Google is adding free streamed video and voice chat to its hugely popular Gmail free email programme that is also built into the Google Apps suite of tools. The service will be available from Wednesday, 12 November.
As with its recent fee-based addition of Video for Business, Google cited growing popularity of video in everyday life, pointing to WinterGreen Research data suggesting the market for webcams will grow in value from US$1.2bn in 2006 to $6.2bn by 2013.
Dave Armstrong, head of European marketing at Google, said: "It's integrated into GMail so it's very easy to run on people's machines or other machines provided they've got a webcam. Video is a core part of how people communicate online these days."
Armstrong said users could switch between email, IM and video in order to better explain arguments or for demonstration purposes. With support for H.264 video at 300x200 widescreen displays and simultaneous text chat, the service could also, arguably, be a substitute for certain types of instruction.
The service supports Macs and PCs on all GMail-supported browsers and only takes a few clicks to set up. However, both in order to run the capability systems will also need to allow a 2MB client download at each end, a restriction that could deter some usage, for example in locked-down environments. Also, there is no facility for AV chats to be recorded.
Still, GMail's huge popularity should mean that the added function provides a boost for video chats and more competition for Skype, Microsoft NetMeeting and other basic services.
Reprinted with permission from CIO (UK). Story copyright 2008 CIO (UK) Inc. All rights reserved.
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