Gmail Adds Video, Voice Chat

By Michael Santo
Editor-in-Chief, RealTechNews

Well, they don’t have SMS Chat working yet, but Google has ratcheted up the competition in webmail … or rather, all things communication, as Gmail is rapidly becoming, by adding video and voice chat to Gmail.

Already, it was pretty convenient to use chat directly within Gmail, but with a webcam and a Web browser plug-in, you can now initiate video chats with other Gmail users. No webcam? You can still chat sans video, as long as your PC at least has a microphone plugged into it.

On the other hand, no webcam? Google makes sure to “help you” with some suggestions from Logitech and Buy.com. The cynic in me wants to know how much Google gets for the redirect to Buy.com.

Anyway, cynicism aside, the additional features seem to indicate that Google intends Gmail to become the unified communications platform for end users.

Here’s what you’ll need to do to get started:

• Download the Gmail voice and video chat plug-in, quit all open browser windows, and install the plug-in.
• Sign in to Gmail.
• In the Chat section of your Gmail, select the contact you want to call. If they have a camera icon next to their name, you can make a voice or video call to them; just click Video & more.

Need more tips? Watch this video about the new features: