Google Talk Review

by Jordan Running Aug 23rd 2005

Google Talk around the network:

Google Talk: buddy list 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.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)

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

Tom said 8:48PM on 8-23-2005

i still get a 404 when i try and go to talk.google.com!

Pedro Beltrao said 8:49PM on 8-23-2005

and ? probably a joke. Just release it then :)

Vince said 8:51PM on 8-23-2005

I said WAS online for a SHORT WHILE it is not anymore

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.

Vince said 9:04PM on 8-23-2005

"click here"....where?

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!

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!?

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!

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

EpaL said 9:12PM on 8-23-2005

So... anyone got a download link for the pre-release?

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.

Tom said 9:17PM on 8-23-2005

J.T. Mill: you can have it auto-hide

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 ;-)

Bobby said 9:23PM on 8-23-2005

Please link link link link!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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....

ajp2116 said 9:26PM on 8-23-2005

If you need a place to host it, send me an e-mail at webmaster@ucs-ford.i8.com and I'll give you access to my FTP any i'll mirror it there for everyone

Adam said 9:27PM on 8-23-2005

You've been dugg: http://digg.com/software/Google_Talk_Review

Here comes the riot!

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 ;-)

=M=S=G= said 9:33PM on 8-23-2005

wow google is taking over the world fast

the word "government" will be replaced with "google"

nevertheless I cant wait for google talk. I hope the voIP works on my molasses-esque dialup connection

great review! very sexy

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