Gmail Video chat now integrated with Google+ Hangouts
For the past couple of months we have seen how Google is working desperately to unify all their services and make the user experience more social under the Google+ canopy. First, they changed their look for Gmail and integrated your Contacts with that of Google+ circles. Today we got confirmed reports of another major change where the Gmail Video Chat or Gtalk Video is replaced with Google+ Hangouts. As a matter of fact the Gtalk service, started in 2008 will discontinue from today.
Users who are still using Gtalk have two options in front of them. Either, you guys create a Google+ Account or use your Gmail in order to access the Hangout. I am trying to clear a lot of confusion here regarding the extent and reach for using Hangouts within Gmail. You can start a video chat with anyone in your contact list and the person need not be a Google+ member. People who are online in Google+ from their tablets or smartphones will also appear as online users under your Circles tab inside Gmail. In short, Google is simply using the technology behind Hangout and replacing that with their old Gtalk service. If you are using the mail client then you will soon receive the update over the next couple of weeks.
The search giant became widely popular when they introduced Gmail to the world. Over the past couple of years this mail client defeated every other competitor in the market and became the number one service and is now growing at a vertical pace simply because of its deep integration within the Android operating system. However, many users complained that the service feels slower than it used to be over a year ago. Even Tech Crunch complained about Gmail being slow and they really don’t care whether hangouts are added or not. For a mailing client sending and receiving mails should be number one priority.
