Google Talk

I've just downloaded Google Talk and had my first Google IM conversation this evening. It doesn't do much, but that's fine. It seems to be fast and I like the look and feel. Very clean. Did I mention it doesn't do much? I'm disappointed to see that it doesn't currently allow you to connect to other systems like AIM or YIM. I am desperately seeking a reliable and free IM client that combines MSN, AIM, Yahoo! and Jabber. Unfortunately Google Talk isn't going to fit that bill just yet. You can, however, connect to the Google Talk servers using GAIM.

This brings up another disappointing fact of Google Talk. There's not a whole lot of folk to IM with. It works on Windows only and requires you to have a Gmail account. Most everyone in my IM world communicates using either AIM or Yahoo!. Ah, but I'm sure Google's yet got some great tricks up its sleeve that will give me everything I want and more.

There's also an interesting voice feature that lets you talk to other Google Talk users, but that's not anything that the established players aren't already doing and it requires you to buy a nice headset for your PC.

By the way, you heard it here first. I predict that Google will introduce a Google OS based on on Linux within the next 18 months. Imagine, a real competitor to Windows and OS X. Of course, it would also be free (subsidized by context-relevant ads). Mark my words, Google OS v1 is coming to a desktop near you.