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Wednesday, August 24, 2005 8:32 AM PT Posted by Harry McCracken
First Impressions: Google Talk
Most applications are defined by what they do. Google's new Google Talk instant messaging/voice chat program, on the other hand, gets its personality from what it doesn't even try to do. It won't turn your emoticons into fancy smileys. (Hey, it doesn't even let you change the font size at the moment.) It doesn't pelt you with ads for movies you don't want to see. You can't use it to transfer files or play games, and it'll never, ever pop up a window with news about Jessica Simpson. In short, this is chat stripped to its essence--and while there's absolutely nothing innovative about this program, its utter straightforwardness is kind of refreshing.Google Talk is tightly integrated into Gmail; in fact, you need a Gmail account to use it, since your Gmail login and password are also your Google Talk login and password. (Gmail remains in a strange semi-private beta mode, but signing up for Google Talk gives you a Gmail account--and lets you give up to 50 Gmail/Gtalk accounts to your buddies.)
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If Google Talk catches on, that problem might solve itself eventually. (Betcha that a lot of people are trying out the software right now; I'll be curious to see how many stick with it.) At the moment, the good news is that the Google Talk network is compatible with the Jabber/XMPPP protocol--which means that you can chat with pals who use a client such as GAIM or Trillian Pro (or iChat on Mac OS X 10.4), if they have a Gmail account and configure their client properly.
(Side note: We've suffered the madness of proprietary and incompatible IM networks for so long that it's easy to forget that it is, indeed, a nutty situation...and I hope to live to see the day when the big IM providers act for the good of humanity and open up their networks. I kind of wish that Google had tempted fate by making Google Talk compatible with its archrivals' services, but I can understand why it didn't, given the ugly history of major IM services blocking users of other clients.)
Google Talk's Skype-like built-in voice chat is also slick and simple, and in my extremely brief experiments with it the quality was excellent and lagtime was minimal. Here again, you're limited to gabbing with other Gtalk users at the moment, but Google says it's working to open up the service, and is working with Earthlink and Sippphone to establish compatability with their voice services.
The Google Talk Help Center is cheerfully open about all the things that the software doesn't do yet--including run on anything other than Windows. It sounds like they plan to add lots of features, and it'll be interesting to see if they can preserve the application's no-nonsense feel while doing so. It also sounds like there will eventually be Mac and Linux versions.
The bottom line with any new instant messaging client is this: Is it worth dumping your current program for? If Google Talk was compatible with AIM--the network I spend most of my time on--I might be tempted. That doesn't seem to be in the offing, though. So I suspect I'll be sticking with the clients I already use. (For the record, I tend to hop back and forth between AIM itself and iChat, GAIM, and Trillian, all of which are AIM-compatible.)
Still, Google Talk is such an easy download that you should try it if you have the slightest curiosity about it.
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Aloha I am trying the Google Talk right now,
I love simplicity!
nice and simple, not bad AND nobodt is bothering you for now at least
Hello all...Google Talk must take over...very cool :) So simple and lean...I'm sure they'll make it open to plugins...wow!
Its a Great IM, users will be delighted abt how well it does IMing n VOIP, is surely a skype-killer.
Not only a skype-killer, but icq, msn, yahoo and others must die too.. i'll pray for this tonight ;) not only the plugins, i've heard from somewhere that the whole thing will be open-source. can't wait to try the linux version
No AOL might be an issue...but if AOL users switch to Google...problem solved!!
I just dowmloadad it, and allready I have 10 frinds on my list to talk to.
It seems very good, i'm just getting to know it.
I love it.... i now have to go find a mic for my work computer so i can talk to clients world wide, after i tell them to start using it!
well knowing google we'll be in for a number of updates that will make it all the better
i think google has a real chance at stealing this market, at least a good chunk of it. judging by the way gmail caught on, gtalk might be able to overcome its proprietary network problem.
The cool thing about using Jabber is that it has gateway implementations to talk to AIM, MSN, ICQ and other networks.
So expect support for these in Google Talk soon. :)
I would say leave it up for GOOGLE to beat everyone out there, but I like it allready as it is.
I would say leave it up for GOOGLE to beat everyone out there, but I like it already as it is
Everyone seems to worship Google. Kind of strange for a no frills messanger...
This software sucks. Sorry, but it doesn't hold a candle to really great apps like Trillian, GAIM, Adium or even, at the "bare bones" Apple's iChat (hello simplicity AND it plays nicely with others). Come on guys, it's 2005 and we're supposed to get all excited because someone made another chat client??? Google releasing yet another client out there with nothing to offer is just a waste of bandwidth. Maybe in a year it'll be comprable to any of the freeware that's already out there. Until then, it's a hack waving the google flag.
I just downloaded and installed Google Talk! and am quite impressed with the simple layout and design. I do have suggestions and recommendations though.
1 - File transfer is a MUST.
2 - Video would be a plus.
3- Customizable. Users have to be given the options to install file transfer, video, whiteboard, etc... I prefer MSN to Google Talk right now because it does have file transfer, but hate it because it is not clean, has whiteboard, remote assistance, and all these other things that are just wasting my space, resources, and are making my machine more susceptible to attack.
4 - Voicemail. Google's in quite the position here to offer free VoIP Voicemail using GMail. Imagine being able to setup a voicemail option that'll save an audio file as a link in your GMail account? I think that'd be cool. Of course this would have to be an option, and one that allows for users to specify how much of their GMail account that they want to allocate for Voicemail purposes.
If you want a chat client without those obsturive ads and that can connect to AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo and Google Talk (Jabber) networks, try Gaim (http://gaim.sourceforge.net/). I've been using it for such a long time now, I was horrified when I used MSN Messenger 7.0 recently. Animated kisses that fill up the whole screen? Misspelled ads ("Get FRREE xyz!")? Who needs that.
Right now, I think Google Talk is great for long-distance voice chat. once Google adds a few extra features, such as group chat and at least some font/color customizability plus opens up Gmail to the entire public, then there's definitely great chance of it trumping MSN/AIM/YM like what the three did to ICQ a few years back.
I really feel sorry for Skype though. haha!
It looks a really good idea, but unfortunately, I haven't been able to sign in yet, as it stops at the "connecting" stage in gaim (I'm using Linux btw). Could be their network isn't working, or could be gaim isn't! Anyway, if they release a Linux version, or open source it then I'll almost definately use it. What'd be pretty essential is being able to connect ot other Jabber networks. What would be really cool was if you could use jabber transports - then there would be no reason to use any other client :). I'm sure that Google will sort this out, and I can see it being serious competion if they do implement these features!
ahhh , don't be ignorant fools. Google Talk is nothing but a stripped down version of aim. Aim has always had support for talking. Aim even has support for aim users to integrate into aim mail, also 2 GB. Aim has support for talking as well. Until google allows international calling for computer to phone this is a lame attempt to get publicity.
We must have pc to phone functionality, and at least an attempt at phone to pc, otherwise this is just another chat client that lets you use your microphone. No better than msn messenger. Come on google, dont let me down, do something new and refreshing.
Just tried and the voice works better than Skype. I've had Skype problems with certain slower broadband connections. I can't even get MSN audio to work. Google connection was clear. But maybe we'll see when more people use the system. Meanwhile, we are moving everyone in my company to Google Talk (from the MSN/Skype combo) as we like the quality and reliability of the audio.
Alas I am using Macs at home and may have to wait.
And by the way, if you combine Google Talk with instacoll.com then you have a cool free webconferencing arrangement. Instacoll does a good job of sharing Powerpoint and Excel online, all you need for a good webconference. And now with clear free audio, you're there. Google should buy Instacoll before Microsoft gets it!
I have downloaded it but now i don't know anybody who wants to use it with me !!!
nothing beats iChat for simplicity - the coloured speech bubbles and the left-right alignment make it so much clearer than any other client - pity google didn't copy that format.
P.S. if you're using AIM which is really cluttered, you can use the iChat front end, without having a .MAC account - just download iChat and use your AIM login
GAIM settings: protocol=Jabber, Screen name=obvious, Server=gmail.com, Connect server=talk.google.com, Port=5222
So much for google talk. Now that Skype got SERIOUSLY backed by eBay (with all the finances and users) I would write off most IMs.
Google Talk has (relatively) excellent sound quality over low bandwidth (dial-up for eg). Seems to have a feature to wait for slower packets and then catch up by playing the voice faster than usual - if this indeed is a feature then it's quite innovative.
Hey Anon, don't rule out GTalk yet, I don't care if Ebay gave Skype a cool Billion, they can't make PC-to-Phone or Vid phone, or anything else important happen faster than Google can, with it's $7 billion free right now. (Which is more than Microsoft has, BTW.)
Also, With the GoogleNet about to be in the hands of every last child on planet earth in a few years, who do you think will have the better distribution?
Hmm? :)
ESTOY BUSCANDO A LA HIJA DE MI ESPOSO,SE LLAMABA YOELY RODRIGUEZ DOMENA, PERO LE CAMBIARON EL NOMBRE ,GRACIAS DAVID RODRIGUEZ
I use google tlak now for awhile, and hey, all those who have a big mouth ansay it is crap, go an leave it and do other things anstead to complain. Google talk is the best, noone bothers you, you can have all your friends and not horrible people attacking you like skype people, google talk has a cristall clear voice and this is the most importent thing that you can speak in clear voice. Also there is a video chat for google, plugin, a multi user chat is in cludet, so then you set up. Google is the biggest and kill`s all the others out there.
using voice, google talk is a bit less ressource hungry than skype, which is better for slow PCs