Gmail adds voice and video chat

[bill]

This looks pretty cool. I'm trying it out now.

Say hello to Gmail voice and video chat
[gmailblog.blogspot.com]

That's why today we're launching voice and video chat -- right inside Gmail. We've tried to make this an easy-to-use, seamless experience, with high-quality audio and video -- all for free. All you have to do is download and install the voice and video plugin and we take care of the rest. And in the spirit of open communications, we designed this feature using Internet standards such as XMPP, RTP, and H.264, which means that third-party applications and networks can choose to interoperate with Gmail voice and video chat.

Once you install the plugin, to start a video chat, just click on the "Video & more" menu at the bottom of your Gmail chat window, and choose "Start video chat."

[maximillianos]

Nice! I was trying to get my family all up on Skype, but apparently it only works with XP SP2, and not SP1 which most of my family has... and if you haven't done an SP2 update, it takes about 5 hours... try doing that one over the phone with a computer illiterate relative... ;-)

Anyway, I'm definitely going to try this out. Thanks for the post...

[rank]

took them long enough

[bits12345]

Its really pleasant functionality by Google.

[oasisfan]

Looks ok but I would really like a skype out type feature so I can call people on normal phones. I use Skype but 99.9% using skype out and our cordless logitech skype phone.

Being stuck at a computer making calls is horrible I think.

[webfoo]

Gmail better quit screwing around developing all of these features until they have finished the actual mail service itself. They need to install a folders system. I can't stand having all that mail in the inbox that I don't want to delete or archive.

Then, they need to improve the contacts list. I'd like to see:
- First name and last name fields, instead of just name
- Birthday field (automatically add their birthday to Google Calendar)
- Better integration with iPhone (i.e. dialing my contacts straight from Gmail on the iPhone)
- Allow the user to sort by any field.

THEN, they can have fun with all the extra features that would otherwise be very nice (like SMS chat, video chat, etc.). They need to get the order of development down.

[maximillianos]

They need to install a folders system.

Don't they already have a system called "labels"? I believe it functions pretty much like folders... they just call it labels... but technically it functions the same way.

[Tropical Island]

I have thousands of e-mails & use labels. They work fine.

[liam_85]

Google has a finger in every pie when it comes to the internet. I am a huge fan of google reader and I may start using this system lets see how it goes!

[wolfadeus]

I was waiting for this to happen. Was about time.

[webfoo]

I have thousands of e-mails & use labels. They work fine.

I too have thousands of emails and use labels (only because I can't use folders!). They do work fine, for their intended purpose. I'm not saying labels are bad, I'm just saying that they need to be a complement to folders.

Don't they already have a system called "labels"? I believe it functions pretty much like folders... they just call it labels... but technically it functions the same way.

Labels are not the same as folders, and they don't function the same way. A message can have more than one label, but a message could not be in more than one folder (disregarding nested folders). Labels are just a way of labeling messages, whereas folders actually lets me move the message out of the inbox.

Think back to the olden days, before computers. I had an inbox on my desk for snail-mail. Would I stick a post-it (label) on every piece of mail and put it back in the inbox? NO! I would file it in various folders. Gmail basically insits that you put a post-it on all your mail and put it back in the inbox.

[old_expat]

How does the video chat work? Webcam, I assume. How about microphone and speakers .. or headphones? One thing I hate about Skype is scurrying around behind the box to unplug speakers and plug in the headphones.

How about Google voice?

[KarlMarks]

Installed it. Didn't work in Opera. Opened Firefox and tried it out. Went back to Tokbox.

[maximillianos]

I tried it too. My wife and I sitting on the same home network. It kept crashing and closing. She saw me with voice once... I never saw her.... or heard her.

Not impressed yet! Back to Skype...

[yaix]

Seems to be Windows Only again, no Ubuntu version available :(

[D_Blackwell]

Gmail basically insits that you put a post-it on all your mail and put it back in the inbox.

This is one reason that I finally dumped Gmail. The other reason was that it would append or connect threads that I did not want connected. I hated it.

Labels are fine, and I like that they have greater capacity and flexibility than Thunderbird flags, and tags, and such. But I want my folders and sub-folders so that I can file what I want the way I want. I save thousands of emails for a variety of reasons, but don't need to be forced to save or archive tens of thousands. I gave Gmail a good run, still have the accounts that I don't use anymore, and don't see giving it another chance anytime soon.