Monday, December 18, 2006

New Features in GTalk

Google is not just sitting to wait people start using Google Talk, but they upgrade the application bit by bit and they have started to make a lot of improvements. Here are some new features from the latest Google Talk application (from their What's New page):

orkut integration
Google Talk makes it easier than ever to chat with more of your friends. If you use orkut, Google's free social networking service, you can chat or place Internet phone calls with your orkut friends using Google Talk. orkut friends will automatically appear in your Friends list, and you'll find out instantly if you've received a new orkut scrap. Learn more.

Offline Messages
Now if your friends have chat history enabled, you can send them messages even when they're not online. Just enter a message into the chat window as you would normally, and they'll get it the next time they sign into Google Talk. In Gmail, offline messages can be searched and organized -- just like instant messages in their chat history. Learn more.

File Transfer
With this top requested new feature, you can send unlimited files and folders to your friends through Google Talk. There is no restriction on the file type or size and the peer-to-peer transfer is fast and reliable. Learn more.

Voicemail
If your friends aren't around to answer your call, you can leave them a voicemail message instead. Just record your voice after the "Meep" and your friends will get an email to their Talk contact address with the voicemail attached as an audio file. They can play your message when they check their email and save it for as long as they want. Learn more

Music Status and Music Trends
Listening to music while chatting on Google Talk? Now you can let your friends see what you're listening to by selecting "Show current music track" in your status menu. Your status message will change when your song does!

You can also choose to contribute your music tastes to Google Music Trends, and check out what Google Talk users are listening to across the world. Learn more.


That's not all. Google also still busy doing this things:

Pictures and themes
See pictures in your Friends list and chat sessions. Pick a picture for yourself and customize where you see your friends' pictures. Now you can also change the appearance of your chat sessions.

Google Talk for BlackBerry devices
Get Google Talk on your BlackBerry and chat with your friends on the go for free. You can even keep emailing and playing BrickBreaker while you chat. Download it at www.blackberry.com/googletalk (most commonly accessed via your BlackBerry).


Google talk is not as big as the other IM client such as Yahoo Messenger or Windows Live Messenger, but it's still promising. It's getting updated with lot of features that are available on those two big IM client and it's only a matter of time until Google wants to support all of the features and implement them in Google Talk.

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:35 AM

    Hm... that sounds a lot like YM feature doesn't it? And after the toolbar page fiasco will Google ever learn?

    orkut integration -- pretty much like Yahoo360 integration

    Offline messages -- duh! Yahoo supported this for ages!

    File Transfer -- ditto

    Voicemail -- now this is something new. But seriously, if you can type your messages faster (and use less bandwith), who wanted to leave a message?

    Music status -- direct copy...

    Pictures and themes -- ditto

    Google Talk for Blackberry -- huh? Only for blackberry?

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  2. Google, as like Yahoo wants to integrate all of their application to their other services. This way, it will make easier for their client to browse their services without having to sign in everytime (sometime called single sign in)

    voicemail is not as popular in Indonesia, i know due to lack of bandwidth, but in other countries, i think it's becoming more and more popular

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