Google Talk is a text messaging application created for the users to interact with other people via text messages. It is a tool developed by Google, because of which it is connected with the Gmail account of the user. But it does not always have to be used only with Gmail. It can also work as an independent tool which can be downloaded free of charge.
Google Talk has also been designed for use mainly on Windows operating system. It can be accessed on other operating systems only through their Gmail account.
Features of Google Talk
Google Talk is not only useful for sending text messages, but also for making video and voice calls too. But this is only possible when Google Talk is accessed using the user’s Gmail account. This means that video and voice calls cannot be made when a user is using the independent version of Google Talk. When users open their Gmail account on Mac, it is possible to make video chats.
Instant alerts for Gmail operations
Google Talk has an additional feature of showing alerts or notifications of any activity that takes place in the subsequent Gmail account. For instance, if the user receives a new mail in Gmail, he/she does not have to open the Gmail account separately. Instead, Google Talk will let you know when you have received a new message. It also alerts the user when any of the contacts on the user’s list comes online for chat purposes. This feature of Google Talk is what stands out most in the application as people can know about the status of their inbox on-the-go.
Google Talk vs Google Hangouts
Google Talk was the first to be developed out of these two applications. Both these downloads are free to access with no charge at all. It was only later that Google Hangouts was created in order to take the place of the previous chat application tool. Hangouts is an application tool developed mainly for group conversations. It is available even as an independent tool, unlike Google Talk. Moreover, Google Chrome also supports Hangouts, which is why it is possible to access Hangouts even without opening the Gmail account. The user is automatically logged out of Hangouts whenever the Chrome browser on which it is working gets shut down.
Out of the two applications, Google Talk is the one which has been more successful with the people. People find its user interface very user-friendly and easy to use. Even with the extra new features brought to Google Hangouts, it has still not been able to wipe out the memories of Google Talk from the minds of people. In fact, many users continued using Google Talk instead of moving to the newer Google Hangouts.
Google Talk- Video conference calls
When you access Google Talk via your Gmail account, then you will be able to chat and conduct conferences in the form of a text file or video. Though Google Talk was primarily designed for use by Windows OS, the application is slowly becoming available on many other platforms such as Android.