- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows 2000/XP
- Date added: August 23, 2005
- Total Downloads: 408,979
- Downloads last week: 981
- See full specifications
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 107 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET Staff
It was only a matter of time before Google got into the chat game like many of its competitors have done. Although the beta version of Google Talk is free and has no glaring glitches, its bare-bones approach makes it less of a must-have than some of the company's other downloadable products.
To use Google Talk, you must already have a Gmail e-mail account. While most resourceful users shouldn't have too much trouble finding a Gmail invite, this hurdle may prevent some folks from trying the client. The program's clean, white, ad-free interface looks very similar to other IM applications, displaying a list of your contacts' e-mail addresses and their status. Right-clicking a contact gives you the ability to change the name. Similar to other chat clients from big-name companies, Google's offering provides both text and voice-based messenging. In our tests, the sound quality of voice chats was consistently good, and we didn't experience any problems while conversing via text.
You won't find much in the way of groundbreaking features; in fact, Google Talk lacks many of the standards. For instance, you can't set a display picture, use emoticons, or view your chat history. It also would be nice if the program included a voicemail option and let you have group conversations. It's cool that the pop-up e-mail notifications show you the sender and a brief preview of the message in your in-box, but that more of a small bonus. While we're confident an official release of this program will address some of its shortcomings, there's no urgent reason to switch to Google Talk at the current time.
Publisher's description
From Google :They say talk is cheap. Google thinks it should be free. Google Talk enables you to call or send instant messages to your friends for free -anytime, anywhere in the world. Google Talk offers you choice. You can get in touch how and when you want to, over e-mail, IM, or a call. The application also offers you quality; you can talk through your computer and hear your friends as if they were in the same room. Finally it offers you convenience. Your Gmail contacts are preloaded into Google Talk so inviting or talking to your friends is only a click away.
Google Talk is in beta and requires a Gmail username and password.
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User reviews
- Average user rating: 3.9 stars out of 107 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 89 user reviewsSee all 89 user reviews
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4 out of 6 people found this review helpful
Version: Google Talk beta 1.0.0.64
"Google going in the right direction."
Pros: This is an extremely small download for an IM client. It integrates with Gmail, which is a plus for me. Being in beta, many of the features that are found in other chat clients have yet to be completely implemented. So if you need a IM client with advanced capabilities, then you may want to wait until an official release. But with this beta, Google is showing that even though it is new with the world of IM, it will bring the simplicity and amazing functionality that it is known for to IMs as well. It has a very clean interface, and a neat design.
Cons: Of course, you have to have a Gmail account to use it. You can get one by signing up to be updated with news about Gmail. It may take awhile, but once they update Gmail, they will send you an invitation. Then you can invite anyone else you want to use it. Overall a promising IM client from Google.
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1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Google Talk beta 1.0.0.64
"My favorite IM program by far"
Pros: No ads ever. The interface is clean and simple. The quality of voice is stunning. With a headset, you can talk as long as you want to friends who also use googletalk for free. If you don't want to talk, you can just chat by logging into your gmail email. It comes with email notifications and easy access to your gmail account. A must have program.
Cons: Not as widely used as msn messenger or AIM or yahoo but its slowly growing popular.
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12 out of 14 people found this review helpful
Version: Google Talk beta 1.0.0.64
Pros: First of the bat it seems that from the browser wars we have now graduated to the Messenger Wars. With the shor across the bow, Google once again has done it. All Gmail users have been waiting for this for as long Gmail has been there. The advantages are that Google Talk is not much of a resource hog. Voice capabilities are great. Interface is whats really required and the smilies are for kids. What we really needed was a professional looking messaging system that does whats its supposed to do not messing about in some degenerated pop culture where the essence of the objective tends to lose itself. I do believe in the KISS principle - Keep it simple stupid. A must have for any serious user.
Cons: The Video conferencing needs to be developed.
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Version: Google Talk beta 1.0.0.64
Pros: very easy to control and use. It has audio and chat.
Cons: You can't attach anything to a message, no email writing program attached, no sound switching, no icons with the check-box...
but simple means simple, clean means clean!
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Version: Google Talk beta 1.0.0.64
"Great Instant Messenger and much better than Windows Live Messenger !"
Pros: Great interface and simple interface.
The interface is simple and easy to use.
Coming from Windows Live Messenger, it's an improvement, because the interface of Windows Live Messenger is too much.
In Windows Live Messenger there are too many features ( of which I use only a portion of ).
That's why I removed Windows Live Messenger and switched to Google Talk.
My girlfriend and I are now on Google Talk. We used to be on Windows Live Messenger until monday this week.
Cons: No ability to use a webcam to have a video conversation.
Also no ability to chat with other networks ( Windows Live Messenger, ICQ, Yahoo! and many others ).
I haven't found the plugins yet to make it work.
- See all 89 user reviews Write review
