Google Talk

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

This is bad ass. Just got done talking to a buddy of mine up in Chicago on it.

talk.google.com (gotta have a Gmail account).

Good stuff, and hot off the presses.

:drunk

If you need a Gmail account, I've got plenty of invites to use up (on my second batch of 50).

[Sense]

I'm gonna try it out... if it's as good as it sounds, I'm gonna try to make it popular.

[Horry For 3!]

I've heard of gmail but never knew what it was for.

[Sonia_TX]

i've always heard about google but never tried it... guess i have to have an account now!

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

IF you want one, feel free to PM me, I've got tons of invites I can hand out.

[Horry For 3!]

IF you want one, feel free to PM me, I've got tons of invites I can hand out.
I might get one but i'd only use it to talk probably.

[Dre_7]

So what exactly is google talk?

[Kori Ellis]

So, the quality of talking is good?

And it's free to talk to anyone world-wide?

[Kori Ellis]

So what exactly is google talk?


They say talk is cheap. Google thinks it should be free. Google Talk enables you to call or send instant messages to your friends for free–anytime, anywhere in the world. Google Talk offers you:

Choice: Get in touch how and when you want to–over email, IM or a call


Quality: Talk through your computer but hear your friends as if they were in the same room


Convenience: Your Gmail contacts are pre-loaded into Google Talk so inviting or talking to your friends is just a click away

Google Talk is in beta and requires a Gmail username and password.

[Trainwreck2100]

Do you just need a mic to talk

[Horry For 3!]

Do you just need a mic to talk
Yes, I believe so.

[Horry For 3!]

That is like talking on Yahoo, Msn, Aim.

[Sense]

Do you just need a mic to talk


No I think you need a mouth to talk...


If you mean talking through the messenger...... DUH?


You aren't going to talk through the monitor..

isn't this a dumb question or am I confused?

[Trainwreck2100]

No I think you need a mouth to talk...


If you mean talking through the messenger...... DUH?


You aren't going to talk through the monitor..

isn't this a dumb question or am I confused?


Well I didn't know if you had to download any program or any type of special mic, hence the word just. Just signifying I knew that was needed but unaware if it was the only thing.

[Dre_7]

Well I didn't know if you had to download any program or any type of special mic, hence the word just. Just signifying I knew that was needed but unaware if it was the only thing.

Oh ok! I see what you are saying. At first I didnt notice the "just". :lol

Its all good now though.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Kori,

The sound quality was great!

Free to anyone with a gmail account :spin

[TheTruth]

could you send me a gmail invite to [email protected] aggie?

thanks

[Slomo]

AHF how does the sound quality compare to Skype?

Skype sounds as good or better than regular digital phones and is free to EVERYONE!

www.skype.com

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Hmm, I'd say better than Skype, but I only used Skype for a little while (most people I know are techy adverse).

[boutons]

Google will have a hard time beating Skype's quality, which has mostly excellent for me. Any episodes of bad quality greatly outweigh Skypes advantages and qualit.

and vSkype video is vastly superior to that MS crap NetMessnger video, using exactly the same hardware. Once again, MS is exposed as technically incompentent and non-innovative.

=======================================

washingtonpost.com

Google to Launch IM Service

Move Steps Up Competition Among Internet Chat Programs

By Yuki Noguchi
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 24, 2005; D01

Instant messaging, a type of communication long dominated by chatty teens, has become the latest front in an escalating war among big Internet companies competing to make themselves indispensable to mainstream audiences.

Google Inc. plans to enter the fray today by launching Google Talk, its own version of a service that allows registered users to send instant messages or talk over the Web to other users.

The new test program will compete with more established services offered by America Online Inc., Microsoft Corp., Yahoo Inc. and Skype Technologies SA.

Instant-messaging software from those companies is available for free, but it is an important moneymaking tool because it increases traffic to those sites, which in turn helps generate more advertising or subscription revenue. Also, as companies offer more news and entertainment on their sites, having a communications tool to deliver and distribute that content is increasingly important.

Google comes relatively late to the game, almost a decade after Dulles-based AOL launched the first version of its Instant Messenger service. AOL remains the country's largest IM network, with 41.6 million users last month, according to Web research firm ComScore Networks Inc. Users typically sign up in groups, creating so-called buddy lists of co-workers, friends and family they communicate with.

In total, there are already 80 million users of other IM services in the United States, and many services are beginning to link to one another.

Skype, which has 51 million users worldwide, plans to announce today it will allow its service to operate with numerous other applications or Web sites. And MSN yesterday launched a new version of its IM service that will link to Vodafone Messenger, which is offered by British mobile phone giant Vodafone Group PLC.

Google says Google Talk's user base could catch up quickly by tapping the multimillion-strong user base of its e-mail product, called Gmail, and by tapping into other IM programs that have open networks. It has an agreement with Internet service provider EarthLink Inc. to work with its Vling voice-and-messaging network, and plans to discuss similar agreements with other major IM providers, said Georges Harik, director of product management at Google.

"We think there's a lot of stuff you can do to improve what's going on now," such as linking e-mail and voice mail to the service, and improving the sound quality of computer-to-computer phone calls, he said. Over time, Google plans to add various features to its service, although he declined to discuss specifics.

Instant messaging, or IM, is a rapidly evolving medium. Its popularity among young users helped spawn a new generational culture and language, such as LOL for "laugh out loud" and BRB for "be right back." Now, IM is increasingly viewed as a quicker version of e-mail, or a partial substitute for traditional phone service. Skype, Yahoo and AOL offer some form of calling that allows users to make or receive calls from their computers to a traditional phone -- a paid service that is increasingly popular among business users.

As technology's reach broadens, all of the companies are scrambling to create new features and tie-ins with existing services to appeal to users. Earlier this month, Yahoo relaunched its service to improve the sound quality of calling between its IM users. In June, Yahoo purchased Dialpad Communications Inc., which eventually will enhance users' ability to make phone calls to traditional phones, a Yahoo spokeswoman said.

In April, AOL started offering a free test service called AIM Triton that includes video instant messaging, new conference-call features and an integrated search engine that links to both e-mail and AOL's IM service. Next year, it plans to include a digital dial pad to make out-of-network calling easier.

"It's a race for supremacy," said Allen Weiner, an analyst with research firm Gartner Inc. Google, like its rivals, is trying to deliver communications tools on top of the popular search and media content it provides. Yahoo, MSN and now AOL all are trying to combine their online media offerings -- such as news, blogs, music and video -- with their e-mail, IM and phone services. "The whole thing between these companies is a media death match," Weiner said.

Google, which was founded in 1998 as a simple word-search tool for the Internet, has steadily expanded its online reach. Earlier this week, it launched new toolbar software that indexes a computer user's habits to deliver customized photos, news, and weather information. Last week, the Mountain View, Calif.-based company said it planned to add $4.2 billion in cash to its reserves through a secondary stock sale, fueling speculation that Google might acquire its way into even more ambitious business plans.

© 2005 The Washington Post Company

[Horry For 3!]

I guess go ahead and send me an invite Aggie, i'll check it out.

[email protected]

[Slomo]

Google will have a hard time beating Skype's quality, which has mostly excellent for me. Any episodes of bad quality greatly outweigh Skypes advantages and qualit.

and vSkype video is vastly superior to that MS crap NetMessnger video, using exactly the same hardware. Once again, MS is exposed as technically incompentent and non-innovative.
I have only positive things to say about Skype. The furthest chat I've had has been to hong kong, where a friend was on a hotel broadband and I was on my dsl line - the sound was better than over the phone. The weirdest was when I used it on a Lufthansa plane (Lufthansa is upgrading its whole long haul fleet to have wireless internet on board) it wasn't a 100% but I was able to chat for an hour at a price of 2,5$ :tu.

Funny, while reading your post I realized I've never used the video/webcam feature of Skype.

I am eagerly waiting for somebody to come up with a whiteboard plugin for Skype. That would seriously reduce the time I spend in different meetings :tu

[Slomo]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/08/24/google_talk/

[Kip Fanatic]

Do you have to pay for a gmail account?

[Murphy]

sounds good

[ShoogarBear]

gmail is free. I've got a bunch of invites, too.

Can you do conference calls/chats or is it strictly one-on-one?

[mcornelio]

If Anyone Wants To Get A Gmail Account Send Me A Message And Ill Get U An Invite For Free, I Have An Unlimited Amount Of Them.... And Guys Who Got Google Talk Post Your ScreenName Here.... Mine Is [email protected]... I Was A Beta Tester So Ive Been Using It For A While Now, Buts its Just As Good As The Other IM's And They Are Planning To Do Great Things With Them

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Everyone who posted their email in this thread got an invite, as did everyone who sent me a PM.

If you do PM, please include a legit email as I need somewhere to send the invite.

Peace out,

[3rdCoast]

Everyone who posted their email in this thread got an invite, as did everyone who sent me a PM.

If you do PM, please include a legit email as I need somewhere to send the invite.

Peace out,

:king THANKS BRA

[Sonia_TX]

Ok I set everything up...I Just need friends! lol

[Samr]

I have a ton of invites as well. Drop me a PM if you want one, or email me.

[email protected]

[JoePublic]

I've been using Yahoo to talk for years