8.25.05
Google Talk won my heart
Google's new Instant Message offering, Google Talk, has just become my default IM client. Does it do everything? Nope, not in the least. It doesn't do file transfer, emoticons, or IMvironments. It doesn't even do chat rooms. So, what good is it? The fact that it doesn't do all those things.
Most other (brand) IM clients try to appeal to the kiddie Interweb users. The only useful feature I've ever found was file transfer on AIM. Aside from that, I mainly found those clients as an excuse to be online, rather than a tool to use while online.
Google Talk (yes, it's main feature is crystal clear calling to other GT users) stays out the way until I, or someone else, need to use it. It's one thing to minimize a window, but it's quite another to have it open and not see it jumping around in the corner of your screen like an excited Jack Russell. It simply sits there. No ads, no fuss.
Another appealing aspect is the it's intergration into Gmail. The two are seamless together. I'm to the point of really only checking my mail using Gmail. Having a client that patiently tells me when I have new mail and gives me a snippet of its content is really impressive. No extra clutter in the system tray either. Sending email through the buddy list window or chat window is seemless as well.
Also of note is that conversations can be preserved after you close a chat window. While that option can be turned off, I find it extremely convenient when needing to free up space on my desktop.
I could go on, but I'll wait until several upcoming features are introduced to really gush over Google Talk.
5:04 pm in geekness | 1 person viewing0 ramblings so far