One of the most awesome things about working in the clouds is that no matter where you are you have a complete test lab at your finger tips.
While sitting at the gate waiting for my next flight I got to thinking. How cool would it be if I could start a hangout from my android device and easily join and start hangouts while I am traveling. (I typically initiate or join several hangouts a day)
I decided to set a test lab up: BWI, Southwest Terminal, Gate 8 and my work bench is the Southwest power bar.
The set up:
1 surge protector (flipit) with built in USB connections
1 Macbook Pro
1 HTC Evo 4g Android phone
1 Samsung Galaxy tab 10.1
1 Verizon hotspot
The Challenge:
With one click from either the Evo or Galaxy tab start a hangout with with full video chat.
I realize that this functionality is on its way from Google but I want it now!
With all this equipment set up right there at Gate 8 I begin some setup and testing. You should see the people that are walking by looking at me like I am crazy. Priceless!
I figure out pretty quickly that if I invite a user to join a hangout they can join from an Android device as long as Google+ is preloaded on the device. So I send myself an invitation (I have multiple Google Accounts) and click the link from my Evo. I am asked if I want to continue with Google+ or the internet and choose Google+. Bam! The Hangout starts, I get the typical "check your look" instruction and join. I do the same thing from my Galaxy Tab and now have all three devices streaming video shots of travelers rubber necking my setup.
Now, how do this from the android device?
Since I have a personalized URL for all my hangouts I create a bookmark in the browser on both the Evo and Galaxy tab. Add the bookmark as a shortcut on my home page and now have an instant hangout with one click. I put on my headphones and can now walk through an airport streaming live video in a Google Hangout.
Result:
One Click Hangout from my Android devices.
Occasionally I will get an error when the hangout starts but overall a great solution.
System Info:
Galaxy Tab Model GT-P7510 running Android version 3.2
HTC Evo 4g model PC36100 running Android 2.33
Macbook Pro running OSX Version 10.7.3 with Chrome browser version 17.0.963.46
Monday, February 13, 2012
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