Hasta La Gadget!

There’s no question that Google Hangouts can be helpful; wouldn’t it be nice to get cash for hosting them? Google may be sympathetic to that idea. TechCrunch claims that the search firm is testing Helpouts, a service that would let most anyone book Hangouts that optionally require fees. The appointment system would lean on Google Wallet for transactions, and it would divide chats into categories such as repair (think tech support) or education. Don’t assume that you’ll be starting a side business just yet, though. Helpouts reportedly entered internal testing in late June, and any public launch would be “at least a month away” — if it happens at all, that is. We’ve reached out to Google for answers, so we’ll let you know if and when it’s time to start charging for online conversations.

Filed under: Internet, Google

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Source: TechCrunch

Ever since joining Google+ early last year, The White House has become more and more involved with the social network. And with word spreading amongst Earthlings about an asteroid (with its own moon, no less) zipping past the planet sometime around 5:00PM ET, the executive mansion of the US couldn’t have chosen a better day to discuss the topic. As part of its ongoing “We the Geeks” series on Google+, The White House will be hosting a Hangout today where it plans to talk about asteroid characterization, identification, resource utilization and more. As you’d expect, there will be a some knowledgeable people present to spark the conversation, including NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver, former astronaut Ed Lu and, of course, Bill Nye. So, if you plan to fly swing by later, be sure to set a reminder for 2:00PM ET, as that’s when the Hangout is expected to begin.

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Source: The White House

The problem Google Voice users have experienced in Hangouts will soon be fixed.

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Anyone who’s tried out the new Hangouts feature in Gmail in place of the traditional Google Talk option got a bit of surprise when they went to make an outbound call from their computer. That feature gets disabled when the new Hangouts replacement is switched on, leaving folks looking to make calls with no other option than to revert to the old Google Talk in Gmail or seek out another alternative. That’s apparently just a temporary change, though, as Google’s Nikhyl Singhal has now confirmed that both outbound and inbound calls will “soon be available.” Unfortunately, he’s not getting any more specific than that for the time being. He did, however, reiterate that “Hangouts is designed to be the future of Google Voice,” and that “making/receiving phone calls is just the beginning,” further adding that “future versions of Hangouts will integrate Google Voice more seamlessly.”

Filed under: Internet, Google

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Source: Nikhyl Singhai (Google+)

Google Voice has been crippled when users attempt to make or receive calls on their computer while using Gmail.

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