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Google’s making Google Voice more secure by requiring you to call from a phone number registered to your account in order to check your voicemails by phone. But maybe more noteworthy is that Google is still making minor tweaks to Voice instead of killing it and focusing on Hangouts already. What’s up with that?

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Over the last few weeks Google has started to roll out 720p HD Hangouts video support to a subset of its users, it has been revealed today. Google’s Vice President of Engineering, Chee Chew has confirmed the move in an interview and said that this switchover will be more or less invisible to consumers, though they’ll get cleaner and better video, Chew says. The rollout of HD video support in Hangouts for all users will be completed soon.

To make this happen Google has transitioned Hangouts video chats from H.264 video codec to VP8. VP8 is a royalty-free and open video codec that Google released back in 2010. The codec enables HD video streams at low bit rates, this wouldn’t have been possible with the previous codec, too much processing power would have been required to show HD video streams from 10 participants in a Hangout. Google isn’t stopping with this transition, the company plans to move over to WebRTC in the future. WebRTC standard has the ability to deliver audio and video in realtime without requiring any additional codecs. Chew says that there’s a possibility that WebRTC might come to Hangouts eventually, though this transition could take more than a few months.

Google Hangouts Getting HD Quality Video original content from Ubergizmo.

You may not have noticed it yet, but Google is in the middle of sweeping changes to Hangouts that should offer big improvements to image quality and accessibility. The company tells GigaOM that it’s currently upgrading its video chat service to 720p by switching from the H.264 video codec to the more efficient (and Google-controlled) VP8 standard. HD-quality Hangouts should be available soon after Google finishes the VP8 rollout to web users late next week. A sharper picture is just one part of the puzzle, however. The switch to VP8 also sets the stage for WebRTC support, which will let Google offer plugin-free Hangouts in browsers like Chrome and Firefox within the next several months. The search giant will still offer a plugin for holdouts, but they may soon be the exceptions to the rule.

Filed under: Internet, Google

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Source: GigaOM

Word broke in late July that Google might launch Helpouts — a Hangout-based video platform where folks could charge for lending assistance over video — in about a month’s time. Like clockwork, Mountain View’s officially announced the platform, but it isn’t a free-for-all just yet. Page and Co. are inviting people with expertise in different topics to offer their services when the solution opens for business. The search giant has published a form allowing self-proclaimed experts to toss their hat in the ring for an invite, and lists categories including Arts and Music, Computers and Electronics, Cooking, Education, Fashion and Beauty, Fitness and Nutrition, Health and Counseling along with Home and Garden. Fittingly, Google’s own help documents for Helpouts have gone live as well, and they give us a few more details.

First, users will have to submit a listing for their services, which Google will review just before hanging out with them over video to get acquainted and ensure their live feed is in tip-top shape. If you’re a medical professional, you can offer your expert opinion to the masses as well, but Mountain View will confirm you’ve got the proper certificates and licenses in order. Once that’s done, interested customers will be able to check a pro’s availability and schedule appointments. Folks can offer their skills for free or charge for sessions, but both parties must use Google Wallet for the transaction, and Google will apply a 20 percent fee (yes, even with credit card payments). A launch date for Helpouts is MIA, but you can sign up to be notified and provide a helping hand at the source.

Filed under: Misc, Internet, Google

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Source: Google (1), (2)

When Google debuted Hangouts at I/O, it looked like a pretty nifty idea, but since then, the app has been plagued with its share of performance issues. A new update, available today in the Google Play store, aims to rectify that by adding a hint of Project Butter to the Hangouts mix. Google is smearing Butter on the app (like a wayward child with his head stuck in the banisters) in the hopes that it’ll smooth out the kinks and speed up performance. Also included in the update is a brand new set of emoji, so you can continue to abandon the written word in favor of cutesy hieroglyphics. We jest, of course. Who doesn’t love some good emoji? To get the upgrade, head on over to the source link below.

Filed under: Software, Mobile, Google

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Via: Android Central

Source: Google Play