J
Jack Holt
Guest
In August, news broke that Google was working on a new Hangouts app for the desktop. Similar to that of Facebook Messenger’s Chatheads feature, Hangouts would feature floating bubbles for conversations that was also easily moved around the desktop environment. Fast forward about six weeks and that new app is now live. Here are some of the features:Keep the conversation going, without taking over your desktop. The app has a streamlined design that keeps your chats accessible without getting in the way of everything else. Your contact list and all your chats are condensed into one easy to toggle window. Also, you’ll get integrated notifications that alert you to new messages, so you can quickly find the conversation you’re looking for.
More app, less Chrome. It works outside of your browser so your chats are always available, not tucked away inside a window. You’ll get all your messages as long as you have the app running, and your chats will sync across Hangouts on all your devices.
Voice calling from your desktop. The app now has all the video and voice features you’re used to in Hangouts. We recently announced you can make phone calls to any number in the world (via Hangouts dialer) and now you can do this right from your desktop. If you use Google Voice, the app includes complete Google Voice support, so you can make and receive calls, and get your voicemails and SMS messages directly in Hangouts.
More app, less Chrome. It works outside of your browser so your chats are always available, not tucked away inside a window. You’ll get all your messages as long as you have the app running, and your chats will sync across Hangouts on all your devices.
Voice calling from your desktop. The app now has all the video and voice features you’re used to in Hangouts. We recently announced you can make phone calls to any number in the world (via Hangouts dialer) and now you can do this right from your desktop. If you use Google Voice, the app includes complete Google Voice support, so you can make and receive calls, and get your voicemails and SMS messages directly in Hangouts.
It’s important to note that the app works “decently well” in Linux and Mac support is a bit limited.
As you can see from the image below, the new Hangouts gets confined to a little boxed window of its own on OSX.
For those who use the current app, you’ll be prompted within the next few weeks to try out the new app but if you’re impatient — like me — you can download the app from here. It works well on my HP Chromebook 14, but others are reporting issues with it. Your mileage may vary, but in the mean time, happy chatting.source: Google+, Chrome Blog
Come comment on this article: New ‘Chatheads’ style desktop Hangouts app live
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