GMail video chat review
By Beth Alcorn, in Web Design, Web Development
Google like to keep ahead of the field as much as possible. So far, they have been fairly successful as a market-dominating search engine and becoming the leading free email service provider. Now they have launched a new voice and video chat feature. How does it match up; who can use it, and how? We'll run you through the basics here.
Stepping it up a notch - video and voice chat
This month Google have launched a new feature for their GMail (free email) service: video and voice chat. This feature will be in direct competition with eBay's Skype and Apple's iChat. Unlike these services, the GMail voice and video chat does not require you to download or run any software on your computer. The service runs entirely out of your web browser when you're logged into GMail.
How does it work?
Once you are logged into your GMail email account, the voice/video chat can be run by opening the chat window in your browser and selecting the video option. Users can then chat to their friends using the video window, the voice feature, and/or a text-chat at the same time.
Compatibility
Google knows that the more people there are that can use their feature the more successful it will be. GMail voice and video chat works in most popular browsers and on both Apple Macs and PCs. Eliminating issues in this area is likely to increase its popularity and the rate at which the feature is picked up by users.
The competition
GMail's voice and video chat is easier to use than say Skype because you don't have to download software and run the software on your computer each time. A webcam and small web browser plug-in are all you need to run the GMail feature. This also means you can access it anywhere - you're not tied down to your computer or a machine that already has the software.
The compatibility with other browsers and operating systems also makes GMail voice and video chat a good option, as users can be confident if they make a change to a new browser or OS in future they will still be able to use the feature.
Skype and iChat, however, are long-established and already have a substantial following. It could be hard for Google to bring existing users of these services across to theirs as the differences are so subtle.
What's the catch?
It isn't entirely clear yet whether GMail voice and video chat will be able to connect to non-internet channels, such as making a call to a landline. It seems as though this may be a feature that is purely internet based.
Also, it appears that you must have a GMail account in order to use the service. This is fine for most personal uses, as many internet users have a GMail account (mainly because it is widely renowned as the best free email service available). But if Google are marketing the feature to businesses this may be a drawback. Businesses do not always have a GMail account - we encourage businesses to have a web address on their own domain to look more professional to customers. If businesses have to create a GMail account just to use the feature it may discourage them from using it with the likes of Skype and iChat already out there.
Video killed the radio star? Well... not quite
It is doubtful that GMail's video and voice chat will take over the market entirely. There are similar services, of similar quality and ease-of-use already available. However, having the feature available with your regular GMail account will likely increase the popularity of GMail even further. Marketing the chat feature alone will not be particularly fruitful, in my opinion, but it is certainly a welcome enhancement to what is already the dominant free email service in the world.