Google today announced a major update for Gmail: video and voice chat. To make this work, users only have to install a small browser plugin. Google will start enabling these new features for all Gmail and Google Apps users at 12pm PST today. As is typical for new releases in Gmail, Google will roll this feature out to all users over the "next day or so."
The new chat functionality will work on PCs with Windows XP or Vista, as well as on Macs with OS X 10.4 or later. The plugin will work with all the major browsers, including Google's own Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari.
From what we have seen so far, the videos integrate directly with the standard chat function in Google. To get started, you have to first enable this new functionality from the 'Options' menu at the bottom of a Gmail chat window. After that, all you have to do is select the contact you want to speak with and click on 'Video & more' in the lower-left part of the chat window. From there, you can then start a voice or video chat.
We have not been able to test the video and voice quality of these chats yet, but we will update this post once we get a chance to try it out for ourselves.
Interestingly, Google Talk, Google's desktop chat program does not have any video functionality yet, though Google enabled voice chat for Google Talk a long time ago. By adding voice and video chat, Google is clearly going up against Skype, which has made video chat one of its main features in the latest version of its software.
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You can install the plugin here: http://mail.google.com/videochat
Posted by: brandon | November 11, 2008 12:16 PM
The plugin is not available for PowerPC Macs (says Google)
Posted by: etorsten | November 11, 2008 12:25 PM
The link above works but it won't hold and auto forwards to the homepage for me.
Posted by: Sam Sethi | November 11, 2008 12:26 PM
Looks like the link (http://mail.google.com/videochat) works, but installing the plugin doesn't mean that the chat function will actually be enabled in Gmail yet.
Posted by: Frederic Lardinois
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November 11, 2008 12:31 PM
Unfortunately:
Gmail voice and video chat is not yet available for Linux.
Posted by: Pedram | November 11, 2008 12:39 PM
This looks like a great tool from Google, can't wait to try it out.
Posted by: Ryan | November 11, 2008 1:37 PM
But does it support video chat between the ichat client and the web based client? I sense a fleet of ichat plugins...
Posted by: Matthew | November 11, 2008 1:58 PM
even though the plugin works it seems that it's not up and running yet. Can't wait to use it tho... I hate typing ;)
Posted by: David | November 11, 2008 3:05 PM
It works for me, but not for anyone on my chat list yet so I can't try it. Also, it only works for my account, not my wife's, very odd how it's rolled out.
Posted by: Steve | November 11, 2008 3:25 PM
Great news but I am confused as to why it doesn't work in Gtalk via the Google Desktop sidebar. I almost NEVER chat in gmail, always on the desktop in Gtalk.
Oh well, what do I know?
Posted by: Jmartens | November 11, 2008 3:44 PM
I like it!! But I also want it works in Gtalk
Posted by: gowers | November 11, 2008 5:18 PM
This is really great. To have a video chat ready to engage as you are checking out your emails. How convenient is that?
I will probably even get a singing happy birthday chat from my son for my birthday ☺☺☺.
Posted by: DaveK | November 11, 2008 5:41 PM
Seems a bit weird to me ... does it only work if both parties happen to have Gmail open in a browser?
And ... really ... going up against Skype?
You're not serious, eh?
Skype runs on every imaginable platform (including Symbian and Windows Mobile) offers phone-out and phone-in, SMS ...
Video chat in Gmail is a nice feature, but it won't make a dent in any other of the big IM platforms.
Posted by: Steffest | November 11, 2008 7:43 PM
It should be also for Linux, is it so dificult for Google?
Posted by: blog-it.pl | November 11, 2008 11:06 PM
This is a great news for Gmail users ,Google integrated Google Voice chat and Video chat with Gmail , it will be to early to say about the Voice quality in Google video chat compared to Skype.
Posted by: venkat | November 11, 2008 11:36 PM
It's about time Google where have you been the last 5 years.
Posted by: wyndell dorsey
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November 12, 2008 4:40 AM
its high time google must develop its softwares in linux as well. just picasa and google earth wont do. more than 50% of unix/linux users hv a gnail id. if google is so much inclined to open source then why not release softwares in open source platform first??
Posted by: ubunutu user | November 12, 2008 6:53 AM
Nice, will definitely try this out
Posted by: Diamonds | November 12, 2008 9:55 AM
We need to get to a point where you don't need to install a plugin for every site that wants to add this feature, and streaming video input is just a standard capability of the Web. The functionality is particularly useful for mobile devices that more commonly have built in cameras:
http://blog.mozilla.com/blassey/2008/09/23/camera-input-tag/
Posted by: Alex Faaborg | November 12, 2008 4:10 PM
This doesn't work in Firefox on Mac, of course - just Safari.
Posted by: Udo Schroeter | November 12, 2008 5:30 PM
Hum... it works OK on my friend's Firefox... guess there's a reason these things are beta ;-)
Posted by: Udo Schroeter | November 12, 2008 5:47 PM
I think along the road...google will try to put video chat for their android phones. This is just a stepping stone.
Posted by: firstcobra88 | November 12, 2008 8:00 PM
As all know Google has introduced the Video chat recently which has been the talk of the town. Its not that Google is the first one to bring it. Yahoo and many others have ventured it well before years. But if Google has brought up something then its special these days.
Me and my friend yesterday night had plans to see the performance of this newly introduced Google Video Chat. Both of us have high speed broadband connection. As part of the process we downloaded the plugin from google for the video chat. All set to test it.
Initially it started well with video streaming happening with just a dealy of a second. We made sure that the bandwidth is not been used by anyothe resources. We stopped all the other uploading and downloading process. We expected a surpirse but there was a deep shock. The video streaming started to drop drastically and we started to see a lot of delay and finally almost viewing a still picture.
When we looked at the netmeter the upload and download bandwith consumed by this Google Chat was enormous. The download was around 25.4 kiB/s and upload was 40.9KiB/s.
The Google video chat was consuming lot of bandwith but still was not streaming properly. We were cast down totally with the Google Video chat. For sometime we felt yahoo and other who pioneered it had a better technology as it was streaming with a delay of 2 to 3 seconds.
We did have the voice chat of google along with the Video chat and thought may be the Voice chat is taking too much bandwith. So later we discontinued the video chat and did just voice chat. Netmeter was showing upload 1.1 KiB/s and download as 4.9KiB/s.
From the above two measurements its understood that Google Video chat consumes more bandwidth but a pathetic video streaming.
Finally dismayed we had to end the video chat. I guess Google has to work more on this to take care of the video streaming as that is all video chat is all about.
Posted by: Keysonic
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November 12, 2008 9:32 PM
Hi, As i am behind the proxy i cannot download the setup file for voice and video plugin. Can you please mail me the 2 mb setup file on my email. My email id is hotandsweet_mirchi@yahoo.com
Posted by: Tina | November 12, 2008 9:55 PM
Have difficulty in Firefox too...
Posted by: How | November 13, 2008 12:35 AM
Awesome. Putting it on the Android is ever more awesome. Lookinf forward to checking this one out.
Posted by: J. Smith | November 13, 2008 7:31 AM
Installed it yesterday, works great for me in FF3 . Unfortunately the GTalk ( desktop edition) does not have this feature ) .
Waiting for Google to release it soon.
Posted by: Sujay Ghosh | November 14, 2008 4:47 AM
Just sad they didnt roll it out with support for linux at the same time. We always get left out and have to end up writing our own Code :(
Posted by: Wilson | November 14, 2008 3:29 PM
hi i download plug in gmailvideo chat software, but i it is not installing. my system beyond the proxy. it is not asking proxy and show error. how to over come this problem ....
Posted by: kishore | November 15, 2008 3:03 AM
This rocks! And it does not get any easier than that.
Posted by: Stop Smoking | November 17, 2008 12:00 AM
Have difficulty in Firefox too
Posted by: söve | November 17, 2008 5:11 AM
Strange!
I guess that they are using Marratech, a product they bought a year or two ago. That product had (has) Linux support. So... why dont they release Linux support at the same time?
Strange.
Posted by: Linux support - Now | November 19, 2008 2:29 AM
wow this is wonderfull really. thank u.
Posted by: film izle | November 21, 2008 2:56 PM
how to download video & voice chat in gmail. can u explain clearly
Posted by: Nagendra | November 23, 2008 11:10 PM
hi
this plugins firewalled or something at where i use internet... i just cant download the thing..if someones got a hang of it please email at tangy.nutmeg@gmail.com
thnks:)
Posted by: tangy | November 27, 2008 10:24 AM
hi
i cant download this plugin due to proxy issues can someone plz mail it to me or tell me another way to install it... my email address is tangy.nutmeg@gmail.com
thanks
Posted by: tangy | November 27, 2008 10:27 AM
hit to all
Posted by: pandiyarajan | November 27, 2008 10:32 PM
Does anyone know if Google would include emoticons to the messenger or will be just plain as it is now? Thanks for your answers.
Posted by: 2004 Fairings | December 7, 2008 3:48 PM