Google enhances Gmail with Voice and Video Chat

Google has announced that it will be adding both voice and video chat to the Gmail plug-ins, allowing you to see and hear the contact you are talking to.  All it takes is a quick download and install. Obviously you’ll need a web-cam but interestingly Google, obviously keen to get people using this function, has also teamed up with Logitech to offer discounts on hardware.

The aim of this new function is apparently to aid productivity and clarity for Gmail Chat users because, in the words of Google engineer, Justin Uberti, “There are still some things that just can’t be expressed in a chat message.”

The story from Google is that it was developed by teams of Google engineers in Sweden and the US, so that they could collaborate across time zones in an easier and greener manner. Apparently, in some instances, the function even saved team members making an international flight to see one another.

The function works in the same way to Gmail Chat and is available on macs with Mac OS X v10.4 or better and PCs with XP or better and is sure to be a big hit, though it will be harder to do subtly at work.

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