Google Hangouts has a New Home Hub

Posted by on Hangouts
Hangouts has a new home on the web, one that isn't residing within Gmail and Google+.

Hangouts was once a core feature of Google+, offering high quality group video calls for the low low price of free. Since then, it has evolved into an instant messaging service with everything you'd expect: Text, voice, and video calling (still free...), all synced and served across all your devices.

In 2013, Hangouts replaced Google Talk as the instant messenger in Gmail, and could be accessed in a small space within Gmail and Google+. This is still the case today, but instead of visiting some other Google product, you can just enter http://hangouts.google.com into your desktop browser to view all your conversations, or start chatting to a contact in whichever means you prefer.
This won't be useful to those who solely use Hangouts on mobile or the Chrome extension, but for everyone else, it may be handy. And the fact that it is easy for new users to check out is nice also.

I've got to say, I am heavily into the snazzy interface. It's simple, easy to navigate, and just looks so fresh. The background changes periodically, with credits to the original photographers at the bottom right.
Hangouts is looking fresh on the browser
The navigation ribbon keeps things simple
Readers, what do you think of the new home hub for Hangouts? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.