Been using this for 2-3 years – personal and professional. Talk with colleagues.
Owned by Google so you and the folks you hangout with MUST have a google account. This is a competitor for Apple’s facetime and Microsoft’s skype.
So you can chat, video conference, talk on the phone. However, it has several other features as well – apps!
How used in higher ed? College of Arts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFZPqpfCB2AViolin Class: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PScP5JI3NxUConference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESUulsXriKc
How many farmiliar with skype? So, advantages – Google Hangouts is esier to set up, has free group calls with up to 10 people and more features (can add apps).