[Chrome app] Hangouts

Google has released a new Hangouts app for Google Chrome. The company already has a Hangouts Extension for the platform, which allows communicating with your Hangouts friends, but the new standalone app works much like Facebook's chatheads feature, but for your desktop.

The new Hangouts app is available for download through the Chrome webstore and can be downloaded on Windows, Mac or Chrome OS. When you install and run the app, a Hangouts bubble floats on the side of your desktop, and subsequent conversations float above that. Users can click and hold to drag the bubble around and manage/participate in chats just like on the web. New messages automatically preview in a word bubble next to their respective chat, and users can hover over each chat to see the last correspondence.

You can download the app directly on your device through the Chrome Webstore or by using the following link:

It's worth noting that - for now - the app has the same contacts and chat tabs as its Android counterpart, but no dialer tab. To dial a contact, you'll need to hit the search bar first, then select the phone icon.

Also of note is that the app is apparently not fully ready for OSX, as some users are experiencing unexpected behavior. For now, it also appears there's no easy way to switch accounts or support multiple accounts - the app will pick up whichever account is your primary on Chrome.

source - Google | Chrome Blog