That didn't take long. The Google Talk client has been released.
Download here.
FAQ here.
Getting Started guide here.
UPDATE: Just had my first voice chat on Google Talk - sounded great. It also detected the Gmail Notifier and offered to uninstall it for me as Gmail notification can now be handled by Talk.
23. Yeah, but really, I don't see any reasons why it should prefer Google Talk over MSN Messenger, Miranda, Gaim or even Skype/Gizmo. I, honestly, don't think this will become another Google success; their new Desktop Search Beta is great, but Google Talk is practically useless on a crowded market, the more as it doesn't really stand out from the crowd.
Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Marcel Hansemann
24. You can now play Hunt The Wumpus, the famous UNIX Game, on Google Talk! Just follow the instructions here: http://shadowconflict.blogspot.com/2005/08/play-hunt-wumpus-on-google-talk.html
Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Patrick McFarland
25. Just had my first voice chat too. The quality is awesome, and it punches through NATs/firewalls with ease. I personally found it working better than Skype with the wireless connection I'm on right now.
Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Kunal Kundaje
26. No encryption, yet, so watch your P's and Q's. Also, I guess this means there are no immediate plans to buy Skype. I'm all set up with Skype, SkypeIn and SkypeOut. I don't see any reason to even bother with Google Talk...yet. Am I missing something?
Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Scott
27. Marcel and Scott - remember that this is a first beta release and this is Google we're talking about - additional features and functionality will be coming based on comments like yours being made. I seriously doubt Google is in this to be a me-too player.
The lack of specific features - today - is less interesting to me than what this first release shows in terms of strategy. The integration with Gmail is a harbinger of things to come I suspect. I will not be surprised to see either Google or some enterprising third-party put together a Sidebar module that displays your Buddy List and other Talk-related information.
I'm sure chat transcript search is part of the plan as well. Michael Robertson, of Linspire and Gizmo Project fame, wrote this morning in his newsletter that what's really important about Google Talk is not the features it has or is missing - it's the open protocol (Jabber) work-and-play-with-others approach that Google is taking to IM - something AOL, Yahoo!, MSN, and... yes, Skype have refused to do.
So, while I'm not planning on turning off Skype anytime soon, I didn't expect to. This is day one.
Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Marc Orchant
29. Darren - you get your buddy list populated via your Gmail contacts list. There's an invite mechanism built into the client. That's probably just stage one. I figure if Trillian and GAIM have the ability to read your Buddy Lists from the big three (AOL, MSN, and Yahoo!) then it's only a matter of time before GTalk will be able to do the same and read them into it's own list.
I think the primary audience they're targeting with this first release is the huge installed base of Gmail users. The rest of the IM world isn't "going anywhere" and if Google has shown us anything, it's that they play for the long haul not the short term.
Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Marc Orchant
30. Why all the publicity for this when GMail accounts are still limited? It's pretty meaningless if you can't open a GMail account.
What's the deal?
Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by btocher
31. btocher:
Well - it's Google - that makes it a big deal. And Gmail accounts are awfully easy to come by these days. They've just made it even easier for those in the US with a cell phone as you can SMS yourself right inot an account. I expect that will roll out to the UK and EU in the very near future as well.
In the mean time, if you'd like a Gmail account, simply reply and I'll get you set up immediately.
Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Marc Orchant
32. Marc,
Thanks for the thoughts there. I wonder if Google will roll in "tags" at some point. I could easily see keywords in chat offering up sites other chatters are using. Or even better, a chance to chat with others chatting about your topics.
Maybe we need a Tablet PC buddy list we can all share....
Other Weblogs Inc. Network blogs you might be interested in:
21. Marc,
Thanks for the thoughts there. I wonder if Google will roll in "tags" at some point. I could easily see keywords in chat offering up sites other chatters are using. Or even better, a chance to chat with others chatting about your topics.
Maybe we need a Tablet PC buddy list we can all share....
Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Darren