Just when you thought Gmail couldn’t get any better, it does. On July 30, Google brought peer-to-peer social network interaction to a whole new level, with its integration of Hangout into Gmail. Hangouts, a longtime staple of Google+, allows users to chat with up to nine contacts at once. During a Hangout, users can collaborate in Google docs, watch YouTube videos or share their working screens. It’s integration into Gmail, which began on July 30, marks another step towards CEO Larry Page‘s plan to transform the entire Google experience. “Sharing on the Web will be like sharing in real life across all your stuff,” Page said.

Hanging out is now as easy as, one…

Two…

Three!

The move is the latest in Google’s plan to integrate Google+ features into Google Apps, the company’s cloud-based business suite. This integration is pretty genius, in my opinion. Google Apps already makes work so much more efficient for global business, and for companies like JESS3 with touch points across the U.S. and the world. One thing’s for sure, I hope JESS3’s video chats include pirate hats from now on. I certainly say “arrrggghhh” to that.

Tags: bradcohen, gmail, google, news