Google__ The Missing Manual - Kevin Purdy [60]
NOTE
When you’re all done typing or drawing, you can head to Google Docs by pointing your web browser to www.google.com/docs or clicking the Documents link in the black toolbar at the top of any Google+ page. You’ll see the new document or drawing in your list of files. Its name starts with “Sketchpad” or “Notes” followed by “talk.google.com/,” and then the name of the hangout in which it was created (if you didn’t name the hangout, Google inserts the date and time of the hangout instead).
If you’ve already created a document in Google Docs that you want to share and work on with your hangout partners, click “+Add document.” In the list that appears, turn on the checkbox next to a file’s name (you can turn on more than one if you want to share multiple documents), and then click the Select button.
You may see a message asking if you’re sure you want to let the people in this hangout collaborate on this document—worth thinking about, because they’ll have access to the document outside the hangout as well when they log into their own Google Docs accounts, unless you specifically revoke their access by clicking the “Document sharing settings” button in the hangout window, or by heading over to www.docs.google.com after the hangout and editing the document’s sharing settings. Once you’ve shared a document, you can switch to a different document by clicking “+Add document” again. Your previous document is added to the Documents list, and you can pull it up again by simply clicking it in the list.
Screen sharing
You’ve seen how to display documents and sketches in the hangouts with extras window. For anything else you can pull up on your computer, there’s screen sharing. To try it out, click the “Share screen” button near the top of the hangouts with extras window.
A window pops up that lets you choose exactly which window you want to share. One of the options is Desktop, which includes everything you can see on your screen. Choose either Desktop or a specific window you want to show people, and then click the “Share selected window” button. The window you picked appears in place of your video feed.
If you pick Desktop, things can get a bit tricky, since the folks in the hangout might end up seeing a duplicate of the hangout window, and you have to be conscious of everything you’re showing these folks and keep in mind that they can only see a smaller, less clear version of your screen. So it’s usually better to share a single window, and use windows and apps with big fonts and large buttons. You can play a video on your shared screen, but it might look really choppy and blurry to the other people in the hangout.
Hangouts on Mobile Devices
IF YOUR ANDROID PHONE or tablet has a front-facing camera (that is, it can take photos of you when you’re looking at its screen), and you’re running a relatively modern version of the Android operating system, you can take part in Hangouts right through your device—no keyboard or monitor required.
NOTE
Google+ Hangouts are due to be available for iPhone and iPad soon, but they weren’t as this book went to press. They’ll also be available on more Android devices, ones with Android 2.3 and later installed.
To get started, launch the Google+ mobile app (see Chapter 8.) Then simply click the “Join hangout” button in a stream you’re checking out, or (if you receive a notification about a hangout) tap the notification. You see the same “Check your hair” screen you get on a computer. Tap the “Hang out” button to join the fun.
TIP
Like hangouts on a computer, mobile Android hangouts require a decent Internet connection: 900 KBps upload and download speeds for two-person hangouts, and 1800 KBps download and 900 KBps upload speeds for multi-person pangouts. You can usually get that with your phone or tablet’s WiFi feature turned on and connected to a decent high-speed connection. But if you’re on cellular network that’s not cutting edge (like some carriers’ 3G networks), you might have a rather choppy experience, or not be able to connect at all.
The hangout’s main