You probably have more than a few friends that use Twitter here in the Bay Area because I know I do. Frankly, I still puzzle myself because I haven’t utilized it yet but that may be changing soon. We’ll see. Anyways, Twitter isn’t the story here.
In fact, it’s a Twitter-like service that Google rolled out today, you know, being able to share stuff with people you know without all the craziness of Facebook.
They call it Google Buzz and it’s going to be integrated right into Gmail, so if you have a Gmail account, be prepared for some changes. Giz has a rundown of the features, so without further adieu, the shortlist of what Google Buzz does:
• Automatic friends lists (friends are added automatically who you have emailed them on Gmail)
• "Rich fast sharing" combines sources like Picasa and Twitter into a single feed, and it includes full-sized photo browsing
• Public and private sharing (swap between family and friends)
• Inbox integration (instead of emailing you with updates, like Facebook might, Buzz features emails that update dynamically with all Buzz thread content, like the photo viewer we mentioned above)
What’s not mentioned is the close resemblance to Twitter, however, there is no character limit and you can share virtually anything media related. Photos, video, what have you. It’s even going to be using the @ icon as a way to comment.
Odd, I’ve seen that somewhere before.
Buzz is also going to be available on mobile and it will include geolocation that apparently gives any conversation you’re having context. Here’s how it works:
You can simply go to Google's homepage on a supported smartphone, and click the little Buzz icon on the top right corner, next to the services list. It'll poll your GPS, Wi-Fi network or cell towers and instead of tagging your post with lat/long coordinates, it'll approximate your location with something like "Highpoint Mall" or "Yoni's Adult Megaempornium." It's geotagging in English instead of numbers, basically.
Creepy. About as creepy as that rumored feature for a future version of the iPhone OS.
Buzz is obviously going to be able to be used from Android phones, but those of us in SF with an iPhone or a Pre, and there are a few, will be able to use the mobile features too.
It's also being integrated into Google Maps showing you who is Buzzing close by. A little intrusive for my tastes but hey, some people are glad to reveal they are Buzzing at an adult book store.
Oh, Buzz is going live, for a select few, today at 11am our time, which was a minute ago.
For more info, contact Adam: admillios@gmail.com
Comments
I can haz cheezeburger.
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