that stole it )

Are you saying that they should get you to use a different email for each service or are you upset that you need a Gmail account for them? The fact that you can use that Gmail account to log into one service out of loads that happens to be Google+ seems a bit irrelevant.

What's the difference if they call that your Google+ id, or your Gmail ID or your whatever id?

 

[Crow550]

Back to the topic at hand.

Hopefully G-Voice is fully integrated.

I hope they include an easier way to tell G-Voice not to ring your cell number when using Wifi/Data.

Also hoping 3rd party support for devices like the Obi still is supported and 3rd party apps as some may like using GrooveIP or Talkatone for there own reasons.

 

[Cruisin1]

If obi support goes I will boycott google voice! Just saying I don't see why they'd change it though.

Back to the topic at hand.

Hopefully G-Voice is fully integrated.

I hope they include an easier way to tell G-Voice not to ring your cell number when using Wifi/Data.

Also hoping 3rd party support for devices like the Obi still is supported and 3rd party apps as some may like using GrooveIP or Talkatone for there own reasons.

 

[Crow550]

If obi support goes I will boycott google voice! Just saying I don't see why they'd change it though.

I don't see why 3rd party support will be dropped.

Currently in Gmail you can switch between classic Google Talk/G-Voice calling and Hangouts.

I also heard of a Magic Jack hack that uses the new Google Hangouts: http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=5954.20

Google knows about Obi and Ooma <-- Also has G-Voice support.

 

[Tom]

I don't understand some of these posts.

I don't have Google+ but..

1. I can make and receive calls in Windows using Gmail. To anyone. I can send and receive txts using Voice. To anyone.

2. I can do all of the above on my Nexus 7 using GrooveIP Lite.

What are you all talking about ?

btw, I don't use Google+ mainly because I don't understand what it is ?

 

[Crow550]

I don't understand some of these posts.

I don't have Google+ but..

1. I can make and receive calls in Windows using Gmail. To anyone. I can send and receive txts using Voice. To anyone.

2. I can do all of the above on my Nexus 7 using GrooveIP Lite.

What are you all talking about ?

btw, I don't use Google+ mainly because I don't understand what it is ?

Google is taking all there chat services and merging them all into one called Google Hangouts.

They just added G-Voice calling in the mobile app of Hangouts for iOS with Android release very soon.

Google+ is Google's social network like Facebook. The best reason to have a G+ account imo is for Google+ Hangouts which allows video chats with up to 10 people even call phone contacts and add them to the conversations as well.

 

[Tom]

Google is taking all there chat services and merging them all into one called Google Hangouts.

They just added G-Voice calling in the mobile app of Hangouts for iOS with Android release very soon.

Google+ is Google's social network like Facebook. The best reason to have a G+ account imo is for Google+ Hangouts which allows video chats with up to 10 people even call phone contacts and add them to the conversations as well.

I know Google+ is sort of like Facebook. I know Mercury and Saturn are both planets.

That doesn't tell me anything about what the details of what Google+ is ?

I do have multiple gmail accounts and some of them, that I don't use much, must have Google+. Because sometimes I get emails about what's "hot" on Google+, which seems to be pictures of doilies with clever sayings.

Except for the one cool feature you mention, the video chat, it all seems pointless, unwieldy, and invasive. I don't want the world to know where I am or what I think of every movie or article I read. And I don't want to know what everybody else thinks either.

But like I said, maybe I don't get it ?

 

[WelshBloke]

Google+ is more just turning into the brand name for unifying Googles services.
It's got video, voice and text chat with hangouts. It backs up you're photos and videos from you're mobile and desktop devices. It replaces latitude.

Basically it's going to be the hub of your Google experience.

You can take advantage of all of it or just use the bits you want.

 

[imagoon]

So does Hangouts do IM status (Available / Away etc) and show logged in and logged out status yet? I keep google talk around still because they seem to think these are not important features which makes our office group chat fairly useless since hangouts shows everyone as logged in and available all the time.

 

[basslover1]

So does Hangouts do IM status (Available / Away etc) and show logged in and logged out status yet? I keep google talk around still because they seem to think these are not important features which makes our office group chat fairly useless since hangouts shows everyone as logged in and available all the time.

Yes, the last Hangouts update added this feature.

 

[vshah]

I know Google+ is sort of like Facebook. I know Mercury and Saturn are both planets.

That doesn't tell me anything about what the details of what Google+ is ?

I do have multiple gmail accounts and some of them, that I don't use much, must have Google+. Because sometimes I get emails about what's "hot" on Google+, which seems to be pictures of doilies with clever sayings.

Except for the one cool feature you mention, the video chat, it all seems pointless, unwieldy, and invasive. I don't want the world to know where I am or what I think of every movie or article I read. And I don't want to know what everybody else thinks either.

But like I said, maybe I don't get it ?

this seems to be a common fear of google +. Using google + or related services doesn't automatically/magically open up your entire life to the whole world.

The privacy controls are (IMO) much simpler than facebook, for example.

 

[Tom]

this seems to be a common fear of google +. Using google + or related services doesn't automatically/magically open up your entire life to the whole world.

The privacy controls are (IMO) much simpler than facebook, for example.

For myself here's the reason. An email address is an extremely important part of a person's identity for all kinds of online activities, banking, shopping, government services.

Facebook is a huge security and privacy risk. But it's possible to wall it off in its own cesspool and it won't affect every other aspect of life.

If someone is using a gmail address for important stuff, it's scary to think about linking it to something that's anything like Facebook.

That's the same reason I'm really aggravated about iGoogle going away. I don't want to have to use some 3rd party replacement and have to give them my Google password in order to have my gmail, google calendar, etc, all on one page.

With iGoogle, it's all in Google's hands, who I obviously have trusted enough to have an email address there.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Yes, the last Hangouts update added this feature.

It's not the same as before though. You can't make a distinction between mobile versus desktop chat. I'm not even sure what green means, that they have Hangouts installed? What if their phone is turned off or out of reach? There's no more idle statuses anymore.

I like the way Facebook Messenger has done it, which is pretty much what the old Google Talk had.

 

[Crow550]

Yes I find it quite bizarre that Google will have a product like Google Talk or Google Maps with a load of features then reskin or retool it and slowly re-add the features they already had?

I'm sure Google Hangouts will get proper statuses again?

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Yes I find it quite bizarre that Google will have a product like Google Talk or Google Maps with a load of features then reskin or retool it and slowly re-add the features they already had?

I'm sure Google Hangouts will get proper statuses again?

You never know. People complain and then it goes away. The people who cared are now submitting to Google's will or have found another solution. Meanwhile the people who don't care will keep shouting "But they added statuses already in 1.2, stop bitching!" In the end who knows if we end up getting a better product. I sure hope so.

Like the whole Maps issue.. if I want to view a custom Map I made before, now it has to be imported to Maps Engine and I need 2 apps when I used to use just Google Maps alone.

 

[s44]

20+ posts and no one can talk about how it actually works?

 

[basslover1]

It's not the same as before though. You can't make a distinction between mobile versus desktop chat. I'm not even sure what green means, that they have Hangouts installed? What if their phone is turned off or out of reach? There's no more idle statuses anymore.

I like the way Facebook Messenger has done it, which is pretty much what the old Google Talk had.

You're right it isn't the same but Hangouts syncs across all devices, so they'll get it one way or another. When I receive an IM it goes to either my phone, tablet or PC one or all of which are nearby. Green means they'll get the message either on mobile or PC, it'll notify aloud whichever was the most recent active even if the app is no longer user facing IE phone screen off in pocket.

If their phone is off it'll go to their desktop, and their phone will get it once it's turned back on.

Look I know Hangouts isn't exactly like GTalk but it isn't as bad as some of you make it out to be.

 

[iahk]

Because it's on ios only right now. Don't know many people on ios that use or care enough to use a google app like this. You'll find a lot more feedback once it actually hits android.