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Google’s New Invention “Video and Voice Chat”

November 13th, 2008 |

Author: Rajeev Pandey

Google- A brand name of Internet because of it’s user friendly products. I really love the G-mail just because of it’s convenient operation. Today i have read a news and my dreams come true. Now I can Video chat with my family members and my beloved. Google Nov. 11 continued boosting the value of its Web e-mail application by adding voice and video chat to its Gmail messaging and collaboration tool. Users with Web cams can download a free plug-in to access the application.

With a Webcam and a Web browser plug-in, users can start video chats with other Gmail users, Google Apps Senior Product Manager Rajen Sheth says. “If you don’t have a Webcam, you can still use the conversation chat feature unless for some reason your computer is mute (no microphone). ”

Adding voice and video chat for Gmail shows Google means business beyond YouTube when it comes to online video. The company’s Google Apps team Sept. 2 launched Google Video for businesses to help enterprises with corporate training and to serve as a new vehicle for company executives to use to get the message to employees.

What does Google’s feature path point to? It further cements the role of Gmail as a vital communications tool for consumers and businesses. “It continues to move Gmail into a more complete messaging and communication solution and adds functionality to Web mail that’s never been there before,” Sheth noted.

New Gmail features such as Docs and Calendar gadgets, the Gmail chat via SMS (Short Message Service) feature, and now this video and voice chat tool indicate that Gmail is becoming a UCC platform that could help Google Apps prove more viable for businesses down the road.

As businesses are getting more and more distributed, as well as cost-conscious, this gives them a low-cost, efficient way to connect with each other and see each other face to face even if they have multiple locations.

To start using the Gmail voice and video chat tool, which ReadWriteWeb also describes here, users must open a Gmail chat window, click on the “Options” menu and choose “Add voice/video chat.” Users will be instructed to install a 2MB plug-in.

When users reopen Gmail they’ll see that the “Options” link in the chat window has changed to “Video & more.” Users may open this menu and click “Start video chat” to see and hear their partner. It has features similar to those in the popular Skype VOIP application: Users can switch to full-screen mode, or pop out the video and change its size and position.

Sheth said the feature is being rolled out to Gmail and broader Google Apps users over the next day or two on PCs and Macs. PC users must have Windows XP or a more recent version. Mac users must have an Intel-based machine with Mac OS X v10.4 or later.

The feature works in browsers that support the latest version of Gmail, including Google Chrome, Firefox 2.0 and higher, Internet Explorer 7.0, and Safari 3.0.