The Future of Google Talk: Upcoming Features in '07

Google launched many applications in the last 2 years, but most of them had too few features (Google Talk) or they were under-promoted (Google Docs & Spreadsheets).

In 2007, things will change. David Girouard, VP and General Manager at Google Enterprise, told Internetnews.com that Google Talk will include many new features and will become a true VoIP client. "Girouard said that Google Talk, which currently allows users to make VoIP calls among themselves, will be beefed up to integrate with traditional phone systems as well as VoIP offerings from other vendors."

Google's social network could also receive an upgrade. Google "may use the fruits of its acquisitions of Web 2.0 companies such as wiki-builder Jotspot and social-networking site orkut to build the framework for a collaboration platform".

Products like Google Docs & Spreadsheets are sometimes faced with the problem of Internet access. Google wants to fix that, at least for enterprise users, by giving them access to their data when they're offline. In 2007, Google will add new features to Google Docs & Spreadsheets and will try to make it a real option for consumers and small businesses. "This year has been about getting our toe in the water. [Next year] will be about taking a lot more steps forward."

Source: Google Operating System Blog