Video Chat Service

Google Launches Free Video Chat Service

Google is accepting into the video babble bold with a new affection accessible as of Tuesday. Gmail Video and Voice offers Webcam-based video conferencing to all Gmail users. The account is accessible chargeless of charge.

How It Works

Gmail Video and Voice requires a browser constituent and either a microphone (for beeline audio chatting) or a Webcam (for video and audio chatting) to function. The constituent -- a proprietary, non-Flash-based arrangement -- runs about 2MB and supports Chrome, Firefox 2.0+, Internet Explorer 7.0, and Safari 3.0. As of now, the video babble account will not be fabricated accessible aural the standalone Google Talk application.

Once the constituent is installed, all you do is bang on a acquaintance aural your Gmail Babble list. If they additionally accept the appropriate software, a camera figure will pop up abutting to their name and let you admit a two-way multimedia session. If they don't accept the hardware, you can still alpha a one-way affair in which they'll be able to see and apprehend you, alike if you can't see and apprehend them. The account is accepted to be absolutely formed out to all Gmail users by the end of Tuesday.

The technology, by the way, comes from Google's accretion of video conferencing software by Marratech aftermost year. Google assassin the engineers complex in the software, at the time crumbling to acknowledge its ultimate plans.

See For Yourself

A Gmail architect demonstrates the action in the afterward video:

Ups and Downs

Gmail Video and Voice is a basal arrangement and seems added geared against accidental use than all-embracing accumulated use at this point. Unlike casework such as Skype Premium, the arrangement doesn't let you affix to approved buzz numbers -- alone to added Gmail Babble users. It additionally doesn't action a recording advantage and doesn't admittance conferences with added than two people.

With that actuality said, it's accession cleft in Gmail's ever-expanding belt of chip casework and could prove to be a accessible accession for users already logged into the system. Aural the ambit of Web-based e-mail, Gmail Video and Voice ends up actuality accession blare that'll added set Gmail afar from its aggressive platforms.