Google has been hard at work and has recently unveiled two big things. One of them being Google+, which is a unique twist to social media and a direct competitor to Facebook, and another being Swiffy, a new experimental tool for developers which converts some .SWF Flash files into HTML5 code compatible with devices like the iPhone and iPad. Google+ aims to change the way we stay in touch with people online. The service emphasizes on how data is shared, and with whom, as well as privacy (a department we all know Facebook makes frequent unwanted changes to). The service is organized into five features, which consist of +Circles, +Sparks, +Hangouts, and +Huddle; all targeting different social networking needs. Although there seems to be some innovation here, Google has taken good ideas from other social networking sites and implemented them in their own way. According to a blog post on the company’s site, Google expects to get more users involved in Google’s ecosystem. You can check out more information about each of their features with descriptions as well as videos that explain them by going to their official blog post. The project s currently in a limited field trial and is closed as of right now but you can sign up to be notified for when they accept more people if you are interested. Google+ seems to be what we personally would want to see in a social media network as it gets pretty tiring to see random nonsensical stuff posted on Facebook. Hopefully it takes off and becomes popular amongst friend circles throughout the world. If it does, it may lead to another problem of having to manage several social media accounts, which is already becoming a tad frustrating with the likes of Facebook, Twitter, and the several others that are out there. Swiffy, the Flash conversion tool in development is currently available at Google Labs, where the search giant’s engineers create experimental applications that may not be ready for primetime or intended for the masses. Using the Swiffy website, anyone can upload an SWF file and convert it to HTML5. Swiffy supports most of the Flash 5 ActionScript specification. The output file works in all browsers based on Apple’s open-source Webkit engine, which powers the Mobile Safari browser found on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Also available on the site are a gallery of videos and games that have been converted to HTML5 from Flash, as well as a list of frequently asked questions. Among the questions is a query about what Adobe (the creator of Flash) thinks of Swiffy. “Adobe is pleased to see the Flash platform extended to devices which don’t support the Flash player,” the site reads. “The result is that anyone creating rich or interactive ads can continue to get all the authoring benefits of Flash Pro and have the flexibility to run the ad in the Flash Player or HTML depending on what’s available on the system. Google and Adobe look forward to close collaboration around efforts like these.” Google has previously made moves to support HTML5 in the past, including conversion of videos on the popular Web video destination YouTube but Google also still includes Adobe Flash Player embedded in its Google Chrome browser. The company is also currently pushing its own video playback format dubbed WebM over the Apple-backed H.264 format. The search company believes that its own WebM format will “enable open innovation.” What do you think of Google+ and Swiffy? Let us know what you think in the comments below! As usual, stay tuned for more news and info on the topic by following us on Facebook, Twitter and/or  subscribe to our RSS Feed. Authors: