Have you heard of Google+?

You can find it here: http://plus.google.com.

It’s Google’s version of Facebook and Twitter, combined into one, and it’s actually pretty cool.

It allows you to share photos, videos, have unlimited text in your status updates, and other features that are similar to Facebook and Twitter (sans the unlimited text in the status updates).

Here is Google’s overview of its new social network:

The Google+ Project: A quick look

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Google+ Project: Explore Settings

Click here to view the embedded video.

HANGOUTS

One really cool feature G+ has that Facebook and Twitter do not is called “Hangouts.” This is where you can have a group video conference call of up to 10 people! That’s pretty sweet. And a buddy of mine said the quality is great.

Facebook has rolled out video calling via Skype, although it does not support group chat yet. So G+ definitely has 1 up, or should I say 10 up, on Facebook on this one!

The Google+ Project: Hangouts

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Google+ Project: Explore Hangouts

Click here to view the embedded video.

Circles allows you to put people you know in certain groups. So you can have your family in one Circle, your co-workers in another Circle, your business contacts in another Circle, your clients in another Circle, and maybe people you’re “following” (a la Twitter) in another Circle (more on the “following” concept later).

This allows you to group your contacts, which is very helpful, as you’ll see.

For example, clicking your family Circle allows you to only view the status updates of people in your family. Likewise, if you want to check out what your co-workers are talking about, you can click on your co-workers circle.

SHARE YOUR CONTENT WITH CERTAIN PEOPLE IN YOUR NETWORK

G+ also allows you to do another cool thing, which you can’t really do in Facebook. You can, but it is a bit clunky, and you have to go through a lot more hoops to share your content with groups of people, especially in the initial setup of it.

In Google+, you can easily share your status updates, which includes photos, videos, links, etc., with just certain Circles of yours, or with just one Circle, or with just one person, or with just certain people.

So if you have pictures from your family outing that you only want your family to see, then simply opt to only share it with your family Circle. That’s yet another feature which Facebook definitely needs to make easier to use if they want to be able to compete with G+.

CAN I SHARE MY CONTENT WITH EVERYONE, EVEN THOSE NOT IN MY CIRCLES?

If you want to share a status update (or picture or link or video, etc) with anyone and everyone, including those who aren’t even in your circles or who you even know, then you can select to share whatever you’re sharing with the ‘Public.’

Google definitely nailed it with Circles.

The Google+ Project: Circles

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Google+ Project: Explore Circles

Click here to view the embedded video.

SPARKS

There is also a feature called “Sparks.” This is where you can create streams of news articles, videos, pictures, etc., that are being shared on the Internet and organize them by topic.

So if you want to see all of the news that’s being shared a lot related to the upcoming iPhone 5, you can do that.

And if you want to see all of the news that’s being shared related to raw food recipes, you can do that as well.

It’s a great way to sift through information overload, because the articles, videos, and blog posts that are being shared by many many people are obviously of high quality.

The Google+ Project: Sparks

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Google+ Project: Explore Sparks

Click here to view the embedded video.

MOBILE

Google+ now has an app for both Android phones and the iPhone. They both have the following features: Stream (it’s like your homepage on Facebook where you see all of the postings of whatever Circle you’ve selected, or you can select to see them all), Huddle, Photos, Profile, Circles. The only difference right now between the Android App and the iPhone app is the Android app has the INSTANT UPLOAD feature (see below). Both are great apps and work very well. Very stable so far, as expected from Google.

Click here to view the embedded video.

INSTANT UPLOAD

This is a feature specifically for Android smart phones at the moment. There is an iPhone app for G+ now, however, it does not have this feature.

Instant Upload allows you to upload every picture and video you take with your Android smart phone to a private photo album in your G+ account. This way, all you have to do is decide who to share it with once it’s uploaded.

It takes the hassle of syncing your phone with your computer to get the photos and videos from your phone on to your computer, then uploading them from your computer to the Internet…out of the equation. This feature does all of that for you automatically.

The Google+ Project: Instant Upload

Click here to view the embedded video.

HUDDLE

Huddle is a cool way to be able to group text with your friends (or group instant message if you prefer that term).

In Huddle, which is a feature in both the Android and iPhone G+ app, you can all text in the same conversation so everyone in the group can see everyone else’s texts. It’s great for organizing a night out on the town, or for setting up a mastermind meeting.

The Google+ Project: Huddle

Click here to view the embedded video.

MORE GOOGLE +1 BUTTON LOVE FOR YOUR WEBSITE (HUGE!)

Here’s a BIG reason to join G+ if you have a website. First, you’ll need to add the Google +1 Button to your website. Then, every time you share a link to a blog post that you made, or a new web page that you created, you can share it on G+ and get some more +1 love from your friends, colleagues and followers.

On G+, it’s as easy to +1 a link as it is to “Like” a link on Facebook. This will help increase the ranking of your website in Google, which will push it higher up in the search results.

And if things go the way the industry says it’s going to go (they’re saying that Google is going to place a lot more weight on the number of +1′s a page/website has in determining the page rank), then this is going to be a HUGE game changer, especially if you have 100,000 people “following” you on G+ whom you’re sharing your website links to, which is a great lead-in to my last topic on G+.

Google Business: Introducing the +1 Button

Click here to view the embedded video.

And if you want a more indepth look at the +1 button. Check out the video below. I watched the first five minutes, and it definitely seems like a worth while watch if you really want a good understanding of what the +1 button is, and what it can do for your website. Plus it only has 1 dislike (probably from a Facebook fan), so it must be good.

Google I/O 2011: An introduction to the +1 button

Click here to view the embedded video.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN PEOPLE CAN “FOLLOW” ME ON GOOGLE+?

This is where Google+ acts like Twitter. Yes, people can follow your posts just like they can on Twitter, and you don’t have to approve them for them to be able to follow you. They can just follow you (you can block them if you want, though). They can put you in any of their Circles that they wish. They can even put you in more than one Circle (Friends Circle and Business Circle, for example).

The thing that is different from Twitter is that when someone follows you, their posts are put into a stream of yours called “Incoming.” So if you want to see the posts of people who are following you, all you have to do is click on your “Incoming” stream and voila! You get to see what your followers are up to.

WANT AN INVITE?

So now that you have a pretty good idea what Google+ is about, do you want an invite so you can check it out? With products like Google+, you can only do so much research before you realize that you actually have to experience it to really know it.

So if you want an invite so you can experience Google+, send me an email with “Google+ Invite Request” in the subject line, and I’ll send one right over to you. Please note that I can only send out a certain amount per day. So if you don’t get an invite on the same day, be patient. I will get to you within a few days after you request it.

Have any comments, opinions or experiences with Google+? Think it’s a Facebook or Twitter killer? Leave a comment below and tell me what you think!

Match.com: #1 Dating Site – View Pics for Free

Los Angeles Computer Repair | Los Angeles Computer Tech | Computer Repair Services

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

There was a PDF exploit in Safari in iOS 4 on the iPhone, which is how comex and other members of the iPhone Dev Team were able to jailbreak it. But Apple quickly found out about it, and released a patch for it. However, this patch (iOS 4.0.2 or iOS 4.1) will cause you to lose your jailbreak and your unlock, possibly forever! So don’t do it.

Instead, do this:

Click here to view the embedded video.

In the video, I use an app called Rock Your Phone. You can download that app for free via Cydia. Cydia is an install app that automatically gets installed as an app on your iPhone when you jailbreak it. Just open Cydia, do a search for Rock Your Phone, and then install it. Then watch my video above to see how to patch the Safari PDF exploit.

NOTE: Rock Your Phone states the following on their page that gives download and installation instructions:

All users should use the newest jailbreak from jailbreakme.com which was released on August 1st, 2010 to install RockApp on your iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch.

So if you did not jailbreak your phone via jailbreakme.com, then I’m not sure if it will work. But unless you have iOS 4.0.1 on your phone already, and you just have not had a chance to jailbreak your phone, then you are out of luck with regard to jailbreaking your iPhone, as iOS 4.0.1 is no longer available via iTunes. iOS 4.0.1 is the most recent version of iOS that can be jailbroken. The version of iOS on iTunes now is iOS 4.1, which does not have a jailbreak yet. However, I’m sure the Dev Team is hard at work cracking the code for iOS 4.1.

Sign up for my VIP list in the upper left section of this blog so you will get first notice of when the jailbreak for iOS 4.1 is available!

Los Angeles Computer Repair | Los Angeles Computer Tech | Computer Repair Services

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

In case you haven’t heard, Apple had an event a couple of days ago on September 1st where Steve Jobs disclosed all of their new products. You can watch the whole event here.

Here is the short version of Steve Jobs’s presentation…

iTunes 10 is now out, and it’s pretty cool. If you have a Mac, click on the Apple menu in the upper left corner of your screen and select “Software Update” to get it. For PC users, you should be prompted to
update iTunes if you have the Apple software update program installed. If not, just go to here and download it.

In addition to iTunes 10 coming out, Apple announced that it will be releasing a brand new version of the iPod Touch, iPod Shuffle, and iPod Nano. Apple will also be releasing a new version of iOS 4 (version 4.1; the operating system that runs the iPod Touch, iPad, and iPhone), which will be available as a free download from iTunes next week. And they will be releasing a brand new Apple TV, which will be 1/4 the size of its predecessor! Amazing.

Here is a brief rundown of what’s new:

iOS 4.1 (operating system for iPod Touch, iPad, and iPhone)

• Bugs have been fixed (Proximity, Bluetooth, iPhone 3G)
• High Dynamic Range photos (it takes 3 photos in rapid succession; one normal exposure, one with under exposure, and one with over exposure and combines all three into one photo; you will have choice between normal exposure and HDR version of photo)
• HD video upload via WiFi
• TV show rentals
• Game Center – all about multi-player games; can challenge
  friends, or it will auto match you with others if you don’t have
  any friends; compare scores; discover new games your friends are
  playing

Price: FREE
Available next week
Free download via iTunes

iTunes 10

• New Logo – no longer has a CD in the logo since it’s becoming
  obsolete
• Shows album cover in Playlist if you have more than 5 songs from
  that album
• iTunes Ping – a new social network all about music. It allows
  you to follow artists and friends, keep up on their recent
  activity, and know when their next concert is. You’ll even be able
  to see which artists your favorite artists like. You can get as
  private and as public as you want with regards to who can follow
  you and what you share. Starts with an immediate customer base of
  160 million people. Pretty cool service.
• TV Show Rentals – you can now rent TV shows in HD commercial free for
  99 cents
• Airplay – Now you’ll be able to play music wirelessly throughout
  your entire house with AirPlay-enabled speakers. You can even
  stream movies, photos, and music from your iPad or iPhone to your
  Apple TV. That will come in November with iOS 4.2. Nice.
• Apple TV – Now it has more movies and TV Shows, plus your music
  and photos. It also has improved syncing capabilities with iTunes.

Price: FREE
Available Now
Get it here or via Software Update

Apple TV

• It’s 1/4 the size of its predecessor
• Can hold it in the palm of your hand
• No power brick with power cord
• HDMI connection
• Ethernet & Wifi 802.11n
• 1st Run Movies, TV shows, & music
• All HD (when available)
• You don’t store the content, you rent it; no purchases
• No storage management, because you’re not storing anything on it
• Streaming – no syncing
• 99cents to rent HD TV Shows (commercial free) – ABC & FOX shows
  for now
• Rent 1st Run movies in HD for $4.99 (Steve demoed Ironman 2 during
  the presentation)
• Can stream Netflix to Apple TV for free
• Stream videos from YouTube
• Stream photos from Flickr
• Stream photos and movies from MobileMe
• Stream music from Internet Radio Stations
• Stream music, photos, and video from your computer
• Will even be able to stream your music, photos, and video from your iOS device (iPod Touch, iPad, or iPhone) when iOS 4.2 comes out in November 2010

Price: Only $99
Available in 4 weeks
Can pre-order now by clicking here

iPod Shuffle

• It now has buttons + voiceover + playlists
• It will speak the playlists for you
• Genius Mixes
• It will even tell you when the batteries need charging (I mean
  tell you via a voice, not a light; at least that was the impression
  that Steve gave)
• Has a belt clip
• 15 hrs of music

iPod Shuffle 2GB $49
Available next week
Can pre-order now by clicking here

iPod Nano

• Make it smaller – it’s very small
• Half as small and half as light as its predecessor
• Now has multi-touch screen
• It also has a clip
• FM Radio, Pedometer, Nike Plus
• 24hr Audio playback

iPod Nano 8GB $149 (pre-order here)
iPod Nano 16GB $179 (pre-order here)
Available next week

iPod Touch

• It’s even thinner than its predecessor
• Retina display (4x the number of pixels; same as iPhone 4)
• Apple A4 chip – same as iPhone 4
• iOS 4.1 with Game Center
• Facetime with Front Camera
• Can do Facetime (video calls via Wifi) with iPod Touch to iPod
• Touch and iPod Touch to iPhone 4
• Rear Camera with HD recording
• Can edit videos right on phone and upload to YouTube via Wifi
• 40hrs of music playback

iPod Touch 8GB $229 (pre-order it here)
iPod Touch 32GB $299 (pre-order it here)
iPod Touch 64GB $399 (pre-order it here)

As usual, all of the new products look fantastic. Apple always comes out with such amazing products. Gotta love them!

Los Angeles Computer Repair | Los Angeles Computer Tech | Computer Repair Services

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Do you love Apple products? Would you like to be the first to see and experience what Apple products will be coming out in 2011? Want a chance to see Steve Jobs speak in person and maybe even meet him?

Well, today is the last day that you can register for MacWorld 2011, which will be held in San Francisco, California from January 25th to January 29th of next year.

I’m definitely an Apple fanboy, so I’ll be there. Want to be there as well?

Here’s the link:

MacWorld SF 2011 Free Registration

Go and register now before it ends today!

Los Angeles Computer Repair | Los Angeles Computer Tech | Computer Repair Services

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Apple may be clearing inventory to make way for one or more new iPhone models by making the iPhone available for consumers to buy via their website. However, only those new to AT&T will be able to complete the entire purchase online. Existing customers will still have to go into their local Apple Store to pick up their phone.

Here’s the full article:

http://bit.ly/15xnpS

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.