![]() When you start a hangout, there’s a checkbox that, when selected, turns a normal private Google+ Hangout into a public Google+ Hangout On Air that anyone can tune into via Google+ or YouTube. (We did see more trouble with private hangouts on the iPad than on the Mac.) Although Google+ Hangouts hasn’t been perfect, its audio and video quality have been more reliable than the alternatives. Some calls are fine, but many more become increasingly garbled-sounding as they continue, and must be broken down and restarted to bring the quality back to a listenable state. Although we switched from iChat audio to Skype for staff calls some years ago because Skype’s audio was better then, Skype’s audio quality has been highly variable over the last year. For a Skype video call with more than two users (person-to-person), the person initiating the call must have a Skype Premium account, which starts at $4.99 per month. (Although iOS users cannot participate in public Google+ Hangouts On Air, they can participate in private Google+ Hangouts and watch a public Hangout On Air using the Google Chrome browser.) FaceTime is person-to-person only on iOS and the Mac and iChat/Messages is limited to four participants and is Mac-only. It supports up to 10 users, on multiple platforms, including Mac OS X, Windows, Chrome OS, Debian-based Linux distributions, iOS, and Android.Why Google+ Hangouts? - So why choose Google’s solution, instead of Apple’s FaceTime, or video chat via iChat/Messages (AIM) or Skype? Google+ Hangouts - and the public Google+ Hangouts On Air - has a lot going for it, and key benefits over the alternatives. As much as we had planned on using Google+ Hangouts On Air only for major events, we found ourselves using it more and more for small groups as well, including our staff meetings and even person-to-person calls that we had previously done in Skype. ![]() So we did.īut then something funny happened. We were rather surprised to discover that Google+ Hangouts On Air had the best combination of features, and as an added bonus, it was free to use. Joe Kissell had some strong opinions about features he as a presenter would want, and we set about checking out the many different services that offer webcasting and videoconferencing options. When we came up with the idea of doing TidBITS Presents and “ Take Control Live: Working with Your iPad,” we knew we’d need some serious technology backing it up. #1683: New M3 chips in updated MacBook Pros and iMac, record Apple Q4 profits on lower revenues, no more 27-inch iMacs. ![]()
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