Google+ released today! Can it beat Facebook?

The much anticipated Google + has been finally released today. Having received invite, the first thing I felt was, Wow!

Google+ is the latest social networking from Google. It is hard to believe that it is from the 'makers of orkut' which has repeatedly failed (in a perpetual fail mode) in the past few years. It has all the features I wanted. It connects your Internet life. Be it Gmail, Google Reader, Picasa, Blogger or the Google Docs, you have it all at one place.

The interface totally rocks. It supports features like Circles, Hangouts, Sparks and much more. Circles are to arrange your contacts, keep your friends stay away from your bosses. You have complete and easy control over what you share, who can view it and what you want comments on. Sparks ignite a spark in you. It makes available to you, thousands of articles and other web stuff for you to read on. Once you fill your topic of interest, the google will pick up stuff from the web and spark your page content to read and share.

Google hangouts are the next coolest thing. They're like the groups on facebook. You can start a hangout and invite people to join it. You can have video conferencing with multiple people at a time, if you wish to. This probably makes it the only social network that allows video chat (of course next to orkut, haunted now). Photo uploading and sharing is very simple and very fast.

Google + has notifications, way of sharing things, the home page and most of other things similar to facebook that people have already tagged Google + as 'facebookish'. But it is still beautifully presented. The way things have been spread around are neat. Nothing has been overdone like they did with the Orkut ( the like thing of facebook imitated in orkut is an example of overdoing things ).

Here are some screenshots -

[caption id="attachment_466" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Google + Profile page"][/caption]

(Click on the image for bigger view)

[caption id="attachment_467" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Google + Circles"][/caption]

(Click on the image for bigger view)

[caption id="attachment_468" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="GOogle+ Sparks"][/caption]

(Click on the image for bigger view)

Well google has still give a green signal to the Google apps and other applications like that on facebook. Once they're out, it is sure to beat facebook. What is your view?

Tweet

Orkut to get a make over again

With the advent of Facebook, Orkut seems to be a haunted place now. Atleast my account does. But Google Team behind orkut has not given up and is going to fight with facebook for its market share. Facebook in the past few years has outdone lot of Social Networking including the giant Orkut which once used to be people's favorite.

Google has recently announced the new look and feel on their Orkut Blog and promises some new features that will be activated to everyone in a while without requiring an invitation.

Here is a list of what has been announced on their Blog about their new look and feel.

• Left navigation, to help you get to the most popular features more easily.

• A new larger profile photo, a popular request. Be sure to upload a higher resolution photo of yourself!

• New full profile view, which lets you and your friends see your info, interests, badges, testimonials and recent photos and videos.

• New fullscreen slideshow for photos.

Orkut is also bringing some more surprises which you will start to see in your account very soon.

The new look and feel of Orkut seems to me to be inspired by Facebook. The snapshots released in Orkut's web album shows that the Orkut hasn't got rid of the advertisement at the right pane. And the photo album viewer seems perfect now (facebook photo viewer sucks!).

Google has failed before in attempting for a new look and feel to Orkut and hence the big question - Is this thing going to work out well for Orkut or just another desperate try?

Let's just wait and see.

Tweet