Liz Gannes

Recent Posts by Liz Gannes

Google+ Now Counts 150M Actives, Releases Tablet Apps and Events Tool

On the eve of the anniversary of its first release, Google+ is putting out tablet apps and a new events tool with “party mode” for guests to upload photos together.

Google+ has now registered 250 million users, with 150 million of them active on a monthly basis, and 50 percent signing in every day, said Google SVP Social Vic Gundotra at Google I/O today.

AllThingsD.com

(But remember, because Google+ is part of the larger signed-in Google experience, the way Google counts those stats is with users who have ever “upgraded” to Google+, returning for the Google experience, not necessarily to update their Google+ status.)

Gundotra announced Google that is releasing its first Google+ tablet apps: Android today, and iPad “very soon.”

The tablet apps include a “lean-back” version of Google+ Hangouts, with touch features to swipe left and right among the people in a room. There’s also crisper text and fuller photos. “I believe it’s the best version of Google+ we’ve ever designed,” Gundotra said.

Meanwhile, the events tool is an attempt to capture the organization, live experience and album record of a physical event.

“Today’s online tools bail when you need them the most. In life, we plan, we party, we keep in touch — we think software should make all of that more awesome before, during and after,” Gundotra said.

The key feature of Google+ Events is “party mode,” in which users who are at an event can update a livestream of photos in real time. This is kind of like the original Color, Hipstamatic’s D-Series, and the shut-down app Erly (acquired by Airtime).

Then, after the event concludes, attendees can view a composite album of all the photos, attributed to each Google+ user who took them.

RELATED POSTS:

Latest Video

View all videos »

Search »

There was a worry before I started this that I was going to burn every bridge I had. But I realize now that there are some bridges that are worth burning.

— Valleywag editor Sam Biddle