Google gets into messaging domain, launches Google Talk |
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Thu, 25 Aug 2005 02:35
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SAN FRANCISCO: Google is offering an instant messaging system and web-based phone calling system, taking head on established players like AOL, Yahoo! and Microsoft. Confirming speculative media reports, the search engine giant said it is indeed getting into this domain by launching Google Talk, a free service, and thereby adding to its basically search services-based menu.
There are some 10 million estimated users of essentially four messaging services offered by AOL (AIM and ICQ), Yahoo!, Microsoft and Skype.
A beta version of Google Talk is now available at http://www.google.com/talk/, and within Google Sidebar, the service Google started enabling the users to manage e-mail, instant messages, news and music. One needs to have a Gmail account to access Google Talk.
Google claimed the service allows users to communicate with other open systems such as Trillian and Apple's iChat. However, no interaction is possible with AIM, Yahoo, MSN and Skype, which are closed networks.
Analysts say Google's mail service will get a boost because to make use of the messaging service, it is necessary to have a Gmail account, which now is offered through referrals.
Even Google feels so. Says Georges Harik, product management director of Google Talk: "If it's successful it will drive Gmail adoption. More than e-mail, Google Talk is a viral application. You have to be on the system."
Harik said by aligning with open technology standards, Google wants to encourage other internet companies -- from operators of online games networks to internet service providers and operators of large-scale websites -- to build their own services on top of Google Talk. The aim is to create an open communications platform so that it is in everyone’s interest to be open.
The service has a phone "connection". Google verifies the user signing up for the service in the form of a mobile phone text message to the telephone number the user provides.
Analysts feel this could be a strategy for Google for a push into both mobile phone services and video search.
The company is said to be coming out with versions of Google Talk that may provide for users to call from computers to telephones and back. Skype has popularised this service and it has some 51 million users across the world.
Google may make use of the $4 million it plans to raise by selling shares for such new services. There has been speculation that the company may go ahead with acquisitions, but now it is almost clear that its priority is to launch services on its own.
The company intends to make use of its own data network created to run its search service for Google Talk along with the public Internet network.
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