High Maturity, Google, Format Android ****

It's only been live a few weeks and it's not officially out of testing, but Google+is definitely making a splash. And with any new social networking platform, the app is key. There's no app yet for iPhone users – it's still making its way through the App Store approval process – but Android users, naturally, get an early look at mobile software. With Google+for Android you can check your notifications, add photographs and videos to your Google+ account and start chats, also known as Hangouts if you're including video, or Huddles if it's just instant messaging. You can even enable instant upload from your phone, which means any photos or videos you take will be put into a private album (for your eyes only) automatically. Crucially, it's not a necessity; you must give Google permission to do it, so be careful when setting up. Updates from friends and other people in your circles arrive in your stream, and instead of Facebook's "Like" button, you get a +1 button instead. It's early days yet, but so far, so good for the newest kid on the social networking scene.