15
May
Hangouts Logo

Hanging Out With Google Hangouts - Google's New, Beautiful Messaging App That Doesn't Really Unify Anything

Posted by in News

The new Google Messenger is real! It's not called Babel, or Google Talk, but "Hangouts." It also isn't the unified messenger we've all wanted - maybe it will be someday, but Hangouts is strictly a Google Talk replacement - there's no SMS or Google Voice integration.

What Hangouts does have going for it is that it is really pretty. It supports group messaging, pictures, video chat, and even has read receipts! Hangouts completely replaces Google Talk, so if you have a fondness for the past, say your goodbyes before you update. Let's take a look:

The Hangouts List

wm_2013-05-15-16.22wm_2013-05-15 16.23.49

This is the "front page" of Hangouts.

29
Apr
2013-04-10-16.09.19

Google I/O 2013: Google's To-Do List This Year

Posted by in Android OS, News
Last Updated: May 3rd, 2013

Google I/O is coming! We'll know about all of Google's new projects in just 2 short agonizingly long weeks. While we desperately count the days until May 15th, we thought it would be a great idea to take stock all of the things we've caught wind of lately.

Calling this an "I/O Preview," sounds a little too certain. I'm not predicting everything here will come out at I/O, this is just a list of everything we know Google is working on - their "To-Do" list. Just like any to-do list, Google could cross something off and release it, or endlessly procrastinate, or completely cancel something.

09
Apr
whatsapptiny

WhatsApp: No, Google Isn't Buying Us, Don't Believe Everything You Read

Posted by in Google, News

We've been seeing leak after leak about Google's rumored unified messaging service. Now, as more details get seemingly confirmed and and we even get a look at the possibly near-finished app, clearly this is the time for Google to acquire a competing IM service, right? Well, not so much, according to AllThingsD. As it turns out, Mountain View is not about to buy WhatsApp, a company that makes a product that Google is currently nearly done building itself. Just in case you were wondering.

This contradicts rumors that WhatsApp would be selling to Google for close to $1 billion.

08
Apr
nexusae0_bt_thumb

Screenshots Of The Google Babel Web Interface Look To Be The Real Deal

Posted by in News

Tech Radar just came through with some really convincing screenshots of the Google Babel web interface. Check this out:

Babel hangout edited-580-90

I believe these are real, and I'll tell you why: They perfectly match the partially obscured screenshots of Babel that Googlers have been accidentally posting to the Chromium bug tracker (props to Craig Tumblison for this awesome list).

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The left side of this image (original here) was posted by a Googler to the Chromium bug tracker. It's a never-before-seen chat application running on Chrome OS. On the right is the newly released Babel screenshot - everything lines up perfectly. The hangout button is in the same place, the profile icon has the same design, and the smiley face button is in the bottom left.

07
Apr
bt

'Babel' Name Purportedly Makes An Appearance In Gmail, Might Be The Real Deal

Posted by in Android OS, Applications, Google, News, Rumors

From poorly-executed "leaks" to potential legitimate sightings, there's been a lot of hubbub about Google's supposed unified messaging service, likely called Babel. This isn't necessarily surprising. After all, if you asked most Android enthusiasts what feature they most wanted from the platform in its next iteration, you'd hear a lot about unified messaging. We've tried to stay clear of covering every flurry of Babel-related murmurings so far, but today we saw something new – Google+ user Patric Dhawaan posted a screenshot of what he says is a notification in Gmail, triggered when "pruning" his inbox.

At first, we were a bit suspicious of the screenshot.

15
Jun
unnamed (1)

Game Review: Babel Rising 3D Is A Rich, Well-Made Time Waster - But Is It Worth $5?

Posted by in Apps/Games, Game Reviews, Games, Reviews
Last Updated: June 19th, 2012

Update: Previously, I mentioned that Babel Rising 3D contains in-app purchasing options. These have since been removed.

It is the conventional wisdom of our time that smartphone and tablet gaming are "the future." Like plastics. It's inevitable, it's going to happen - more and more people will move away from the PSPs, the PCs, and the Xboxes to their all-in-one portable devices. Now, that's not to say these other industries are going away any time soon - console and PC gaming will likely to continue to stand on their own for decades (maybe not so much portable consoles). Console gaming, in particular, is having something of a second "golden age" with the Xbox360 and Nintendo Wii.

14
Jun
babeltiny

Ubisoft And AMA's New Game Babel Rising 3D Gives You The Power Of God And A Tower Full Of Mortals To Smite

Posted by in Games, News

Is it possible to promise more in a game than "the power of God"? Probably not. That's what Babel Rising 3D, from AMALtd, is offering, though. In this game, the puny mortals of Earth are working to build a tower to the heavens and it's your role to stop them. Because that's how the story goes. You have a cornucopia of disasters, plagues and, well, acts of God, at your disposal.

Throughout the game, you can level up your powers (you're not one of those ominpotent-type gods, we assume), mastering the elements. That you created. And now have to learn. Look, it's a game, okay?