Google Talk beta

CNET editors' take

• Reviewed by:
  Elsa Wenzel
• Edited by:
  Allen Fear
• Reviewed on: 08/25/2005
• Updated on: 08/17/2006

Overview: Before the beta version of Google Talk was released, the hype was hot. Was Google going to roll out a killer app and make rival IM clients obsolete? At first, at least, the answer was no. Google Talk is still pretty simple, but now it allows you to chat by text and voice, leave free voicemails, transfer files, and see what your buddies are listening to on Yahoo Music, iTunes, Windows Media Player, or Winamp. Still, Google Talk lacks many of the bells and whistles of other instant messengers, including emoticons, those graphical smiley faces that pepper the chat sessions of popular instant-messaging services such as AIM Triton, Windows Live or MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, ICQ, and Skype. Google is working with AOL to let users of Google Talk and AIM chat with each other, as Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo Messenger have already done for their users.

The main window of Google Talk is uncomplicated. You can view your buddies or search for others.

Upside: The 900K download of Google Talk takes a few seconds via broadband on your Windows 2000 or higher computer. Launch Google Talk, and a clean, unobtrusive floating window appears, instantly adding names from your Gmail address book into your list of contacts. The integration of Gmail and Google Talk will add value for those who already rely heavily on Google's growing service and tools offerings. This window offers just a few links: Inbox, Setting, Help, and Add Friend. You also get a search box to look up and invite other Gmail users to chat. One major benefit to this early version of Google Talk is not so much what it has but rather what it lacks: Google Talk is currently ad free. And if you're a Google fan who doesn't want to download Google Talk, Gmail's built-in chatting can take care of your instant-messaging needs.

The chat window of Google Talk has just two buttons that let you e-mail or make a VoIP call with a buddy.

Double-click a buddy's name within Google Talk beta, and a small chat window opens, with buttons to let you e-mail, call, or transfer files.. Click Email to open a Web browser window and go straight to your Gmail account. Put on a VoIP headset and click Call, and you can talk for free right away to any other Google Talk user. During the conversation, a volume indicator lights up, and you can mute the call. We made a call and found the quality to be at least as clear as that of a mobile phone. You can leave a voicemail message for any contact, even if they don't have a Google account, and you can listen to your own voicemail messages within Gmail.

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