With the economic downturn forcing companies to trim spending, Google intends to offer the next best thing to relaxing plane flights, magnificent airline meals, and the joys of getting through security checks! Today Google announced a major update for the ever popular email service Gmail – video and voice chat.
I have tested and used many video conferencing solutions and they can be incredibly powerful for collaborative learning and communication via remote locations – eliminating the hassles, stress and cost of travel to be there as a tangible body.
To get started 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 and as is typical for new releases in Gmail, Google will roll this feature out to all users over the “next day or so.” The plug-in requires a computer running Mac OS X or a computer running Windows XP or Vista, a Webcam, and/or a microphone. It works with browsers that support the current version of Gmail: Chrome, Firefox 2.0+, Internet Explorer 7.0, and Safari 3.0.
From what I 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 the 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.
Google has indicated that Gmail is the first Webmail service to include video chat.
“We think this pretty significant,” said Rajen Sheth, Senior Product Manager for Google’s enterprise group. “It’s something that we see bringing people closer together, especially in a business context.”
Google has apparently already been using Gmail video chat across its 60 plus worldwide offices. In tougher economic times this service is actually something that can help companies save money by enabling face-to-face meetings without travel, easily and freely.
For small companies, Gmail video chat, like Skype, could also help save money on international phone calls. As more and more services move online this is a valuable free tool one that many, especially younger employees, will already be using.
