Google launches Voice and Video Chat for GMail

As stated on the Google Help page about Voice and Video Chat,

‘Sometimes reading "lol" doesn't deliver the same punch as actually hearing your friend laugh at your jokes.’ Moreover, the Official Google Blog put in writing, ‘As webcams have become popular, more and more of us are realizing that video is the next best thing to an in-person conversation.’

You can now use voice and video chat facilities right inside your gmail account and that too for free ofcourse. All you need is a microphone, a webcam and Gmail voice and video chat plug-in. Gmail’s voice and video chat plugin works in Windows XP/Vista with Firefox 2.0+, Internet Explorer 6.0+, Safari 3.0+ and Google Chrome.

Gmail voice and video chat let users chat visually without requiring any external application or signing up for any other account. Users who don’t have a video camera can still make a voice call or can respond to a 1-way video call from a friend. Google also can help you buy a webcam. Link

Here, the major drawback is that after installing the plug-in, you’ll have to wait for your contacts to perform the same process of installing the plug-in.

‘If your friend doesn't have a camera next to their name in your chat list, you can invite them to download the Gmail voice and video chat plug-in from the Video & more menu in a chat window.’

(Indicated on the Google Help page about Voice and Video Chat.)

To start the voice and video chat, follow the steps specified by the Official Google Blog,

‘Just click on the new "Video & more" menu in a Gmail chat window and select "Start video chat" or "Start voice chat." You can switch to a full screen view or pop out the chat window and change the size and positioning as you wish.’

The voice and video chat option is being rolled out in phases, so if you can’t see this option inside your gmail, have a look at the video below to see how the feature works: