Google+ attracts 250 million members, launches tablet apps

Published Jun 28 2012, 10:16 BST  |  By Andrew Laughlin

Google has claimed that its social network Google+ now has more than 250 million members, as the US search giant launches new tablet apps for the service.

Vic Gundotra, Google senior vice president, announced Google+ apps for tablets last night at Google's I/O conference, alongside the firm's new Nexus 7 tablet and latest version of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.



The tablet apps, which follow Google+ apps for Android and iOS smartphones launched in May, have various features optimised for larger screen mobile devices.

Gundotra said that this includes a "beautiful stream that styles content based on popularity, type and orientation", along with a "lean back" experience for Hangouts that makes the video call system "great for the couch or common room".

The text on Google+ has also been made crisper for the HD displays in the new iPad and Google's Nexus 7, while the tablet apps have fuller photos and easily-tappable actions, like +1 and comment.

The Android tablet app is already available and the iPad app is said to be "coming soon".

Gundotra said that Google+ has attracted 250 million members since it went public last September as a competitor to Facebook and Twitter.

However, it is unclear how many of those members are actively using the service. A report earlier in the year suggested that the average Google+ member spends just three minutes on the site every month, compared to an average of around six to seven hours on Facebook.

But Google is clearly in it for the long haul with social networking, after being slow to the market.

Also last night, the firm announced Google+ Events, a new online event tool that aims to make invites more personal.

"To celebrate is human. It's how we connect with others, honour friends and family, or simply unwind after a long week," said Gundotra.

"We save the date for picnics, parties and nuptials, and we cherish these moments for a lifetime. Unfortunately, the subtlety and substance of real-world events is lost online.

"Today's online event tools are really just web forms that ask, 'Are you going?' Worse yet, they bail when you need them the most: during the actual event, and after everyone leaves.

"In life we plan, we party and we keep in touch. Software should make all of this more awesome, and that's exactly our aim with Google+ Events."

Google+ Events allow users to sent "beautiful invites" to other users, whether that may be to a wedding or small gathering of friends, with full calendar integration.

Users can pick "cinemagraphic themes" for their invites, as well as attach a personalised video greeting using YouTube or even an animation.

Google+ Events appear automatically in the Google Calendar and guests' updates arrive instantly in a dedicated Event Page stream.



During the event, users can share their photos live using the Party Mode, essentially providing a dedicated photo stream for the particular event, updated by everyone attached in real time.

"Once you've enabled Party Mode on your mobile device, all of your new photos get added to the event in real-time," said Gundotra.

"And as more guests turn on Party Mode, more pictures will instantly appear to fellow invitees. In this way Google+ Events gives your party a visual pulse; we've even added a 'live slideshow' you can proudly project during the event."

After the event, all the photos are then aggregated into a collection for reviewing later. The pictures and comments will be shown in chronological order on an event page, allowing users to browse at their leisure.

"Google+ has come a long way in a year, but we know we've got a long way to go," Gundotra concluded in a blog post.

"Fortunately we serve a community that's filled with thoughtful, committed individuals, and together we're creating something special. +1 person at a time."