Google Talk Has Been Released
As expected (although a day early), Google has released its IM client to the masses. The new service is called Google Talk and is actually two clients in one: and IM client and a VoIP client, something I was a little surprised to see.
Google is one of those companies that I love to support, but lately they have been very Windows-only, first with Google Desktop and now with Google Talk. What’s a Mac guy to do?
Well, for Mac and Linux users, Google is quick to point out that the IM portion of their client is “built to support industry standards” and can be accessed by 3rd-party XMPP clients, but I doubt that was their reason for choosing XMPP. With so many other (established) IM clients out there, going with an open standard is a no-brainer. The VoIP portion, on the other hand, is strictly for Windows users only.
So, what’s a Mac guy to do? Stick with Adium and Skype I guess.
Update: an update at tuaw.com seems to suggest that the VoIP portion of Google Talk can work with iChat 3.0 but, since I dont have Tiger (I know, I know… leave me alone), I can’t confirm or deny it.
Update 2: it seems Google isn’t actually using VoIP, instead it’s just PC-to-PC, so it’s even less to get excited about.
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