Google Gmail Allows Voice
and Video Chat
Google has launched Gmail
voice and video chat, allowing users to chat in high-quality video for
free within Gmail. You need a webcam and a web browser plugin for video
chatting on Gmail and Google Apps. People without a webcam can chat by
voice.
Gmail voice and video chat
lets you start a video chat without switching to another application or
signing up for another account.
Google is offering
browser-based voice and video chat as a natural extension to webmail and
instant messaging, allowing people to choose how they want to
communicate at each moment -- by email, instant message, voice, or
video.
To get started, you need to
open a Gmail chat window, click on the "Options" menu at the bottom, and
choose "Add voice/video chat," which will walk you through a one-time
installation of a free plugin (a quick 2 MB download).
When you re-open Gmail
you'll notice your "Options" link in your chat window has changed to
"Video & more". Open this menu and click "Start video chat" to see and
hear your partner in high-quality video. You can pop out the video and
change its size and position, or switch to full screen.
According to Google, Gmail
is the first leading webmail service to include video chat. Gmail voice
and video chat is being rolled out on PCs and Macs. Google Apps
customers get this service as well, at no extra charge, and can voice or
video chat with any other Gmail or Apps users.
To use voice and video chat,
your PC must have Windows XP or a more recent version, or an Intel-based
Mac with Mac OS X v10.4 or later. It works in browsers that support the
latest version of Gmail (Google Chrome, Firefox 2.0+, Internet Explorer
7.0, and Safari 3.0).
