Google launches Buzz widget for Android

Widget aims to give people an easier way to update while on the go

Google announced this week it launched a Buzz widget for Android phones.  In case you haven't tried Buzz out yet, it's pretty much Google's version of a social network.  It's a stream for sharing content with your contacts that integrates directly into Gmail.  

And of course, with any social networking service comes the need for a mobile counterpart, especially if Google wants to get into the fastly growing location-based market.  

The Google Buzz widget allows users to post text and photos pretty easily.  It runs right on the Android desktop and enables users to post content with a single tap.  It also allows users to tag their posts with their location or place from which it was posted - say for example I'm grabbing a drink at some new bar in the city or something, I can let everyone know where I'm at, etc.  Google also wanted to make it clear the widget will upload in the background so you don't have to sit around and wait while it updates.  

This is a step up in ease and usability from Google's last iteration of Buzz for mobile phones.  Before this widget, users had to go to Buzz.google.com and use a Web app to conduct their updates, which definitely takes a bit longer than updating via a widget like this one.

In case you want to try it out, it's available in English for any Andoird phone running v1.6.  You can get it in the Android Market for free.  Let's wait and see if Google launches an iPhone app of this.