In this second post on Google Plus, we focus on the Hangouts feature, which is essentially a free videoconferencing service offered to all Google Plus users. Below are 2 screencasts, the first  demonstrating Hangouts and Hangout Apps, and the second demonstrating Extras. Since Google Plus’s redesign at the beginning of April 2012, Extras is being phased out by Google, in the interest of making more features available through the new Hangout Apps feature directly. A Googler named Chee Chew explains the thought process in a Google Plus post at https://plus.google.com/106717946845088683921/posts/HJgF9xuTi6Z.

Hangout apps allow you to draw collaboratively, visit and watch videos as a group, and share documents, amongst other options. Since Hangouts with Extras essentially offered just those options, it makes the distinction redundant now, though as demonstrated in the second video, the link for Extras is still available as of April, 2012.