It's time to mail your money and Hangout with ponies.
I'm Bridget Carey, and this is your CNET update.
You can now send someone money on Gmail.
Google has added new ways to use Google Wallet to make payments online such as attaching a payment in the same way you'd attach a photo.
The feature is rolling out slowly, but when you get it, you'll see a dollar sign icon at the bottom near the attachment icons.
You can also send money to people who are
not using Gmail.
Service fees do apply if you're sending money using a Google Wallet linked credit or debit card, but it is free if your bank account is linked to Google Wallet, or if you're using a Wallet prepaid account.
If you're getting worried about security, Google Wallet will cover you for unauthorized payments, and Google is also making it easy for app developers to incorporate Wallet as a way to make quick payments inside of an Android app.
Merchants can also tie Google Wallet into loyalty cards or other reward programs.
And that's not the only change to Gmail.
Google added quick action buttons, which let you RSVP to an event invite without even opening the email invite, and the next day, you could see another quick action button to rate the place that you went to.
It's also scanning your email for flight information.
So when you get a flight confirmation email, all the data will just display on the top of the screen.
It's rolling out now over the next few weeks and more quick action buttons could be added in the future.
Among the many Google announcements this week is a new app
worth checking out.
It's called Hangouts.
It's Google's new standalone messaging app, and it's for Android and iPhone.
Basically, it gives you a way to connect with your friends no matter if they're on their desktop using Google Plus or automobile device.
It can be a private one on one chat or a group hangout, and users can send photos and connect to video chats.
Messaging apps are very popular right now, so Google is trying to get into the space by making it easy to communicate no matter what screen you have near you.
And what's interesting is that if you read the message on one device,
it'll note to get rid of the Hangout invite waiting for you on the other device, but perhaps, the most important feature in Hangouts is the ability to send ponies to your brawnies.
If you're using Hangouts in Google Plus on your desktop in Chrome, be sure to type /ponies, or for more magical French of goodness, type in /ponystream.
You know, with all these Google news, it's only fair to give a shout out to Microsoft's Bing this week.
My fellow trackies should go to Bing and search for the phrase, bing me up,
and you'll be transported to a world where no Google user has gone before, and Bing translate can now help you brush up on your Cling On before you see the new movie.
That's your tech news update.
You could find more details at CNET.com/update from our studios in New York.
I'm Bridget Carey, live long and prosper.
