Google added voice and video to its Gmail service today, allowing web-cam equipped users to talk face-to-face from anywhere in the world. The addition makes its Google Apps package even more attractive to businesses, while a Web-based Microsoft Office waits in the wings for another year. n Google added a voice and video chat feature to Gmail today. The capability allows people who use the free e-mail service to click on a contact’s name and, provided their computers both have Web-cameras and microphones, talk face-to-face in a video conference. Businesses who have bought an enterprise version of Gmail, found within the Google Apps software package, will also receive the feature for no extra money. More Google Coverage on CIO.com Understanding What Google Apps Is (And Isn’t) Labs for Google Apps: Can Enterprises Be Convinced to Experiment? Fighting Government Waste One Google App At a Time Google believes the voice and video feature will capitalize on the low barrier-to- entry to Web conferencing created in recent years, thanks to the proliferation of Web-based applications and cameras that have been built into computers as a standard feature. “It opens up opportunities that weren’t there before,” says Rajen Sheth, the senior product manager at Google Enterprise, which oversees Google Apps. “And just from a Web-browser, you can initiate this functionality.” A Gmail user who wants to use the service also must install a small plug-in (only a couple of megabytes in size) to his or her Web-browser. Gmail runs in Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari. By launching the video chat feature, Google dips its toes into a market occupied by technology vendors new and old, including IBM, which sells a video functionality around instant messaging in its Lotus Sametime software, and Skype, a free service that allows people to video conference and place phone calls over the Web. In addition to Google’s business customers, Gmail caters to a large consumer base of what’s estimated to be tens of millions. According to Sheth, the decision to add the feature stemmed from user feedback in both markets. “We’ve gotten strong feedback from consumers as well as businesses: text chat is only one way they want to communicate in real time with other people,” Sheth says. “Voice and video is the next logical step, and they wanted it to connect to their Web mail.” The addition of video bolsters Google’s headstart over Microsoft in providing a fully Web-based package of producitivity applications — one that extends just beyond e-mail, word-processing and spreadsheets. Since Google Apps launched in February, 2007, it has added a wiki technology (known at Google Sites) that allows people to build both internal and externally facing websites with no programming experience, a presentation application (think: PowerPoint), and the ability to upload and share video (think: YouTube for businesses). Though Microsoft announced nearly two weeks ago that it was creating a Web-based Google Apps competitor, dubbed Office 14, it will not ready until late 2009. Related content brandpost Sponsored by Freshworks When your AI chatbots mess up AI ‘hallucinations’ present significant business risks, but new types of guardrails can keep them from doing serious damage By Paul Gillin Dec 08, 2023 4 mins Generative AI brandpost Sponsored by Dell New research: How IT leaders drive business benefits by accelerating device refresh strategies Security leaders have particular concerns that older devices are more vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. By Laura McEwan Dec 08, 2023 3 mins Infrastructure Management case study Toyota transforms IT service desk with gen AI To help promote insourcing and quality control, Toyota Motor North America is leveraging generative AI for HR and IT service desk requests. By Thor Olavsrud Dec 08, 2023 7 mins Employee Experience Generative AI ICT Partners feature CSM certification: Costs, requirements, and all you need to know The Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certification sets the standard for establishing Scrum theory, developing practical applications and rules, and leading teams and stakeholders through the development process. By Moira Alexander Dec 08, 2023 8 mins Certifications IT Skills Project Management Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe