Hasta La Gadget!

Google Hangouts on Air is a service that can be used to broadcast a Hangouts group video call to as many people around the world as you want. The service has been used to broadcast online classes, concerts and even political debates. One feature has always been lacking though, there’s no way to interact with the people who’re tuning in to the broadcast. Users can interact quite easily with the people in the group call, but outside viewers haven’t had an option until now. Google today introduced a Q&A feature for Hangouts on Air which lets broadcasts solicit questions from up to a million concurrent viewers.

Broadcasters will also be able to answer those questions live, they can timestamp the YouTube recording by marking questions as they answer them as well. Viewers are now able to ask and vote on question live, they can even replay the Q&A after the broadcast is finished. The feature is currently being rolled out, it might take a couple of days for it to be available to everyone. At this point in time, only desktop users will get the full experience, Android users are limited to view only. Google says that this is the first of many features that will help broadcasters interact with their viewers.

Hangouts On Air Gets Q&A Feature original content from Ubergizmo.

If you’ve been dutifully checking your mobile app updates (you do check, right?), you may have noticed a Google+ upgrade slip through largely unannounced. That revision might be bigger than you think — although its exact value depends entirely on the platform you’re running. If you’re an iOS user, you now have the choice to open web links in Chrome for iOS instead of Safari; it’s not the same as changing the default browser, but it will keep Google fans firmly ensconced in their preferred ecosystem while they’re using Apple devices. On the Android side, it’s now possible to watch live Hangouts On Air sessions if friends aren’t ready and waiting for a chat. Both versions now let teens join any kind of Hangout, and there’s a raft of tweaks on either side of the fence. If you’ve been waiting for either of the two major features to jump in, the app downloads are waiting at the source links.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablet PCs, Software

Google+ update lets iOS open links in Chrome, Android join Hangouts on Air originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 12:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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