Google Talk Review
Google Talk around the network:
- TUAW explains how to connect to Google Talk using iChat on Mac OS X
- Google Talk at the Unofficial Google Weblog
Google Talk, Google's long-expected entry into the IM and VoIP market, has arrived. As predicted, Google Talk is a full-fledged IM client based on the open Jabber protocol with VoIP thrown in for good measure.
Update: The Google Talk web site has gone live and you can now download Google Talk for Windows.
Here's a quick run-down of what Google Talk has to offer: Basic IM capabilities, high-quality and easy to use VoIP, complete integration with Gmail, and a simple, ads-free interface. Read on for our preliminary review and a glimpse into Google Talk's future.
The download is tiny (about 900k) and the install is so quick and easy you don't even realize it's finished yet. You sign in with your Gmail account and are immediately presented with your (momentarily empty) buddy list. There's an Add Friend button, a "Search all contacts" field which searches both your Google Talk and Gmail contacts, and a drop-down under your name that lets you set your available/unavailable status and messages. There's also an Inbox button which takes you to Gmail, plus Help and Settings.
Clicking on a friend in your buddy list will open an IM window for that person, and clicking on the phone icon to the right of their name will start a voice session. The buddy list allows you to rename contacts and tweak other settings, like whether Gmail-only contacts are shown. When you have multiple IM windows open, they show up in a neat sliding interface which you can dock to the buddy list, "roll up," or tear away. The whole affair is the picture of simplicity and intuitiveness we've come to expect of Google, and is downright attractive to boot.
According to our friends at Google, there's a lot in store for Google Talk. Google is keenly interested in keeping the protocol open, and in fact you can access Google Talk's servers with any Jabber-compatible client like Trillian, Gaim, Adium X, and iChat. (If you have one of these, I'm told you can connect using server talk.google.com and port 5222.) Google tells us that SIP support is coming soon and are in talks with Skype, AOL, and Yahoo! concerning interoperability.
Another big feature they're working on is "joint search," which would allow two or more Google Talk buddies using Google and surfing the web together. This would be a natural segue to the fabled Google Browser, but there is as yet no confirmation from Google.
Google also tells us that they don't yet have solid plans on making money with the service, but plan on using it to drive users to Gmail.
With Halloween fast approaching, it's a great time to get in some practice defending your territory against zombies. In Graveyard Shift, you take aim at zombies and other creepy-crawlies, blasting them into splatters of cartoony green guts. It's a casual first-person shooter, and it's very easy to get the hang of - use the mouse to aim, click to fire. Graveyard Shift has at least 15 levels, and it might even have some secret stages I haven't unlocked yet.
They key to getting good at Graveyard Shift is learning to use ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Unofficial Google Talk Fan Club said 8:05AM on 11-24-2005
Hello, Google Talk Users,
I like Google talk and I am going to create a Google Talk Member list unofficial.
At 22.11.2005, we have only 12 members from China, India, Brazil, Myanmar and Bulgaria.
The list works very well; members can contact between and can invite more and more friends to sign up.
The list works very well; many of members from China, Brazil and Bulgaria want to use Google Talk contacts to learn English language. I seek help how to create online English course, free of any charge and on the base of Google Talk. All suggestions and partnership propositions will be very helpful.
Thank you in advance,
Don
Reply
adem62 said 9:32AM on 12-16-2005
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Reply
EpaL said 9:09PM on 8-23-2005
Aww come on, the suspense is just KILLING ME!
I'm sure the million $$$ question on the end of everyone's fingers is: how the hell did you get a copy before all of us!?
Reply
Vince said 8:47PM on 8-23-2005
talk.google.com was online for a short while so I figure that that's where they got it from
Reply
Tom said 8:48PM on 8-23-2005
i still get a 404 when i try and go to talk.google.com!
Reply
Pedro Beltrao said 8:49PM on 8-23-2005
and ? probably a joke. Just release it then :)
Reply
Jason Clarke said 8:51PM on 8-23-2005
Not a joke - we're giving it a test drive right now. Your Gmail account is your user id.
Reply
Vince said 8:51PM on 8-23-2005
I said WAS online for a SHORT WHILE it is not anymore
Reply
Vince said 9:04PM on 8-23-2005
"click here"....where?
Reply
ajp2116 said 9:07PM on 8-23-2005
I can't get it either. I also keep getting a file not found error. Does anyone have a link to the site that works or better yet, have a mirror or something. That would be great. Thanks!
Reply
ajp2116 said 9:09PM on 8-23-2005
I can't get it either. I also keep getting a file not found error. Does anyone have a link to the site that works or better yet, have a mirror or something. That would be great. Thanks!
Reply
EpaL said 9:12PM on 8-23-2005
So... anyone got a download link for the pre-release?
Reply
Vince said 9:10PM on 8-23-2005
I think they're will be a riot if we don't get a copy in the next couple of minustes
Reply
J.T. Mill said 9:16PM on 8-23-2005
Man, my stupid copy of Trillian won't install the Jabber plugin so I have to wait like everybody else. By the way, does this program run in Google Desktop Beta 2? I can't stand Google's sidebar taking up 1/10 my screen so if Google Talk turns out to be a sidebar plugin I'm sadly not going to use it.
Reply
Tom said 9:17PM on 8-23-2005
J.T. Mill: you can have it auto-hide
Reply
dextroz said 9:30PM on 8-23-2005
Dude... come one e-mail us a copy each! We'rer dying to frikkin get-a-hold of it already!
We'll all paypal 5 bucks towards a ho-dance for ya tonight and free beer ;-)
Reply
Bobby said 9:23PM on 8-23-2005
Please link link link link!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reply
dextroz said 9:23PM on 8-23-2005
Dude... come one e-mail us a copy each! We'rer dying to frikkin get-a-hold of it already!
We'll all paypal 5 bucks towards a ho-dance for ya tonight and free beer ;-)
Reply
Vince said 9:26PM on 8-23-2005
Come on lets all start a protest by not reading the blog until they give us a copy....then again how r we suppose to know that they're releasing it....
Reply
Adam said 9:27PM on 8-23-2005
You've been dugg: http://digg.com/software/Google_Talk_Review
Here comes the riot!
Reply