Google's Instant Messenger

[Jeff]

If enough people talk about Google's instant messenger, can it be willed into existence?

Google has not announced any plans to produce an instant messenger, but there have been persistent rumors that the giant will eventually move into the arena.

Now, even Wall Street is goading Google on, encouraging them to get with it and jump into the IM market.

It makes sense. Gmail now accounts for over 45% of all users online time spent at Google, and for many people, instant messaging is even more persistent than email.

When Google finally unveils their instant messenger, what would you like it to be? What features should it offer, and what would it take to compel you to load "yet another" instant messenger program?

[Spike]

I'd love to see what Google would do with instant messaging, God knows they have the servers for it.

Personally, I'd like to see it very basic, maybe with a Trillian kind of feel to it. You would be able to pick a little icon for each of your buddys, you could set Aliases up, you could query Google with a command, or by hilighting a word in your conversation. Possibly set the window up like a conversation (kind of like Gmail does their e-mail). I dunno, I'm just speculating.

[Someguy03]

Google could produce a VERY powerful Instant Messenger. Most of the people that work for them are genius' to say the least Although, I probably wouldn't use it unless it was compatible with the MSN, AOL, and Yahoo! Networks.

The other messengers have very annoying animation ad's in their messengers. Google's could use text ad's. I would find that much more convenient.

[Hasan]

It should not be heavy piece of software bloated with childish features like winks, audio winks, dancing emoticons, dynamic display pics, shiny shingling mingling twisting turning things.

It should be a simple light, efficient, powerful and useful instant messaging client not a kido play ground of kindergarten.

[David]

I have to agree with Hasan. I'd like to see something that was lightweight and slim, with an interface that isn't bloated (see MSN) and doesn't have a ton of useless 'features' all over it (see AIM).

I use Trillian right now, and I think it'd take a lot to get me off of it, only real issue I have with it is the speed and sometimes stability of the application.

Perhaps some of you have heard of the program called Hello which is also a product of Google along with Picasa. In the Hello program there is a feature where you can use instant messaging to share your photos with friends also using the Hello program. The chat code was incorporate into the program by Google. I would really love it for a Google Instant Messaging program to look as how it looks in Hello.



I too would not like to see all these animated emoticons and winks and packages. I would like to see simplicity. The only features I would want would be the ability to appear invisible and still talk to a contact, and tabbed conversations.

[AwesomeSauce]

I second Hasan, David, and MiamiGuy. Google Instant Messenger should be small, speedy, and simple, without lots of crazy emoticons or winks or whatever. The GUI too should be very simple, but still attractive, like Gmail.

Will google have it's own network to chat on, or will it be interoperable with the Big 4? If it only had it's own network to chat on I'm sure I would still use it, however I would still have to use something else to talk to my friends that still use Hotmail. :P

It's hard to express my excitement for a Google Instant Messenger...

[Spike]

One more thought of mine I'd like to share...If Google isn't operable with the other networks, I'm afraid that I'd rather wait until someone comes up with a mod for Trillian (can't be too long) before I'd start to use it, because Trillian is just so simple, so clean, and so efficient.

[pfmccoy2189]

I Started an online petition to Google to let them no people are interested in the company creating Im software. the more signatures the better. please help by going to http://www.petitiononline.com/fmccoy21/petition.html - thank you!

[Tigerblade]

At the risk of following the crowd... I have to agree with just about everything that's been said already. Simple, clean, lightweight are the ways to go. I don't need "features," I need functionality. The only functionality I want out of the program is the ability to chat with friends, tabbed windows, and logging. that's it. Like Dave said, the interface needs to be clean and the functions need to be simple and not overly crowded. I don't need pictures, smileys, any of that crap.
And yes, it'll have to be interoperable to a degree, otherwise it'll take a much longer time to catch on. Maybe not so long among the more tech-savvy users, but with the average barely-knows-how-to-turn-on-the-computer population... definitely.