Google+ launched, takes on Facebook - A Video Preview

Finally, the news we've all been waiting for close to a year now. Google last night unveiled the Google+ project, its counter-weight to try and balance the growing power of Facebook as a social network on the Web. Google+ allows users to share photos, videos, and more with their friends -- as it turns out, Circles -- a social layer added on Google search few months ago -- is now part of Google+. So let's see what's all the fuss about.

Rumours of Google working on its own social network first emerged as early as June 2010, when the tech media poured over the Facebook killer that Google was apparently building -- Google Me. It no longer goes by that name, Google's social networking layer over its primary search offering as of launch day is now known as Google+.

So what is Google+? Interesting question. And part of the answer leads us to believe it's much better than Google Buzz, the company's past major attempt at anything social.

Google+ isn't a social networking product, per se -- it isn't like Google Wave, an isolated product. On the contrary, Google+ is an extension of Google search itself, an added layer of social network to enrich your overall Google experience online.



There's an Android app for Google+ currently out on the Android Market that you can download and get started with. Google said an iOS app is also on its way soon.
As is evident from the videos, Google+ is part of a re-looked Google homepage, with a brand new menu bar at the top which has a +You button to launch Google+. More on that soon...

However, all of you who can't wait to get started with Google+, Google is keeping it an "invitation only" project for now -- remember Gmail and its deployment back in 2004? So yes, unless you have an invite, you'll have to wait to start using Google+. We expect a thread to go up soon in the forums where people will start trading invitations for Google+.

Here's more on Google+: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]


Courtesy - ThinkDigit