With the slow incremental release of Google+ the big G has released an Android app to accompany the new social network for users on Android devices. I've been running it on my HTC Desire for a few days now and I have to say it's easily one of the most slickest apps I have come across.
The aim of the app is to allow access to Google+ on the go on your Android handset. Whilst the app does miss a few functions in comparison to the desktop browser experience, overall it's a pretty well built app, albeit in an early stage and does have some bugs.
Google+ for mobile makes sharing the right things with the right people a lot simpler. Huddle lets you send super-fast messages to the people you care about most. With your permission, Instant Upload automatically puts the photos and videos you take into a private album in the cloud, so you can share them anytime, from anywhere. And no matter where you are, the stream lets you stay in the loop about what your friends are sharing and where they’re checking in.
Features:
- Circles - let you share the right things with just the right people. It's a great way to create filters and organise whom to share what with. It is also a good way to filter out specific content coming into your stream and filtering them as desired.
- Stream - is where you can get updates from your circles or see what people are saying about things nearby. There is also an incoming section, which has content from those that have included you in their circles, but aren't in any of yours.
- Instant Upload - automatically uploads videos and photos to your own private album in the cloud, to make sharing a snap. All images are uploaded to Google's Picasa photo hosting service.
- Huddle - is super-fast group messaging for everyone in your circles. This is only available on the mobile app. The web interface does not support Huddle.
- Images - uploaded to your Picasa account or shared on Google+ and those that you or your friend have been tagged in are shown here in their relative albums.
- Notifications - is also another feature which is implemented better on the app over the browser interface. There are push notifications which appear in the native android notifications area and in the app notifications area.
Pros
- Very slick and clean UI
- Extra features over web interface
- Easy Access to Google+ on the go
Cons
- Early bugs can be found
- Notifications can get overwhelming
If you are lucky enough to have found a way into Google+ and have an Android handset, you really should download and install this app. It's a great addition to experiencing and keeping up with what's going on in your Google+ circle.
