hangouts

Remote Desktop app lends a hand to Google+

Google has ported Chrome's Remote Desktop app to Google+ Hangouts to simplify the life of the tech support guru, a Google developer said in a Google+ post on Wednesday.

The Hangouts Remote Desktop app lets you offer tech help to friends and family by controlling their computers from afar. Google engineer Daniel Caiafa said that one of the benefits of Hangout Remote Desktop is that it allows you to see and talk with the person you're helping during the remote desktop session because it's being hosted in Hangouts.

The app requires the permission of your friend or … Read more

Amazon could be next Spotify challenger

CNET Update can't be grumpy for GIFs:

The streaming music scene is about to get more interesting. The latest report indicates Amazon is targeting Spotify with its own on-demand music streaming service. We've also heard that Google and Apple are working on similar products.

Other stories featured in Wednesday's tech roundup:

- Google Image search has added filters for finding animated GIFs and other specific file types.

- The Jawbone Up fitness bracelet now has an Android app.

- Websites can now put a "Send to Kindle" button on blog posts and news stories, next … Read more

Candid camera: Google+ adds Capture app to Hangouts

If you got all dolled up or totally dorked out for your Google+ Hangout, you might as well have a good snapshot to remember the video chat session by. Now, instead of awkwardly trying to take a screenshot, you can use a new Google+ Hangout application called Capture to preserve your candid moments.

Announced today, Capture adds a camera button to Google+ Hangouts, the group video chat and broadcast tool that's a part of the search company's social network. A click of the button will capture your view of the Hangout in progress and save the shot to … Read more

State Department unveils Innovation in Arms Control winners

The State Department today unveiled three winners in its inaugural Innovation in Arms Control Challenge, a contest that tasked the public with coming up with new ideas for how to tackle arms control issues around the world.

During a Google Hangout moderated by CNET's Daniel Terdiman, Acting Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller introduced the winners and unveiled their three projects (see video below).

In August, the State Department launched the challenge, asking the public to answer the question, "How Can the Crowd Support Arms Control Transparency Efforts?" The competition was the … Read more

Obama endorses required high school coding classes

President Obama says he wouldn't mind seeing a curriculum requirement for American high school students to learn a programming language.

"I think it makes sense, I really do," was his response to the idea posed in a live Google+ Hangout earlier today. "I want to make sure that (young people) know how to produce stuff using computers and not just consume stuff."… Read more

President to answer questions during Google+ hangout

Got a burning question about the new cybersecurity executive order or the 3D printing institute President Barack Obama mentioned during his State of the Union address?

Now's your chance to ask -- the POTUS is holding a Google+ hangout tomorrow to take inquires from the public about Tuesday's speech. The event starts at 1:50 p.m. PT. The White House is currently accepting questions through its YouTube Channel, where you can also vote for your favorite questions.

Obama will answer a selection of the questions with the most votes, live from the West Wing of the White … Read more

NASA astronauts aboard ISS to host live Google+ Hangout

Astronauts in the International Space Station have already explained how to clip fingernails and play guitar while orbiting 240 miles above the Earth. But what about all those other questions people may have about life in space?

They can be answered in an upcoming Google+ Hangout with three of the astronauts aboard the ISS -- Kevin Ford, Tom Marshburn, and Chris Hadfield.

NASA announced today that it is hosting its first live Google+ Hangout from space. It's to happen from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. EST on February 22. The space agency is accepting questions in advance … Read more

VP Biden to Hangout, talk gun control on Google+

President Obama's "Ask Me Anything" on Reddit drew more than 5 million views, and now Vice President Joe Biden is going to try his hand at a different newfangled social-media real-time electronic telegraph technology.

In an event dubbed a "Fireside Hangout," the vice president will be hanging out in Google+ starting at 10:45 a.m. PT tomorrow to discuss the recently released White House policy recommendations on reducing gun violence in the wake of a downright awful 2012 that was plagued by a number of mass shootings in the United States. … Read more

Google updates Hangouts interface, adds notifications

Google rolled out some changes to the Google+ interface today designed to make the video chat service better looking and easier to use.

Amit Fulay, the Hangouts product manager, described the changes in a post on Google+:

1. A sidebar you can show or hide. The most important part of a hangout is the people in the room, so we've consolidated important items (like invites, chat, and apps) into a sidebar that's there when you need it, and tucked away when you don't.

2. Clean, colorful notifications. Alerts now appear in red, actions in blue, and announcements … Read more

Join CNET's iPhone 5 Google+ Hangout, LIVE!

The iPhone 5 goes on sale tomorrow, and you're wondering if it's worth standing in line for.

Join Scott, Josh Lowensohn and me for a 30 minute Google+ Hangout discussing the iPhone 5, starting today at 2:30 pm Pacific. We had one of these a few days ago and it worked out so well, we figured we'd try another one.

The Hangout will be accessible though CNET's Google+ page, where you can also submit your questions. I repeat, the Hangout is closed for comments, so submit your questions though CNET's Google+ page using #CNETLive . … Read more