Google Talk is an Instant Messaging and Voice over IP (VoIP) product using the Jabber protocol (built from XMPP). Various products have chat support.

Google Talk consists of both a service and a client used to connect to the service. Unlike some other instant messaging services, Google Talk uses an open protocol for the IM part and it encourages the use of clients other than their own in connecting to the Google Talk service. As of the launch date, the official client, required for the VoIP functionality, is only available for Windows XP/2000 although existing IM clients such as Gaim and iChat on Mac and GNU/Linux platforms can be used for text chatting. Users of other operating systems are provided with instructions for various popular Jabber clients, such as Psi or Miranda IM for Windows Me and below, iChat or Adium for Mac OS X and Gaim for Linux. However, any program capable of using the Jabber protocol is sufficient, although the voice over IP service only works with the Google client. See Wikipedia for more details.

Google Talk positions Google to compete with the popular service Skype. Like Google Talk, Skype's PC-to-PC communications are free. Skype also offers gateways to and from various regional phone services for which it charges. It is not known at this stage if Google intends to enter that market.

Contents 1 Easter eggs 2 Tips 3 Related links 4 Sources

Easter eggsEdit

• The About window of Google Talk contains a barely visible coded message in light gray font that reads play 23 21 13 16 21 19 . 7 1 13 5. Turning the numbers into corresponding letters of the alphabet where a=1 and z=26, then the message reads play wumpus.game. This is a reference to Hunt the Wumpus which can be played in Google Talk. Add wumpus.game@gmail.com to your friends' list and send it a text message of "play" to play.

Tips Edit

• To make something bold, you must place an asterisk before and after the area you want to bold.

*text here* will look like this: text here

• If you want to italicize something, you must place underscores around the area you want to italicize.

_text here_ will look like this: text here

• Surrounding text with ^'s turns it blue and puts it in caps and bold.

^your text here^ will look like YOUR TEXT HERE

• Put just one ^ in front of text and it puts your text in caps.

^your text here , will look like YOUR TEXT HERE

• Click to add more tips!

Related linksEdit

• Google Talk on the Miranda Instant Messenger wiki
• Google plans free Internet phone service, Wikinews

Sources Edit

• Wikinews:Google Talk released in beta form
• Google.com/talk
• Wikipedia:Google Talk
• Google Talk lives...

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