Hawaii Bulletin

Hawaii Bulletin

Share this post

Hawaii Bulletin
Hawaii Bulletin
Video Chat in Gmail
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More

Video Chat in Gmail

Ryan Kawailani Ozawa's avatar
Ryan Kawailani Ozawa
Nov 12, 2008

Share this post

Hawaii Bulletin
Hawaii Bulletin
Video Chat in Gmail
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Share

Taking another bold move into Skype's territory, Google has announced the addition of voice and video chat to Gmail. Interestingly, audio and video chats are currently available only as an extension to the Google Talk feature within Google's free webmail service, and not via its standalone Google Talk chat client application.

Since the new Gmail voice and video chat features are browser based, it works on both Mac and Windows systems, and in Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, and Google's own Chrome. I video chatted with Joe at Glazer's, then my kids interviewed my friend John and his family in Mililani Mauka, and it worked without a hitch with my Mac's built-in iSight camera.

The built-in picture-in-picture is a nice touch. Also, the echo cancellation was surprisingly good. I didn't bother plugging in a headset, and the system did a good job sorting out what my kids and I were saying and what was being said by our neighbors, even though I was just using the built-in microphone and speaker on my laptop.

One downside to video (or audio) chats in Gmail is that they're not recorded or archived. I rely quite a bit on Gmail's automatic archiving and indexing of text chats, searching and referring back to conversations with coworkers and friends. Now if I don't take notes, I might lose track of some of the best parts of our video or audio conversations.

Wanna chat? I'm "ryanozawa" on GTalk, Skype, AIM and Yahoo! Messenger.


Subscribe to Hawaii Bulletin

By Ryan Kawailani Ozawa ยท Launched 6 years ago
Island innovation in focus. Hawaii-based science, technology, startups and entrepreneurs, featuring local leaders, creators, educators, and more.

Share this post

Hawaii Bulletin
Hawaii Bulletin
Video Chat in Gmail
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Share

Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Gallery: ThriveHI Pau Hana
A sold-out crowd of Honolulu-based tech workers (and their friends) packed the courtyard of Honolulu Beerworks in Kakaโ€˜ako yesterday.
Apr 14, 2023 โ€ข 
Ryan Kawailani Ozawa
13

Share this post

Hawaii Bulletin
Hawaii Bulletin
Gallery: ThriveHI Pau Hana
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Preview: Hawaii Angels Turns 22
The leading investment network for seed-level private equity investors in Hawaii starts a new chapter in 2024.
Jan 15, 2024 โ€ข 
Ryan Kawailani Ozawa
3

Share this post

Hawaii Bulletin
Hawaii Bulletin
Preview: Hawaii Angels Turns 22
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Hub Coworking Expands to Entrepreneurs Sandbox
Cofounder Nam Vu looks back at the pandemic and shares his bright vision for the remote-work future.
Apr 22, 2023 โ€ข 
Ryan Kawailani Ozawa
7

Share this post

Hawaii Bulletin
Hawaii Bulletin
Hub Coworking Expands to Entrepreneurs Sandbox
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
2

Ready for more?

ยฉ 2025 Ryan Kawailani Ozawa
Privacy โˆ™ Terms โˆ™ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share

Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More

Create your profile

User's avatar

Only paid subscribers can comment on this post

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in

Check your email

For your security, we need to re-authenticate you.

Click the link we sent to , or click here to sign in.