Have you ever been stumped by a problem that's clearly outside your wheelhouse? Perhaps you've even fantasized about being able to just dial up an expert to pick their big meaty brain about the problem. That's exactly what Google has just announced with Helpouts. It's a cunning play on words, you see. It's like a Hangout, but it's used to help people. Google is clever.

The idea behind Helpouts is that folks with a certain area of expertise will set up an account with their skills, qualifications, availability, and rate. Then users in need of a helping hand will be matched with the right experts in a live video chat. The service will be tied into Google+, but what isn't these days? Experts that charge will take payments through Google Wallet, and Google will get a 20% cut. If a user isn't happy with the service, Google is promising a 100% money back guarantee.

According to the support pages, Helpouts will work with desktops, Android, and iOS. Experts will also be able to build their offerings like a multi-level course with additional materials to go along with the video chats. None of this is live yet, but you can request an invite for when Helpouts gets up and running.

[Helpouts via Craig Tumblison]