Google+ Now Lets You Start A Hangout From YouTube

Google has rolled out a
cool little feature that allows you to start a Google+ hangout
that contains a YouTube
video directly from the video-sharing service. To do so, simply click on
the “Share” button under any video on YouTube and then “Start a Google+
Hangout” on the right. You can then choose who you would like to add to
your hangout and then start watching the video with those people.


Google+ has allowed you to watch YouTube videos inside Hangouts since
its launch and it added the option to watch
live-streaming videos with your friends inside Hangouts earlier
this month.




The launch of this little feature, which was revealed by YouTube Product Manager Brian Glick,
suggests that Google is starting to integrate Google+ features into more
of its properties.






[Via The Next Web]

Electronic Arts (EA) Presents "The Sims Social" on Facebook

Electronic Arts
(EA) has opened up access to its Facebook version of “The Sims,” meaning that
anyone can now play “The
Sims Social.”

The game, which was announced
back in June, lets you interact with Sims belonging to your
Facebook friends as you guide your Sim through their life. You can share
your activity within the game with your Facebook friends and keep
everyone up to date on what is happening with your Sim. The game is free
to play, but you can pay for virtual goods such as clothes and items to
decorate your home.

“The Sims Social” underlines the fact that EA is focusing more on
social gaming. Indeed, the company has acquired PopCap Games, one of the
biggest social gaming developers around, for a sum
that could rise to $1.3 billion.



I would guess that “The Sims Social” will prove to be hugely popular
among Facebook users as “The Sims” is one of the biggest gaming
franchises in history. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a home to build.

You can check out “The Sims Social” for yourself by installing
the Facebook app.

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Google To Buy Motorola

Google has bought Motorola Mobility, for $12.5bn --
about £7.6bn. Mobility is the part of Motorola that makes phones. Google
says the acquisition will "supercharge" Android.

Motorola
is certainly no stranger to Google's mobile OS. It's the company behind
devices such as the Motorola Milestone and the first Honeycomb
tablet, the Motorola Xoom. So the purchase does make a
degree of sense.

Breaking the news in a blog post, Google CEO
Larry Page said, "Together, we will create amazing user experiences that
supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers,
partners and developers everywhere."





Sounds adorable. But Motorola has never actually made a truly
must-have Android gadget -- could there be another reason behind Google
buying Motorola Mobility?

Patent palava 

Google's Android
operating system has recently come under attack from other companies such as
Apple, which claims the robot-powered OS infringes on its patents. As
Page notes in his blog post, in acquiring Motorola, Google will add a
whole slew of patents to its roster, giving it legal ammunition in the
fight against Android's enemies.



"This acquisition is primarily about acquiring Motorola's
sizeable patent portfolio," reckons Nick Dillon, devices and platforms
analyst at Ovum.



"The move raises concerns for Android handset manufacturers,"
Dillons adds, "as the acquisition will mean that Google will move from
becoming a software provider to becoming a hardware vendor."

Android rift?

That means Google will likely be pushing
out products that are in direct competition with its Android partners --
companies such as Samsung and LG. "If Google provides preferential
access to the Android code to its own hardware division, this would
place other vendors at a disadvantage and may lead them to question
their commitment to the platform, potentially pushing some towards other
platforms," Dillon said.



In other words, if Motorola is seen to get too much special
treatment from Google, it could cause a rift among companies that build
Android devices.



Google has gone as far as collecting
quotes from the CEOs of Android-lovin' companies to show that
there's no ill feeling harboured. HTC CEO Peter Chou said the
acquisition "demonstrates that Google is deeply committed to defending
Android, its partners, and the entire ecosystem". Big cheeses from other
companies echoed the sentiment.

The purchase, which is likely to
be completed by the end of 2011 or early 2012, means we may see
Google-branded Android phones and tablets built by Motorola coming out
before too long. That has happened before -- the Google Nexus One was built by HTC, and the Nexus S was constructed by Samsung.

Zynga Launches ‘The Pioneer Trail,’ New Chapter For ‘FrontierVille’

“FrontierVille”
fans, grab your 10-gallon hat, pull on your boots and hop on your horse
as a whole new chapter is coming to the Facebook game. Zynga has announced that “The
Pioneer Trail” is launching Friday on the social network.


In “The Pioneer Trail,” you will work your way across 3 distinct maps
— Beaver Valley, High Plains and Avalanche Pass — in order to reach the
safety of Fort Courage. To help you get to Fort Courage, you can select
3 of your Facebook friends to form your Trail Crew. You can designate
those friends as your crew’s doctor, carpenter and hunter, each of whom
have their own special abilities. This gives an interesting twist to the
game, as the more active your friends are on “The Pioneer Trail,” the
faster you will progress.




While working your way towards Fort Courage, you will be faced with
several choices in a story that is filled with plot twists, creatures
and other characters. Soon after setting off on your journey, you will
learn of a kidnapping that has been carried out. The story then plays
out as you discover clues to solve the mystery.


“The Pioneer Trail” is around 5 times the size of other Zynga games
and it is the first game from the company that lets you progress across
different maps and through changing environments. There are also several
ways to work through the story. The choices that you make will
determine how well you do as you travel across unfamiliar territory.
After you successfully play through a map, you can play it again and
possibly end up with a different outcome.





The game also contains a points system, where you can earn points
while traveling to Fort Courage and see how your score ranks against
your friends and other players.


If you are new to “FrontierVille,” you will be able to set out on
“The Pioneer Trail” after building your homestead. If you already have a
homestead, you can find it at the bottom of the screen while playing
“The Pioneer Trail” and you can switch back and forth between the main
“FrontierVille” game and “The Pioneer Trail.”


It appears that Zynga is experimenting with new social gaming
mechanics in “The Pioneer Trail.” Limiting your crew to just 3 friends
adds a strategy element of which friends to choose, while a closed story
mode (as opposed to the open-ended format of other Zynga games) should
add an extra dimension of gameplay to “FrontierVille.”


Of course, this is not the first time that Zynga has launched a
game-within-a-game. The company created
“GagaVille” within “FarmVille”
to promote Lady Gaga‘s
latest album. The company has launched several other new games in recent
months, including “Hanging
With Friends” and “CityVille
Hometown,” while it
has brought its popular “Words With Friends”
mobile game to Facebook. Meanwhile, “FrontierVille” was used
to promote the animated movie “Rango” earlier this year.


You can check out “The Pioneer Trail” for yourself by visiting “FrontierVille.”