Google+ Hangouts are great for straight-up talking, and they have some productive features, too. Now the gates are open to third-party apps to enhance the platform. The first batch is mostly games and goofiness, but two tools stand out.
After launching a Hangout, look for an “Apps” button at the top of your screen (and don’t worry if you don’t see it today or tomorrow — it is, like all things Google, “rolling out”). Click it, and you can choose to add another layer to your Hangout.
One of the neatest tools is Cacoo, a free diagram/flowchart tool we’ve previously covered in its webapp form. As a Hangout tool, you can hear tips and approvals from your small crowd as you piece together your inter-connected charts. There’s also a SlideShare app, so you can pull in presentations on the popular sharing site to show to the crowd. You could previously show Google Docs Presentations in a “Hangout with Extras”, but SlideShare is a good, popular option to have handy.
What apps would you really benefit from seeing available in a Google Hangout?
Do more with more apps in Google+ Hangouts [Amit Fulay – Google+]
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